Making Leberkäse at Home
This is a study in texture. When done right, you get a slice with a firm bite and a clean finish that holds its own in a bread roll or browned in a skillet.
Cold is your best friend.
If the meat warms up during grinding or mixing, the fat will leak out in the oven, leaving you with a crumbly mess instead of a sliceable loaf.
- Heavy-duty food processor
- Digital probe thermometer
- Loaf pan
- Fine-mesh sieve
What goes in.
- 500glean beef, cubed and chilled
- 500gpork belly, skin removed, cubed and chilled
- 200gcrushed ice
- 20gcuring salt (Prague Powder #1)
- 5gwhite pepper
- 2gmace
- 2gginger powder
Maintaining the temperature
Freeze your metal processor bowl and blades for an hour before starting. Add the ice directly to the meat during processing to keep the internal temperature below 12°C.
The method.
Grind the meat
Run the chilled beef and pork through a fine grinder plate twice, keeping the meat nearly frozen throughout.
Process into a paste
Place the meat into the processor. Add salt and spices. Pulse while slowly feeding in the crushed ice until the mixture turns into a pale, sticky, velvet-like emulsion.
Pack the pan
Grease a loaf pan generously. Scrape the meat paste in, pressing down firmly to remove any air pockets. Smooth the top with a wet spatula.
Score the surface
Using a knife dipped in hot water, draw a crosshatch pattern across the top of the loaf to help heat distribute evenly.
Bake
Bake at 150°C. Do not rush this. Pull it out when the internal temperature hits 70°C, usually after about 90 minutes.
Other turns to take.
Käsleberkäse
Fold in 150g of small-cubed Emmental cheese after the emulsion is complete but before packing the pan.
Zwiebelleberkäse
Add 50g of finely minced, sweated, and cooled onions to the mixture.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Always slice it cold if you want clean, thin deli-style portions.
If frying a slice, use a cast-iron pan with a tiny drop of lard.
If the mixture looks grainy rather than smooth like heavy cream, the fat has broken; add a splash more ice and pulse aggressively.
The ones that keep coming up.
Why is there no liver in the ingredients?
Despite the name, modern versions rarely contain liver. It is named for the shape and the consistency of the loaf.
Can I use a stand mixer instead of a food processor?
No. The shearing force of a processor is necessary to emulsify the fat and protein effectively.
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