The Wurst Oktoberfest Sausages.

Back while I was visiting Waterloo County and the Mennonite area General stores I came across a vendor at St. Jacobs that had some of the Wurst Oktoberfest Sausages and the original festival honey mustard. He claimed his Grandfather and Mother were making these little bangers and selling them at the Berlin Farmers Market before becoming Kitchener Ont. Over the years I have gained many sources to get some great artisan sausages. Sausage Meister’s are usually found on farms and have a seasoned smoke house on the premises. Because it’s not inspected and the product being made is for personal consumption, Mike Tinnes was my favourite old sausage meister tutor who passed  in the 90’s. He had a good life and he ate sausage almost every day along with cheese and bread. I learned a lot from my his old style techniques and with a sad farewell, I will say a prayer that he would say in Broken German Gypsy dialog with a smile on his face and hunk of smoked summer sausage in his hand; “I never met a sausage I didn’t like but those German sausages are the wurst!” RIP my friend.
So my whole reason for wanting to get into smoked sausage making is to make what was a staple growing up. Hiway Market’s and Zehr’s Markets Oktoberfest Sausage maker Mike Tinnes taught me how to make a good Pork Wurst Oktoberfest Sausage. I know there are many different types by the same name, but this is essentially ground meat, cure, spices, salt and pepper is most perfect.
Mike Tinnes recipe that is simple and very tasty.
You will need;
25 lbs. fresh pork shoulder, boned and ground coarse;                                                                                                                                                                German Oktoberfest Spice pack.

1/2 cup kosher salt
1/3 cup fresh ground black pepper
1 tbs + 2 tsp cure #1
Mix all ingredients well and allow to rest in refrigerator overnight.
Now stuff into 34-36 mm casings and link into 4/6 sections, allow links to air dry until dry to the touch. This can be sped up by placing in front of a fan
Cold smoke 3-4 hours smoke hickory/apple 8 hours and liked it like that), allow smoked links to bloom overnight in refrigerator.
Alternative hot smoking can be done as well, start at around 120F, and raise smoker temp by about 10 degrees every half hour until it reaches 170 degrees. Do not go above this temp or you may get fat rendering around the outside of the sausage. Smoke until you get to internal temp of 155 F, then place in a cold-water bath until IT is back down to 100F. Allow links to cool and bloom in refrigerator overnight.
Now follow this recipe and become better with practice, practice, practice.

I made a small batch and had a vendor ship me a jar of the original Bavarian festival sausage mustard, a dozen special Oktoberfest Pretzel buns. Arrived in 48 hours perfect to show my chef friends what a German Wurst Sausage really tastes like.