Veal sausage is a rare variety of sausage, usually blended with pork. Bockwurst and weisswurst are two types of veal sausage, with the former having more veal than pork. Veal sausage is highly perishable and must be cooked thoroughly. It is often served with mustard and pretzels and can be stuffed in a bun.
Of the dozens of sausage styles prepared around the world, only a few are made with veal, and even those are usually blended with the most popular sausage meat – pork. A cousin of German origins to the traditional hot dog, Bockwurst veal sausage is a plump and pink blend of veal, less pork, and a range of signature ingredients such as egg, garlic, coriander seeds, paprika, mace, nutmeg, mustard and a little sugar. In contrast, a Bavarian mixture of veal and bacon called weisswurst, or white sausage, turns completely white during the cooking process, despite similar spices, due to a lack of preservative nitrites.
Bockwurst and weisswurst can both be considered veal sausage. Some other sausages containing veal – the Dutch boterhamworst and the iconic German bratwurst – are mostly pork. These often have just some veal thrown in for good measure and a few spices that give them a distinct flavor.
According to a sausage glossary maintained online by the American Meat Institute, bockwurst typically has more veal than pork, though that’s not always the case. A recipe for bockwurst on the Hot Sausage website uses 7 lbs. (about 3.2 kg) of ground pork to about 3 lbs. (about 1.4 kg) of minced veal. This is then seasoned with salt, pepper, celery and onion powder, mace, chives, parsley, egg, liquid smoke and grated lemon zest.
A weisswurst recipe for veal sausage, on the Food From Bavaria website, includes veal, ham, and meat from a cow’s head. These are ground and spiced with mace, lemon zest, onion powder, chopped parsley, salt and pepper. The mixture is then filled into casings – from a sheep or a cow, depending on the desired size.
Veal sausage, mostly made from veal or pork, is highly perishable. Many butchers prepare ground veal to be eaten on the same day. Strict procedures must be followed to ensure that veal sausage is thoroughly cooked, whether by parboiling, grilling or baking. The What’s Cooking America website states that ground beef or veal should no longer be pink and 160°F (about 71°C) or higher.
Depending on the region, veal sausage can be served in a variety of ways. It is often accompanied by spicy mustard and a soft, salty pretzel. A beer wouldn’t be too far out of reach by tradition either. Some stuff their veal sausage inside a bun, though others think it spoils the natural flavor.
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