Why not regular cheese in brats?

[salmonmaster]

Just wondering why not use regular, not hi temp cheese in brats? Seems like regular cheese would just ooze out real nice when you cut them open, like a nice piece of melted cheese on a cheese burger. Have some philly cheese steak seasoning on the way, and just thinking ahead of time.

[Dave in AZ]

salmonmaster you totally can. Hi temp cheese is for when you want the nice cheese particle to retain shape, so for things like summer sausage. Sliced things you don’t want cheese oozing out of.

But for brats, where you’re not gonna slice and won’t mind some runny cheesy goo, I totally like regular cheese better.

So the #1 brat cheese I personally like, is Philly Cheese steak brat. I actually slice Velveeta up in wee cubes, 6mm or so, then freeze before mixing and stuffing so they don’t smear. But I live the authentic cheeze wiz taste and texture you get! I’m kinda a recipe purist though, so I use pure beef, not pork, and add diced raw jalapeno (way more green pepper flavor than green peppers themselves IMO, at quantitiesyou can put into a sausage), amd dehydrated onions.

2nd favorite is kinda replicating Johnsonville cheese brats… pork shoulder 8mm grind, cure1, coarse shredded cheddar cheese, 1.9% salt, 0.5% paprika, 0.5% black pepper. 10% frozen pulled pork broth as the liquid.

Only other one I felt cheese was strongly a part of the flavor, was reuben brats. Swiss cheese is pretty dry and hi melt point already, I’ve tried adding that. Of course 100% brisket, cure1, 2% salt, mustard seed, juniper berry, bay leaves, black pepper, coriander seed. Do NOT recommend adding kraut, save that for putting on top!

[salmonmaster]

Dave in AZ great! I’m glad somebody has tried it, and likes to use regular cheese. Sounds like the most reasonable thing to do. Thanks!

[calldoctoday]

salmonmaster For the Phili Cheese Brats we use Provolone cubed, then smoked at very low temp, then dehydrated a bit, then frozen, then into the brat mix. I just never cared for the high temp cheese.

[salmonmaster]

calldoctoday thanks for info. By the time I’m done adding all the additives I’m thinking about, peppers, onions, couple different kinds of cheese, hope I have enough room to add some pork to actually make a brat

[Departing Contestant]

Another reason is for retail. Real cheese cooks out and there is no visual. A balance of both is perfect in fresh brats

[calldoctoday]

salmonmaster I think you will like the taste & looks of the Provolone in the Phili Brats. Use the most age & hardest that you can find.

[salmonmaster]

Thanks everybody for all the advice!

[salmonmaster]

Dave in AZ well, made the philly steak brats with regular cheese. Both provolone, and velveta. Frooze them both first, 8oz. Provolone, 12 oz. Velveta. Sauteed some red and orange peppers, and an onion to throw into mix. Fried up a couple of patties from left over mixture after stuffing, and dicided that more cheese would have been better. Then I had a vision I CAN add more cheese. I froze up the rest of the velveta cheese, cut it into 1/4 inch square rods, about 2 inches long and shoved them into both ends of brats, like a velveta suppository. I was laughing so hard I didn’t get a picture of the “procedure” but here’s some of final product

Now that’s a CHEESY brat

[bocephus]

salmonmaster Velveeta suppository, that is something I thought I would never hear, only in this community.

[Denny O]

salmonmaster Butt, it doesn’t look like the cheese be too binding.

[Dave in AZ]

salmonmaster Duuude! I just bought a block of Velveeta 3 hours ago, just exactly for the Velveeta suppository! I got a block of the white queso Velveeta too, to try in a chicken enchilada kinda brat I’ve been thinking of.

Honestly, our favorite way to have hotdogs is split lengthwise, fry in pan, lay slice of Velveeta on top, cover pan til melted, eat on plate.

Your pics look great!

[salmonmaster]

Denny O Butt on the other hand, my mind was wondering what else I could freeze and shove in there stuffed brats, the possibilities are endless.

[salmonmaster]

Dave in AZ sounds like you had a vision too

[cdavis]

salmonmaster looks great

[mrobisr]

salmonmaster It looks very good.

[mrobisr]

I just made 20lbs of fresh jalapeno and cheddar cheese sausage this last weekend and keep the IT at 145f and the cheese stayed in place, it turned out to be a very good sausage. Unfortunately I missed the mark on heat too little, but we will do better next time.

[samspade]

salmonmaster yep. Those are done right,!

[salmonmaster]

mrobisr was it summer sausage? How much fresh jalapeno did you use? Glad it came out good.

[mrobisr]

salmonmaster No, it was a standard 32-35mm sausage. I used a pound of whole jalapeno, not seeded and 22g of chipotle, but it was way to little. I knew it was extremely weak when my wife went back for seconds, darn it, lol. It will work in SS if you keep that IT temp below 150f, I kept it at 145f and used the USDA pasteurization guide to keep it pathogen free.