Leberkäse
Bayerischer Leberkäse: Bavarian baked pork and beef loaf, served warm in a roll with sweet mustard
Despite its name, Bavarian Leberkäse contains neither liver nor cheese: it is a smooth, finely ground loaf of pork and beef baked until it has a dark, crunchy crust. In Munich it is the mid-morning snack, a thick warm slice folded into a crusty roll with sweet mustard and eaten standing at the butcher's counter. Made at home without curing salt, the inside bakes pale grey rather than pink, which is normal. Chef's tip: everything, including the bowl of the food processor, must be ice-cold; if the mix warms above about 12 °C the fat separates and the loaf turns crumbly.
- Total time
- 115 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the loaf
To serve
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (3)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Spread the 1 ⅓ lb pork shoulder, 10 ½ oz lean beef and 10 ½ oz pork back fat (or fatty pork belly without rind) on a tray and freeze for 30 minutes, until firm at the edges but not frozen solid. Chill the food processor bowl and blade too.
30 minStep 2: Mince the meat and fat through a fine mincer plate, or pulse in batches in the processor until finely chopped. Put the chopped meat back in the fridge while you weigh the seasonings.
10 minStep 3: Working in two batches, blitz the meat with the ⅝ oz salt, 1 tsp white pepper, ½ tsp ground nutmeg, 1 tsp dried marjoram, ¼ tsp ground mace, 1 tsp onion powder and half the 3 ½ oz crushed ice for 1 minute, then add the rest of the 3 ½ oz crushed ice and blitz 2–3 minutes more until you have a smooth, sticky, pale paste. Stop if it feels warm and chill it for 10 minutes.
10 minStep 4: Heat the oven to 325°F (275°F fan). Brush a 1.5 litre loaf tin with the 1 tsp neutral oil and press the paste in firmly, banging the tin on the worktop to knock out air. Smooth the top with a wet spatula and score a shallow diamond pattern across it.
5 minStep 5: Bake for 60–75 minutes until a thermometer in the centre reads 160°F and the top is deep brown and crusty. For a darker crust, raise the heat to 425°F (400°F fan) for the last 10 minutes.
70 minStep 6: Rest in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out. Slice 1.5 cm thick and serve warm in the 8 crusty bread rolls with 8 tbsp sweet Bavarian mustard. Leftover slices are excellent fried with an egg on top.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 20 g
- Carbs
- 1 g
- Fat
- 33 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does leberkäse take?
- About 115 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 75 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of ground mace?
- Ground nutmeg, same amount (a little stronger).
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