German Bacon Sausage

Name: German Bacon Sausage
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 120 min
Total time: 140 min
Yield: 1 loaf (about 1 lb)
Cuisine: German
Ingredients: 1 pound ground pork; 10 oz bacon, chopped or ground; ½ tsp salt; ⅛ tsp nutmeg; ⅛ tsp ginger; ⅛ tsp black pepper; ¼ tsp coriander

Speckwurst-style homemade lunch meat made with a ham press — Smokey, sliceable, and loaded with bacon!

This is my take on German bacon sausage (Speckwurst) using a ham press. Came out great! I took an old German sausage recipe and ran it through my ham press to make my own homemade lunch meat. Lord have mercy, it turned out good!

Speckwurst is an old-school German bacon sausage — “Speck” means bacon, so you already know it’s loaded with that rich, smoky pork flavor. Generations of German cooks have been makin’ versions of it, and I brought the idea back to the holler to turn it into real homemade lunch meat. No mystery ingredients, no store-bought fillers… just ground pork, plenty of bacon, and a handful of simple spices pressed into a tight loaf.

Once it chills overnight it slices clean as a whistle. Perfect on biscuits, in sandwiches, or just eatin’ straight off the cutting board with a little mustard. There’s somethin’ special about pullin’ a loaf of lunch meat out of your own fridge that you made yourself. This one’s a keeper, y’all.

Ingredients

1 pound ground pork
10 oz bacon, chopped or ground
½ tsp salt
⅛ tsp nutmeg
⅛ tsp ginger
⅛ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp coriander

How to Make German Bacon Sausage

1. Grind or finely chop the bacon (pulse in a food processor if you don’t have a grinder).
2. In a big bowl combine the ground pork and ground bacon. Add the salt, nutmeg, ginger, pepper, and coriander.
3. Get your hands in there and mix it real good until everything is evenly blended.
4. Pack the mixture firmly into your ham press (or any sturdy loaf mold). You want it packed solid.
5. Place the pressed loaf in a pot of water heated to 180°F (not boiling). Cook for up to 2 hours until the internal temperature hits 160°F.
6. Remove from the water, let it cool to room temp, then chill in the fridge overnight. This firms it up for clean slices.

Cletus Tips for Success

Keep everything cold while mixing — cold fat = better texture.
The ham press is key — it gives you that tight, professional-looking loaf.
Want it smokier? Use applewood bacon or add a pinch of smoked paprika.
This keeps in the fridge for up to a week — perfect for breakfast sandwiches or late-night snacks.

Got a tweak or your own sausage secret? Drop it in the comments or holler at me!

German Bacon Sausage

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Ingredients

How to Make German Bacon Sausage

Cletus Tips for Success

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