Bratwurst

Melted Ridge Brats

Cheddar Style Bratwurst

Melted Ridge Brats is a bratwurst built on a 50% lean meat / 50% pork blend, using lean wild game or lean beef. Finish at an internal 160°F (71°C), stuff into 32-35 mm all natural hog casings, grind at 1/4". Exact amounts scale to any batch weight in the DeepWoodz Smokehouse app for iPhone and Android.

Cheddar brats live or die on whether the cheese survives the pan. High-temp cheddar holds its shape at cooking heat and gives you pockets of cheese instead of a slick in the bottom of the skillet. A little paprika rounds out the classic brat spice so the cheese has something to sit against.

• Cheesy
• Savory

Internal temp

160°F (71°C)

Casing size

32-35 mm

Casing

All Natural Hog Casings

What goes in it

• Kosher Salt
• White Pepper
• Ground Nutmeg
• Mace
• Ginger
• Marjoram
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• Sugar
• Paprika
• Ice Cold Water
• High-Temp Cheddar (1/4" cubes)
• Ground Coriander
• Celery Seed
• Mustard Powder

Amounts are calculated for your batch weight in the app — including the cure, which is held at a fixed, food-safe rate.

The meat

Lean Wild Game · Lean Beef · Pork Butt · Pork Shoulder

Bear or wild hog: take it to 160°F and hold 3 minutes. Freezing, smoking and curing do not kill trichinella — only heat does.

How it's made

1. Grind pork and fat through a 1/4" plate. Keep very cold.
2. Mix all dry seasonings together. The paprika adds color and the mace rounds out the flavor with the nutmeg and ginger.
3. Add seasoning and ice water to ground meat. Mix until well combined with good protein extraction.
4. Fold in high-temp cheddar cubes by hand — do not over-mix or cheese will smear.
5. Stuff into natural hog casings (32-35mm). Twist into 6" links.
6. Refrigerate for a few hours.
7. Vacuum seal and freeze for storage, or grill over medium heat to 160°F internal. Don't puncture the casings — keeps the cheese inside.

Wood

Apple · Cherry · Maple

Before you start

• Venison to pork fat ratio