Among the many
sausages produced in the Midwest and in Iowa
is mettwurst. This is a cold-smoked
ring sausage, similar in texture to
bratwurst but made in a bigger casing and
produced by several small communities of
Platte German (Schleswig-Holstein), Dutch,
and Luxembourg heritage in southwest Iowa
and northwest, Iowa.
Typically made in
midwinter (the traditional time to slaughter
hogs, due to the cold weather and lack of
other high intensity farm duties), the
sausage is ground, mixed with spices, and
then smoked at 70 degrees F for three hours.
Although Germans (and likely Dutch and Luxembourgois) in Europe eat the sausage
without further cooking, those Mineola
community members of platt German descent
do boil or grill the sausage after smoking
to make sure that all bacteria are killed.
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