Chef Klaus
Berlin Currywurst
The Berlin Imbiss counter on a plate: fried sausage cut thick, a tomato curry sauce cooked until glossy, and enough fries or bread to chase every bit.
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Fränkische Bratwurst
Created by
Franconia's everyday sausage lives by a gentle poach and a slow brown, so the casing snaps, the pork stays juicy, and the marjoram comes through clean.
Sandwiches & Wraps
German
Weeknight
BBQ
Budget Friendly
10 min
Active Time
25 min cook•35 min total
Yield4 servings
Fränkische Bratwurst belongs to Franconia, not to the beer-tent postcard. It sits on market squares, weekday grills, Kirchweih festivals, and simple family tables, usually in a split Weggla, a crusty roll, with mustard sharp enough to wake up the pork. This is not one German sausage. Im Norden anders, im Süden anders. Nuremberg makes them small and serves three in a roll; Coburg grills over pine cones; further west they run longer, coarser, and more strongly marjoram-scented.
I cook it the way a home stove allows: poach first, brown second. The poach sets the sausage gently and brings the middle to temperature before the pan starts shouting at the casing. Throw a raw Bratwurst into a hard hot pan and the outside splits before the inside is done, and then the fat runs out. That isn't browning. That's waste.
Keep the water below a boil. A tremble is enough. Then dry the sausages well and brown them slowly in a little fat until the skin turns deep gold with dark spots and feels tight under the tongs. Mustard from a jar is allowed here because mustard is a condiment, not a fake sauce. The sausage still has to be good. Nicht aus dem Glas does not mean you make every spoon in the cupboard.
Serve it in a warm roll with sauerkraut if you want the larder on the plate. Weggeworfen wird nichts: leftover poaching liquor, if it is clean and not too salty, can loosen kraut or start tomorrow's lentils. Schön ist, was schmeckt.
Franconian Bratwurst traditions are recorded from the medieval market towns of Franconia, with Nuremberg's small Rostbratwurst protected by city rules as early as the 14th century and now registered in the European Union as a protected geographic indication. The region still argues by town: Nuremberg serves small sausages as Drei im Weggla, three in a roll, while Coburg is known for grilling its larger Bratwurst over dried pine cones. Marjoram is the Franconian signature, and the coarse pork grind marks the sausage off from smoother southern versions.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
fresh Fränkische Bratwürste
Quantity
8 sausages, about 800g total
water
Quantity
1 litre
onion
Quantity
1 small
sliced
bay leaf
Quantity
1
black peppercorns
Quantity
6
neutral oil or lard
Quantity
1 tablespoon
crusty Brötchen or Weggla rolls
Quantity
4
split
medium-hot German mustard
Quantity
4 tablespoons
sauerkraut (optional)
Quantity
300g
warmed and well drained
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| fresh Fränkische Bratwürste | 8 sausages, about 800g total |
| water | 1 litre |
| onionsliced | 1 small |
| bay leaf | 1 |
| black peppercorns | 6 |
| neutral oil or lard | 1 tablespoon |
| crusty Brötchen or Weggla rollssplit | 4 |
| medium-hot German mustard | 4 tablespoons |
| sauerkraut (optional)warmed and well drained | 300g |
Equipment Needed
- •Wide pan for poaching
- •Heavy skillet or cast-iron pan
- •Instant-read thermometer, useful but not required
Instructions
- 1
Warm the bath
Put the water, onion, bay leaf, and peppercorns in a wide pan and bring it just to a bare tremble, about 80C to 85C. Do not boil it. Boiling batters the casing and squeezes the fat toward the skin before the sausage has set, and that is how a good Bratwurst bursts.
- 2
Poach gently
Slide in the sausages and hold the water below a boil for 10 to 12 minutes, turning them once. The sausage should feel firmer but not tight. This gentle poach cooks the centre evenly, so the pan later only has to brown the casing, not rescue a raw middle.
If your butcher sold the sausages already cooked, skip the poach and warm them slowly in the pan. A cooked sausage only needs heat through and colour, not another bath. - 3
Dry the skins
Lift the sausages out and pat them dry on all sides. A wet casing steams in the pan and stays rubbery; a dry casing takes the fat, browns, and tightens into that proper snap.
- 4
Brown them slow
Heat the oil or lard in a heavy skillet over medium heat and lay in the sausages with space between them. Brown them for 10 to 12 minutes, turning often, until the skins are deep golden with darker freckles and feel tight under the tongs. Runter mit der Temperatur if they colour too fast. Fast heat splits the casing before the fat has settled.
- 5
Warm the rolls
Warm the split Brötchen in a low oven or cut-side down in a dry pan for a minute or two. The roll needs a crisp edge because it has to hold sausage juice, mustard, and kraut without turning soft in your hand.
- 6
Build and serve
Spread each roll with mustard, add sauerkraut if using, and tuck in two sausages. Serve at once while the casing is still crisp and the inside is juicy. Würzen, Fett, Salz zum Schluss: taste before adding anything else, because a good Franconian sausage already carries salt, pepper, and marjoram.
Chef Tips
- •Buy fresh raw sausages from a butcher who knows Franconian style: coarse pork, visible fat, marjoram, and a natural casing. A smooth pale sausage with no texture is a different thing.
- •Do not prick the casing. People do this because they fear bursting, then they drain the fat they paid for straight into the pan. Control the heat instead.
- •Mustard should be sharp and plain. Sweet Bavarian mustard belongs with Weisswurst, not here. Das ist kein Bierzelt.
- •If serving with sauerkraut, warm it gently with a spoon of the poaching liquor. The liquor has onion and pepper in it, and Weggeworfen wird nichts.
Advance Preparation
- •The sausages can be poached up to one day ahead, cooled, covered, and refrigerated. Dry them well before browning or the casing will not crisp.
- •Warm sauerkraut up to two days ahead and reheat it gently with a splash of poaching liquor or water so it stays moist without drowning the roll.
- •Brown the sausages just before serving. That last pan work is where the snap is made.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 330g)
Calories
805 calories
Total Fat
55 g
Saturated Fat
19 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
36 g
Cholesterol
130 mg
Sodium
2500 mg
Total Carbohydrates
40 g
Dietary Fiber
4 g
Sugars
5 g
Protein
37 g
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