# What are Bratwurst made of?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-bratwurst-made-of/53401
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [February 6, 2001, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-bratwurst-made-of/53401 "2001-02-06T21:09:59Z")
**Posts on this page:** 13
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@sdimbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sdimbert)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2001, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-bratwurst-made-of/53401/1 "2001-02-06T21:09:59Z")
I thought cow intestines, but a co-worker says goat.
Anyone know the SD?
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### Author:  [@Sue\_Duhnym](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sue_Duhnym)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2001, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-bratwurst-made-of/53401/2 "2001-02-06T21:23:26Z")
According to this site:
[http://www.insca.org/faq/](http://www.insca.org/faq/)
The only natural casings used are from sheep, pig or cow.
I don’t want to look anymore, I’m grossed out.
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### Author:  [@Sue\_Duhnym](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sue_Duhnym)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2001, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-bratwurst-made-of/53401/3 "2001-02-06T21:29:52Z")
According to this site:
[http://www.meatingplace.com/articles/m177.asp](http://www.meatingplace.com/articles/m177.asp)
Bratwurst casings are made from 32-35mm hog casings.
You learn something new every day.
YECCHHH!
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### Author:  [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2001, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-bratwurst-made-of/53401/4 "2001-02-06T21:40:08Z")
And all this time I thought they were made from brats. Dang! Next thing, you’re gonna tell me Girl Scout cookies aren’t made from real Girl Scouts, right?
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### Author:  [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2001, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-bratwurst-made-of/53401/5 "2001-02-06T21:43:19Z")
A traditional recipe I have calls for pork, veal, milk, eggs, and spices (white pepper, mace, ginger, nutmeg, and salt). The ingredients are ground and stuffed into natural pork casings. Natural pork casings are pig intestines that have been cleaned and stretched. It is possible to make brats with synthetic casings, but I don’t think it is done much in practice.
If you think pig intestines are disgusting, you should know that some other sausages are traditionally stuffed into stomachs, rectums, or bladders.
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### Author:  [@JavaMaven1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JavaMaven1)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2001, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-bratwurst-made-of/53401/6 "2001-02-06T23:03:43Z")
Here is a pretty traditional recipe for Bratwurst: [http://soar.berkeley.edu/recipes/meat/sausages/recipe9.rec](http://soar.berkeley.edu/recipes/meat/sausages/recipe9.rec)
Your co-worker may just be confused, as there are sausages that come from the Middle East that are made from sheep or goat, such as Merguez.
You really want to talk about disgusting cured meats…
Traditional Mortadella (stuffed cow rectum)
Haggis (boiled sheep’s stomach, stuffed with a mixture of sheep’s internal organs and oatmeal)
Boudin Sausage (blood & breadcrumb sausage)
ugh.
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### Author:  [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)
#### Post date: [February 6, 2001, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-bratwurst-made-of/53401/7 "2001-02-06T23:09:01Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Sue Duhnym \*
> \*\*According to this site:
>
> [http://www.insca.org/faq/](http://www.insca.org/faq/)
> The only natural casings used are from sheep, pig or cow.
> I don’t want to look anymore, I’m grossed out. \*\*
Actually I long ago figured out that, traditionally, sausage was made by stuffing the intesting with meat, and then twisting it off into links. How else did they get sausages into long connected chains?
The funny thing is, though I wouldn’t ordinarily touch “chitterlings”, tripe, or other gastrointestinal organ meat, my fondness for sausages was instilled far, far too early to be grossed out by the fact that intestines are used. I do, however, have compunction regarding the pig, and also concerns regarding the fat content–both reasons why I rarely eat sausages. Rarely–but not never!
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### Author:  [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)
#### Post date: [February 7, 2001, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-bratwurst-made-of/53401/8 "2001-02-07T02:46:39Z")
If you think a natural casing is gross, go out and buy yourself a cheap garlic sausage made with a synthetic casing.
You end up with this little rubbery wad in your mouth after chewing up each bite.
Intestines or inner tube, you choice.
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### Author:  [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)
#### Post date: [February 7, 2001, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-bratwurst-made-of/53401/9 "2001-02-07T02:57:41Z")
Funny, you should have this thread going. I had Bratwurst for breakfast two days ago. ( It’s a lousy replacement for breakfast sausages, IMHO ). Ingredients said, " Beef and Pork". Added spices, etc. Didn’t get too **specific** about the beef or pork PARTS. \.
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### Author:  [@Sue\_Duhnym](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sue_Duhnym)
#### Post date: [February 7, 2001, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-bratwurst-made-of/53401/10 "2001-02-07T04:52:22Z")
Sometimes I think it’s just better to ignore the processing of what you eat and focus on the taste.
Actually, I think that’s better ALL of the time, especially when dealing with stuffed poop chutes.
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### Author:  [@st1d](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/st1d)
#### Post date: [February 7, 2001, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-bratwurst-made-of/53401/11 "2001-02-07T06:09:27Z")
They’re made the same way honey is. A bunch of germans eat pork and other misc. things till they’re stuffed, then drink beer till their bodies can’t take it any more. Then they pack up the contents in pig colon ( 😛 ), and ship 'em over here for us dumb americans to eat. 🙂
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### Author:  [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)
#### Post date: [February 7, 2001, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-bratwurst-made-of/53401/12 "2001-02-07T06:34:03Z")
> [@](#):
>
> _bibliophage wrote_A traditional recipe I have calls for pork, veal, milk, eggs, and spices (white pepper, mace, ginger, nutmeg, and salt). The ingredients are ground and stuffed into natural pork casings.
Pig guts don’t bother me much, but _ **veal** _? I’m close to 90% vegitarian, but good wurst was something I would usually make an exception for. (Let’s face it, no one in this country actually kills the pig for _those_ parts, right?) Now it looks like I’ll have to reconsider. How common is veal in sausage, really?
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### Author:  [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)
#### Post date: [February 7, 2001, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-bratwurst-made-of/53401/13 "2001-02-07T06:53:28Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Alan Smithee \*
> \*\*…How common is veal in sausage, really? \*\*
An expensive ingredient like veal is pretty rare in a catchall product like sausage. You can sleep well again.