If you grow meat rabbits and you love grilling (or even if you don’t grow them but can get your hands on some rabbits to trim and make sausage with), this is a recipe you have to make.
Every sausage recipe library needs a good, simple bratwurst recipe in it. And we’ve got it!
The sweet rabbit meat blends perfectly with these simple spices and a good (or just decent) can of beer*.
So simple but so full of flavor.
*If beer and alcohol aren’t your thing, you can leave it out. Just substitute water for the beer measurements instead. (But if you like beer, use it because it adds a layer of subtle flavor that really makes these brats pop.)
Jump to:
- How to Make Homemade Rabbit Beer Bratwurst Sausages
- Mixing Spices into Homemade Sausage
- Adding Liquid to Sausage Mix
- Second Grind for Sausage & Completing the Loose Sausage Mix
- Use Sausage Loose, Make Into Patties, or Link Your Rabbit Bratwursts
- How to Twist Rabbit Sausage Links
- Ways to Use Rabbit Bratwurst Sausages
- More Helpful Rabbit Sausage-Making and Sausage Stuffing Links & Videos
How to Make Homemade Rabbit Beer Bratwurst Sausages
This recipe makes 5 pounds of beer brats. It’s easy to scale up. Just double or triple (or more) the ingredients accordingly. Just keep the ratios the same so the spices balance when you scale up the batch.
Ingredients for Rabbit Beer Bratwursts:
- 5 pounds rabbit meat trim**
- 2 tablespoons caraway seeds
- 1 ½ tablespoons salt
- 1 tablespoon ground white pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 cup beer (both light and dark work well)
**If you like more fat in your sausages, you can mix in pork fat, bacon ends, or other animal fat like chicken fat. If you choose to mix fat in, use 4 pounds of rabbit meat and 1 pound of pork or other fat.
Mixing Spices into Homemade Sausage
Instructions for making Rabbit Beer Bratwursts:
- Grind the rabbit meat through a coarse grind plate. Make sure the meat is thoroughly cold before grinding.
- Mix the spices all together in a jar or bowl. Mix through to evenly combine.
- Sprinkle the spice mixture evenly over the top of the ground meat.
- Mix to combine.
- Now, add in the beer. Mix once again until evenly distributed and mixed in.
Adding Liquid to Sausage Mix
- Return the sausage mix to the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.
- Let the sausage mixture cool completely through.
- Grind the sausage mix a second time using a fine or medium plate. The plate you use is up to you; use whatever you prefer for the coarseness and texture you prefer. I like a medium plate because rabbit meat is a more tender meat (like chicken) and it does not mush and emulsify with the medium plate.
- You can now use your sausage or go on to stuff it. The sausage mixture will need to be completely cooled again before you can stuff it and link it.
Second Grind for Sausage & Completing the Loose Sausage Mix
Use Sausage Loose, Make Into Patties, or Link Your Rabbit Bratwursts
Your sausage is now complete and can be cooked, used as a loose sausage, formed into patties (an excellent way to use these rabbit bratwursts!), and can be packaged and frozen for future use.
If you want to make sausage links, you will need casings (medium casings work well).
How to Twist Rabbit Sausage Links
Sausage casings come packed in a lot of salt, which preserves them. Casings will need to be rinsed and soaked before you can begin stuffing and linking your sausages.
The casings need to be soaked for at least a half an hour before you stuff the sausages. You can do this while the meat mixture cools through.
It is fine to prepare and soak the casings well ahead of time -- like as the sausage cools out or even the night before. As long as the casings are left covered and soaked in fresh, clean water, they can be kept in the refrigerator for 24 hours or more until you are ready to use them.
Ways to Use Rabbit Bratwurst Sausages
The best way to use these rabbit bratwursts is just like you would any other bratwurst. They are an excellent sausage on the grill, whether linked or in patties.
Both styles are perfect for grilling or pan frying (in a nice cast iron pan, preferably). The patties make a very nice alternative to hamburgers when you get tired of eating them!
More Helpful Rabbit Sausage-Making and Sausage Stuffing Links & Videos
- Filling the sausage stuffer: watch the video
- Threading sausage casings onto the stuffing tube: watch the video
- Stuffing the casings with sausage mixture: watch the video
- Learn about other cuts you can make with rabbit meat: watch the video
- Find more tried and true favorite rabbit sausage recipes and other rabbit recipes here
Leave a Reply