That Germans have a fondness for sausage should come as no surprise.
After all, the nation features more than 40 different regional styles. And the swarthy, fatty savor of bratwurst drapes outdoor Christmas markets from Cologne to Berlin.
No culinary bucket list is complete without a sample of cased meat from Nuremburg, Thuringia, Lower Lake and …
Um …
This fall, Six Sigma Ranch began turning out bratwurst using pork raised naturally on the sprawling property near Lower Lake. Their first time effort matches centuries of old world craft.
A calm, nutty and faintly sweet trill seeps from firm, ruddy meat. The mellow trace settles into a hearty, sweetgrass flavor — the satisfying heft of cured country ham. The impression is so familiar and the memories stirred so intense you almost begin to crave red-eye gravy.
But Six Sigma’s bratwurst yearns for a simple presentation. Smothering it with mustard or horseradish shows callous disregard for the rich, yet somehow mellow tang of beautiful pork. Hints of earthy spice — coriander, nutmeg, caraway, perhaps — provide a foundation for the impressive package.
“The quality goes down to raising practices,” explained Six Sigma’s Rachel Ahlmann.
The animals roam the ranch, grazing over meadows and under a forest canopy on grasses and acorns. As a result, the pork produced at Six Sigma — including thick slabs of bacon — compare to the coveted patanegra of Spain much more than the nitrate laced brats straining supermarket shelves.
“I was pleasantly surprised,” Ahlmann said of the first time effort. “They sold like crazy.”
In fact, customers emptied Six Sigma’s pantry of bratwurst between the time of purchase and writing. Fortunately, tasting room staff keep a waiting list for those wanting to order farm raised meats.
Ahlmann expects to have the next batch of brats ready in the spring.
Which means the legion of Green Bay Packers tailgaters can refrain from dousing their grills — for now. And that German affection for centuries of allegiance to sausage appellation will have to add Lower Lake to their bucket list.
Dave Faries can be reached at 900-2016
