Liver cheese, German Leberkase also called Fleischkase in Germany is a specialty from the south of Germany. Even it´s name literally translated means liver cheese or meat cheese the dish does not contain liver or cheese. It is more like a kind of a delicious sausage loaf that is baked in a bread pan.
Liver cheese is moist and soft and tastes just as good warm as a main course with potato salad and fried eggs as it does cold as a snack with pretzels and pickles.
Leberkäse has been produced in Bavaria for over 200 years and is a classic in the German cuisine. It is also referred to as “Leberkas” or “Fleischkas” in the Bavarian dialect.
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History - Cultural Background
Elector Karl Theodor brought his own butcher to Bavaria with him over 200 years ago. The butcher created these tasty sausage loaves from finely chopped pork and beef, which then was baked in bread pans.
He reigned as Prince-elector and Count Palatine from 1742, as Duke of Jülich and Berg from 1742 and also as prince-elector and Duke of Bavaria from 1777 to his death. He was a member of the House of Palatinate-Sulzbach, a branch of the House of Wittelsbach.
The original Bavarian “Leberkäse” didn’t contain any liver (Leber), which is still the case today. This wasn’t the case outside of Bavaria, where there were still guiding principles in place from the German food book for meat and meat production that stated that liver cheese had to have a certain amount of liver in it.
Some argue, that the name “Leberkäse” originally came from the addition of liver to the recipe. But the name actually goes back to the old German word “Lab” meaning loaf and “Kasi” meaning “mass”.
The delicious dish is called "Leberkäse" in German or "Leberkas" in Bavarian dialect.
It looks like a large meat loaf with a golden, brown crust and is made from ground meat and a special spice mix. The taste and texture is comparable to a sausage.
Eaten warm as a main meal or snack and as cold cuts for “Abendbrot” (German dinner) – the classic from Bavarian cuisine is literally on everyone’s lips. It is especially loved cut into finger thick slices and served warm in a crispy bread roll as a sandwich. The “Leberkassemmel” is one of the most popular lunch ideas for on the go.
Listen to this audio file to hear how to say "Leberkäse" and "Leberkas" in German.
In southern Germany and Austria, leberkäse is a popular meat dish and you can find it in every supermarket and restaurant.
Ingredients
Making liver cheese does not require difficult to get ingredients:
- pork belly or bacon
- ground pork
- lean ground beef 93%
- crushed ice
- curing salt i.e. Prague powder or Insta Cure, NOT Morton Tender Quick
- Kosher salt
- white pepper
- ground marjoram
- ground thyme
- cardamom powder
- nutmeg powder
- ginger powder
- mustard powder
- baking powder or cutter process aid or phosphate
- corn starch
- lemon zest
- garlic
- onion
See recipe card for quantities.
Easy Step-by-Step Instructions
I must admit making my own homemade leberkase was intermediating as we usually buy the specialty ready to cook or pre-cooked at the butcher or in the supermarket in Germany.
It's hard to find leberkase in the US, so I decided to make my own. I was pleasantly surprised to discover how simple it was.
Follow these easy step-by-step instructions to see how you can make this delicious German liver cheese too.
Place the frozen ground meat for about 2-3 hours before you want to use it into the fridge to slightly start to defrost it. The meat should NOT be completely thawed, it should be still semi-frozen to the point that you are able to cut it.
Cut the pork belly into small slices or cubes, add them to a freezer bag and place them into the freezer until the slices begin to freeze slightly.
In the meantime, add ice cubes to a food processor and pulse them into crushed ice. Add the ice to a bowl and place it into the freezer.
Chop the onion and the garlic roughly and add them to the food processor and pulse them finely.
Add the chilled pork belly to the food processor and pulse again to a smooth consistency.
Add the mixture to a stand mixer bowl with a paddle attachment.
Cut the semi-frozen ground meat into small chunks. Place them in batches to the food processor, pulse them to a smooth consistency and add the pulsed meat to the mixer bowl.
Blend the meat mixture on medium-low. This will take up to 15 min until the meat gets a smooth, shiny consistency that indicates a successful emulsion.
Check the temperature occasionally during this process and add crushed ice in case the temperatures will raise over 55F.
Slowly add the curing salt and other spices while blending.
Preheat the oven to 200 F and add about two cups of water to an oven safe dish.
Add liver cheese mixture to 3 small bread pans. Make sure to fill the pans tightly. Use a spatula to press the mixture down.
