Hofer Rindfleischwurst

Appearance & taste

The sausage is elongated and comes in an artificial casing 40 to 55 mm in diameter. The finely minced filling is a strong but pleasant meat-red colour and spreads well. It tastes delicately spicy with a slight peppery note, and the cold smoking over beech wood gives it a smoky aroma.

Because it is fresh, it keeps its flavour and aroma for only two to three days and is not intended for longer storage. Vacuum-packed and chilled, it keeps for at least 10 days. It contains 50 to 55 % water and 20 to 30 % fat.

Production

At least 60 % of the sausage is low-fat beef free of sinew; back fat and pork together make up at most 40 %. Meat from fully grown, older animals is preferred because it has a strong colour. Only freshly slaughtered meat is used, not hung or deep-frozen meat.

It is seasoned mainly with salt and finely ground pepper, and to a small extent with other spice mixtures. Nitrite curing salt and ascorbic acid are added to ensure a stable red colour. Apart from slaughtering, the entire production, from trimming and sorting the meat onwards, takes place in businesses in the area of origin.

Origin & history

The area of origin covers the town of Hof and the district of Hof. From 1950 a master butcher there was the first to make Rindfleischwurst from lean beef. His former journeyman continued the tradition in his own business in Hof from 1962 to 1993; according to the specification, demand was so great that he processed up to 15 beef hindquarters every week. Other butchers in the region took up production. In 1993 Hofer Rindfleischwurst was included in the guidelines for meat and meat products of the German Food Code.