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Lüchow's broiled bratwurst question

3K views 9 replies 7 participants last post by  pete 
#1 ·
Lüchows was a historic German restaurant in NYC. Their cookbook from 1950s is quite good if you have an interest in German cuisine. Its out of print but pretty commonly available used.

I was looking at ideas for my dinner tonight and looked at bratwurst just to see how they cooked it. The recipe is for making your own fresh sausage. As many others, they start by poaching the bratwurst. And then dip it in milk and broil it.

I've not seen that milk dip technique before broiling and wonder as to the thinking for it.

Just for browning?
 
#10 ·
According to the OP, the sausages are warm when they get the milk dip, as it is done after poaching. It doesn't say anything about cooling the brats between poaching and the milk dip. I agree that using milk can help with the browning but was wondering the about the temp of the milk as it would cause the sausage to possibly act differently during the sear depending on if the sausage was chilled somewhat by a dip in cold milk, than a dip in warm or hot milk.
 
#9 ·
I have never seen or heard of this milk soaking/dipping thing here in Germany. The fresh sausages are gently cooked in salted water (<80°C), then thrown in the pan or on the grill and given a short, sharp sear at high heat, then eaten immediately. The biggest mistake is searing them for too long and at too low a heat, that will cause the fat to leak out and turn the sausages into leathery mummies. No need for any refinements with milk or stuff, German cuisine is really not about refinement. It is down-to-earth and rustic in spirit.
 
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