Every autumn, we would order a half pig from the butcher and host a lively “Schlachtfest” at our home. This wonderful feast, during which family and neighbors gathered together at our house, was truly the highlight of the year for everyone involved.

My mother was raised on a farm and later married my father, who worked as a teacher. She introduced various customs and traditions from her upbringing into our family life. In the past, pig slaughtering was a common practice in the village during the colder months. Many villagers participated in this event, with every child lending a hand, often stirring the blood in a large container.

Sausages were crafted, ham was produced, and roast pork was cooked. By the end of the slaughtering day, there was butcher’s soup, tender meat, a butcher’s platter, pork knuckle, snout, and freshly minced pork.

A grand “Schlachtfest,” or slaughter festival, was held with families and friends from the village. This event featured a delightful feast accompanied by plenty of schnapps. The larders were stocked full with coarse Bratwurst, Blutwurst, Leberwurst, Weißwurst, bacon, smoked Mettwurst, Ham (Schinken), and an assortment of other Wurst varieties. Additionally, the innards were utilized as well.

The families had ample provisions for the winter and could depend on high quality. Today, the pigs slaughtered during that period would be considered premium organic meat. In modern times, this traditional practice of home slaughtering, which has been established for centuries, is seldom carried out privately in villages. It is primarily entrusted to skilled butchers in their shops.

If you are unfamiliar, Kesselfleisch is boiled Pork that is used to process the Hausmacher or homemade Wurst.

To grind the meat, I found the Ninja Blender is the best choice. This is what I also use to blend the raw meat for the Leberkäse

Kesselfleisch, a boiled Pork Feast

In the basement, there was a large boiler, as shown below. The pig had already been chopped into pieces. We placed the meat sections into a hot water broth along with root vegetables like carrots, celery, onions, bay leaves, juniper berries, salt, and peppercorns and allowed it to boil until fully cooked. We prepared our plates with the tender meat. On the side, we served Sauerkraut and a slice of Bauernbrot.

Kesselsuppe

Kesselsuppe is the flavorful broth that simmers in the kettle, where we boiled our liver and blood sausage. Occasionally, we would intentionally let one or two sausages burst during cooking. We enjoyed this dish sometimes with small Spätzle added to the broth, which is also referred to as Riebelesuppe. It was a comforting meal that always brought everyone together.

Large pieces of the pig were boiling in a broth with root vegetables, like carrots, celery, onions, bay leaves, juniper berries, salt, and peppercorns

Wurst production

The boiled pork was diced or cubed and seasoned to perfection. Once we finished our Kesselfleisch (boiled pork), we moved on to making the Hausmacher (homemade sausage). The cooked meat was passed through a meat grinder, after which we incorporated additional seasonings based on the specific sausage recipe, filling it into natural casings or jars.

Smoking process

Our butcher had a smoking room, so we took our products to him. After a few days of cold smoking, we hung our sausages in the basement, where the temperature remains consistently around 40 to 45°F.

More Hausmacher Wurst:

Schlachtfest near Nürnberg below