Sausages

Rindswurst

All-Beef German Smoked Sausage (Rindwurst)

Rindswurst is a smoked sausage built on a 80% beef / 20% beef fat blend, using beef chuck or lean wild game. Smoke at 130-150°F (54-66°C), then poach at 165-170°F and finish at an internal 152°F (67°C), stuff into 32-35 mm natural hog or collagen casing, grind at 1/4" then 1/8". Exact amounts scale to any batch weight in the DeepWoodz Smokehouse app for iPhone and Android.

Rindswurst exists because it has no pork in it. A Frankfurt butcher made it for a city that would not eat pork, and that is still its whole identity. Beef fat smears far more easily than pork fat once it warms, so keep everything colder than you think you need to and mix until it is tight and tacky. White pepper and paprika lead, mace sits behind, and a little cardamom gives it something a regular smoked link does not have. Collagen casings keep it completely pork-free.

Rindswurst
Internal temp
152°F (67°C)
Smoker temp
130-150°F (54-66°C), then poach at 165-170°F
Casing size
32-35 mm
Casing
Natural Hog or Collagen
Bloom
1 hour

What goes in it

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

The meat

Beef Chuck · Lean Wild Game · Beef Fat Trim · Brisket Fat

Bear or wild hog: take it to 165°F and hold 3 minutes. Freezing, smoking and curing do not reliably kill trichinella — only heat does.

How it's made

  1. Grind the beef and beef fat through a 1/4" plate, then regrind through a 1/8" plate. Keep everything below 34°F.
  2. Mix all the dry seasonings together, salt included.
  3. Dissolve the cure in the ice cold water.
  4. Add the water and the dry seasonings to the meat. Mix until the meat is very tacky and smooth.
  5. Fry a small test patty and taste it. If it tastes flat it is under-salted, not under-spiced.
  6. Stuff into 32-35 mm casings and twist into 12" links.
  7. Hang at room temperature for 1 hour, until the casings are dry to the touch.
  8. Place in the smoker at 130°F for 30 minutes with the damper open.
  9. Raise to 150°F and apply smoke for 1 1/2 hours.
  10. Poach in 165-170°F water until the internal temperature reaches 152°F, about 25-30 minutes. Do not let the water boil.
  11. Cool them down promptly. (Optional - an ice bath is not required. It is personal preference; many just let them cool at room temp, or outside in cold weather. Just cool them down promptly.)
  12. Refrigerate overnight. To serve, warm them in hot water that is not boiling, or brown them on the grill. Serve with sharp mustard and rye bread. Rindswurst is usually made with 100% beef. Our recipe uses beef chuck or lean wild game with beef fat.

Wood

Oak · Cherry · Hickory

Safety

  • Cure #1 at 0.25% is required and locked. This sausage is held for hours at low temperature in the danger zone and must be cured. Do not reduce or omit it.
  • This is an all-beef sausage. Do not add pork - that is what makes it a Rindswurst. Use collagen casings if you want it completely pork-free.
  • Keep the meat below 34°F through grinding, mixing, and stuffing. Warm beef fat smears and the links come out greasy.
  • Never let the smoker go above 170°F or the water boil. Too much heat splits the casings and renders the fat out.
  • Cook to 152°F internal, verified with a probe. Do not judge by time or color alone.
  • Cool them down promptly once they hit temperature.

Before you start

Free · No Spam

New recipes as they land.

Venison, wild game, snack sticks, summer sausage. Leave your email and we'll send the new ones over.

Only when there's a new recipe. Nothing else.

You're on the list. We'll be in touch.

Something went wrong. Please try again.