How to Cook Weisswurst

If you love eating sausages at breakfast, you'll love the weisswurst, the white sausage specialty of Bavaria. Since weisswurst are made without preservatives or nitrates, you'll need to cook them soon after buying them. You can prepare them in the traditional way by simmering the links in salted water. If you'd like to give the weisswurst a smoky flavor, you can cook them on the grill and baste them with beer. For a complete meal, pan-fry the weisswurst and cook them with sliced onions, sauerkraut, and apples.

Ingredients

Bavarian-Style Simmered Weisswurst

  • Weisswurst links
  • Water
  • Salt

Serving size varies

Grilled Weisswurst

  • Weisswurst links
  • Bavarian or wheat beer

Serving size varies

Pan-Fried Weisswurst with Beer

  • 1 pound (453 g) weisswurst sausage
  • 1 tablespoon (15 ml) vegetable oil
  • 2 onions
  • 3 cups (450 g) well-drained sauerkraut
  • 2 cups (473 ml) beer
  • 2 granny smith apples
  • Freshly grated nutmeg to taste
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Makes 4 servings

Method 1
Method 1 of 3:

Bavarian-Style Simmered Weisswurst

  1. Image titled Cook Weisswurst Step 1
    1
    Bring salted water to a boil. Set a pot on the stove and fill it at least half full with water. Add several generous pinches of salt and turn the heat to high. Heat the water until it comes to a boil.[1]
    • The pot should be at least 2-quarts (1.89 liters) in size.
  2. Image titled Cook Weisswurst Step 2
    2
    Add the weisswurst and reduce the heat. Turn the heat down to low and slowly lower as many weisswurst links as you want into the water. The water should be bubbling gently.[2]
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  3. Image titled Cook Weisswurst Step 3
    3
    Simmer the weisswurst for 10 minutes. Keep the lid off of the pot and simmer the sausages until they're completely warmed throughout. This should take 10 minutes.[3]
    • Although many people don't like to poke the sausages, you can insert a meat thermometer to check the temperature. The weisswurst should reach 170 °F (77 °C).
  4. 4
    Remove and serve the classic Bavarian weisswurst. Turn off the heat and scoop the cooked sausages to a large serving bowl. Spoon some of the salted water from the pot into the bowl with the sausages. Let guests help themselves to the weisswurst and serve it with sweet mustard, a large pretzel, and a Bavarian beer.[4]
    • You can slit and peel off the casings from the weisswurst. Or to eat them traditionally, trim off the end of the weisswurst and suck the sausage out of the casing.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 3:

Grilled Weisswurst

  1. Image titled Cook Weisswurst Step 5
    1
    Determine if your weisswurst is raw or pre-cooked. Ask the butcher if the weisswurst you're buying needs to be fully cooked or just reheated. If you're buying packaged weisswurst, read the cooking instructions to determine if you should fully cook the sausages.[5]
  2. Image titled Cook Weisswurst Step 6
    2
    Reheat weisswurst on the grill if they're precooked. Since many packaged weisswurst are precooked, you can simply toss them onto a medium-heat grill. Cover the grill and cook the weisswurst until they're completely hot throughout. Turn the weisswurst occasionally and grill them for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve the hot weisswurst.[6]
    • Avoid poking the weisswurst casing with a fork, knife or tongs to prevent the flavorful liquid inside the sausage from leaking.
  3. Image titled Cook Weisswurst Step 7
    3
    Grill the raw weisswurst over medium-low heat. Prepare a gas or charcoal grill for medium-heat. Brush the grill grate with vegetable oil, so the sausages don't stick to the grill. Place the weisswurst on the grill over indirect heat. Cover the grill and let the weisswurst cook until they reach 140 °F (60 °C). Frequently turn the sausages and spray them with a little water or beer, so they brown evenly and don't split.[7]
  4. Image titled Cook Weisswurst Step 8
    4
    Rest and serve the grilled weisswurst. Remove the cooked weisswurst from the grill and transfer them to a serving plate. Lay a sheet of aluminum foil over the sausages and let them rest for 5 minutes. They'll finish cooking and then you can serve the hot weisswurst.[8]
    • You can store leftover grilled weisswurst in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 3:

