Knockwurst Poached in a Shiner Bock
Sausages and Beer, a great marriage of flavors and textures. Knockwurst is a German style sausage made from a mix of pork and veal, ground together into a fine textured, flavored with lots of garlic and then smoked with hard wood. With these flavors, a Bock style larger works perfectly, to compliment the garlic bite, the light smoke, with the melanoidin rich brew. To add to this combination of German flavors, a Smoked Onion Bier Sauce is created by re-utilizing the beer broth used to poach the sausage.
Sever these knockwurst on a bed of Pumpkin DBA Spätzle or roasted potatoes with a side of bier mustard.
This recipe is from a cooking class I taught: Celebrating Oktoberfest with Beer Cuisine.
Firestone Walker Oaktoberfest
Served with Knockwurst poached in a Shiner Bock, sauerkraut made with cabbage, fennel and carrots, with a smoked onion bier sauce
- 3 tablespoon butter, unsalted
- 3 each onion, yellow, large, peeled and sliced
- 3 each bay leaf, preferably fresh
- 3 sprigs thyme, fresh
- 6 each juniper berries, lightly crushed
- 3 each garlic, cloves peeled and sliced
- 36 ounce Bock Style Lager such as Shiner Bock or other Bock StyleDoppelbock Style lager
- 4 each sausage, Knockwurst style
- 2 tablespoon butter, unsalted
- 1 each fennel bulb, sliced thin, tops saved for garnish
- 3 each carrots, peeled and shaved thin
- 4 cup sauerkraut, preferably homemade, washed and drained
- 2 tablespoon butter, unsalted
- 2 tablespoon flour, all-purpose
- 1 teaspoon caraway, seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
- 1 tablespoon mustard, a German style Bier mustard
- In a Dutch oven or pot over medium high heat, add the butter and melt. Add the onions, bay leaves, thyme, juniper berries and sauté for 8 – 9 minutes, until the vegetables turn a light brown color. Add the garlic and cook for another minute, then deglaze the pot with the bock beer. Bring to a simmer and add the knockwurst and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the sausages and keep warm.
- Drain the onion beer mixture in a colander, saving the beer stock in a separate bowl. Add the butter and fennel to the Dutch oven and cook for 3 – 4 minutes. Add in the carrots and kraut to the pot and ½ cup of the beer stock. Warm the ingredients and set aside.
- Remove the bay leaves and juniper berries from the drained vegetables. In a sauce pot over medium heat, add the butter and melt. Add in the flour and caraway seed and make a roux, cooking until golden brown, about 3 - 4 minutes. Slowly pour the remaining reserved beer stock to the roux, whisking to combine. Then bring the mixture back to a simmer, adding in the onions and the liquid smoke. Simmer for about 5 minutes, until the sauce is medium thickness, add in the mustard and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Place a large scoop of the sauerkraut in the center of the plate, topping with a knockwurst, then garnish with several spoons of the Smoked Onion Bier Sauce and garnish with the fennel fonds.
Beer Pairing Suggestions:
Firestone Walker Brewing Co. Oaktoberfest or Spaten Oktoberfest/Märzen both have a wonderful malt forward flavor, while crisp and clean, that will add a nice balance to the Smoked Onion Bier Sauce and the delicate flavors of the Knockwurst style sausage.