Pan-Fried Weisswurst with Beer

  1. Image titled Cook Weisswurst Step 9
    1
    Sauté the weisswurst for 2 to 4 minutes. Pour 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of vegetable oil into a large, heavy skillet and turn the heat to medium-high. Place 1 pound (453 g) of weisswurst in a single layer in the skillet. Sauté and turn the sausages frequently until they're golden brown on the outside. This should take 2 to 4 minutes.[9]
    • Use a skillet that's at least 12-inches (30 cm) in diameter.
    • Avoid over cooking the weisswurst since they'll finish cooking in the oven.
  2. Image titled Cook Weisswurst Step 10
    2
    Slice the onions and drain the sauerkraut. Peel 2 onions and use a sharp knife to slice them thinly. Get out 3 cups (450 g) of sauerkraut and place it in a fine mesh strainer over a sink. Press against the sauerkraut so the liquid drains out of the sauerkraut.[10]
  3. Image titled Cook Weisswurst Step 11
    3
    Combine the weisswurst, onions, sauerkraut, and beer in the skillet. Carefully drain and discard any of the hot grease in the skillet. The sausages should still be in a single layer in the skillet. Spread the sliced onions and drained sauerkraut evenly over the weisswurst. Pour 2 cups (473 ml) of beer over the mixture.[11]
    • You can use any wheat or Bavarian-style beer.
  4. Image titled Cook Weisswurst Step 12
    4
    Cook the weisswurst for 15 to 20 minutes. Put a lid on the skillet and turn the heat to medium. Let the weisswurst, onions, and sauerkraut cook until the sausages are cooked throughout and the onions soften. This should take 15 to 20 minutes.[12]
    • If you don't have a lid for your skillet, consider laying a baking sheet down over the skillet.
  5. Image titled Cook Weisswurst Step 13
    5
    Add sliced apples and season the dish. Use an apple corer to remove the cores from 2 granny smith apples. Slice the apples into 1-cm thick slices and add them to the skillet with the sausages. You should also sprinkle the dish with freshly ground nutmeg, salt, and pepper, to taste.[13]
  6. Image titled Cook Weisswurst Step 14
    6
    Cover and cook the dish for 2 more minutes. Put the lid back on the skillet and cook the mixture over medium heat until the apples soften a little. This should take 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and serve the cooked weisswurst, onions, sauerkraut, and apples while they're hot.[14]
    • You can store this dish in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
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Things You'll Need

Classic Bavarian Weisswurst

  • 2-quart (1.89 liters) sized pot with lid
  • Serving bowl
  • Ladle
  • Meat thermometer, optional

Grilled Weisswurst

  • Gas or charcoal grill
  • Tongs
  • Serving plate
  • Aluminum foil
  • Meat thermometer, optional
  • Spritzer

Pan-Fried Weisswurst with Beer

  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Digital scale
  • Knife and cutting board
  • Fine mesh strainer
  • Spoon
  • Heavy skillet at least 12-inches (30 cm) in diameter with a lid
  • Apple corer

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References

  1. ↑ http://oyamasausage.ca/recipes/how-to-cook-and-serve-an-oyama-weisswurst-the-traditional-bavarian-way/
  2. ↑ http://oyamasausage.ca/recipes/how-to-cook-and-serve-an-oyama-weisswurst-the-traditional-bavarian-way/
  3. ↑ http://oyamasausage.ca/recipes/how-to-cook-and-serve-an-oyama-weisswurst-the-traditional-bavarian-way/
  4. ↑ http://oyamasausage.ca/recipes/how-to-cook-and-serve-an-oyama-weisswurst-the-traditional-bavarian-way/
  5. ↑ http://www.germanfoodguide.com/wurstgrilling.cfm
  6. ↑ http://www.germanfoodguide.com/wurstgrilling.cfm
  7. ↑ http://www.germanfoodguide.com/wurstgrilling.cfm
  8. ↑ http://www.germanfoodguide.com/wurstgrilling.cfm
  9. ↑ http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/weisswurst-in-beer-19493
  1. ↑ http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/weisswurst-in-beer-19493
  2. ↑ http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/weisswurst-in-beer-19493
  3. ↑ http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/weisswurst-in-beer-19493
  4. ↑ http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/weisswurst-in-beer-19493
  5. ↑ http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/weisswurst-in-beer-19493

About This Article

Jessica Gibson
Co-authored by:
Jessica Gibson
wikiHow Staff Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Jessica Gibson. Jessica Gibson is a Writer and Editor who's been with wikiHow since 2014. After completing a year of art studies at the Emily Carr University in Vancouver, she graduated from Columbia College with a BA in History. Jessica also completed an MA in History from The University of Oregon in 2013. This article has been viewed 92,111 times.
24 votes - 77%
Co-authors: 4
Updated: May 19, 2020
Views: 92,111
Categories: Sausage
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