Even out the top first with a spatula and then with wet fingers.
Clean the rims and slash the tops with a few diagonal cuts to a diamond shape.
Baking: Bake for 20 min. at 200 F. Raise the temperature to 320 F and bake for another 45 to 60 min. or until the top is golden brown and the core temperature reaches about 165 F.
Substitutions
Here are a few tips on substitutions:
- Pork belly - it can be sometimes hard to find pork belly in US supermarkets. But there is a good chance to find it in Asian specialty supermarkets.
- Curing salt - curing salt can be found online. But if you want to try this recipe first before you order curing salt you can substitute the pork belly for bacon. Cured thick cut bacon is best.
Variations
Try these delicious variations that are very popular in Germany.
- Spicy - add pickled jalapenos or banana pepper pieces to the meat dough before baking.
- Pickles or olives - add finely chopped bell peppers, pickles or olive slices to your meat mixture.
- Mushrooms - a very popular variation of leberkase has the addition of mushrooms. Canned mushroom slices from a can work best for this recipe.
- Pizza leberkase - add small cubes of cheese, salami and fresh bell pepper to the meat mix before you add the mixture to the loaf pan.
Equipment
To make homemade leberkase you will need these kitchen tools:
- meat grinder (if you want to grind your meat instead to use ground meat)
- food processor
- stand mixer
- measuring spoon
- spatula
- bread pans (baking pans or aluminum foil pans)
- knife
- cutting board
- thermometer
Storage
Homemade liver cheese can be kept in the refrigerator for up to a week.
It can also be stored in the freezer for several months.
How to Serve
You can eat liver cheese as cold deli slices on bread, warm with a side dish, or in a crispy roll. All three preparations are delicious.
Traditional sides are potato salad, French fries, fried potatoes, a pretzel or a crispy roll.
There are several recipes using “Leberkäse”. One popular dish is “Strammer Max”, a slice of “Leberkäse” served on a slice of bread and topped with a fried egg.
Top Tip
Since liver cheese is naturally low in carbohydrates, it is suitable for those following a low-carb diet.
Recipe
Leberkase aka Fleischkase (German Sausage Loaf)
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds pork belly alternative: bacon cured thick cut in case you can´t find curing salt
- 2.5 pounds ground pork
- 2 pounds lean ground beef 93%
- 4-6 cups crushed ice
- 1 tbsp. curing salt i.e. Prague powder or Insta Cure, NOT Morton Tender Quick
- 1 tsp. Kosher salt
- 1 tsp. white pepper
- 1 tsp. ground marjoram
- 1 tsp. ground thyme
- ¼ tsp. cardamom powder
- ½ tsp. nutmeg powder
- ¼ tsp. ginger powder
- ¼ tsp. mustard powder
- 1 tbsp. baking powder or cutter process aid or phosphate
- 1 tbsp. corn starch
- ½ tsp. lemon zest
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 onion
Instructions
- Place the frozen ground meat about 2-3 hours before you want to use it into the fridge to slightly start to defrost it. The meat should NOT be completely thawed, it should be still semi-frozen to the point that you are able to cut it.
- Cut the pork belly into small slices or cubes, add them to a freezer bag and place them into the freezer until the slices begin to freeze slightly.
- In the meantime, add ice cubes to a food processor and pulse into crushed ice. Add the ice to a bowl and place it into the freezer.
- Chop the onion and the garlic roughly and add them to the food processor and pulse them finely.
- Add the chilled pork belly to the food processor and pulse again to a smooth consistency.
- Add the mixture to a stand mixer bowl with a paddle attachment.
- Cut the semi-frozen ground meat into smaller chunks. Place them in batches to the food processor, pulse them to a smooth consistency and add the pulsed meat to the mixer bowl.
- Blend the meat mixture on medium-low. This will take up to 15 min until the meat becomes a smooth, shiny consistency that indicates a successful emulsion.
During the mixing process:
- Check the temperature occasionally during this process and add crushed ice in case the temperatures raise over 55F.
- Slowly add the curing salt and other spices while blending.
- Preheat the oven to 200 F and add about two cups of water to an oven safe dish.
Baking the Leberkase
- Add Leberkase mixture to 3 small bread pans. Make sure to fill the pans tightly. Use a spatula to press the mixture down.
- Even out the top first with a spatula and then with wet fingers.
- Clean the rims and slash the tops with a few diagonal cuts to a diamond shape.
- Bake for 20 min. at 200 F.
- Raise the temperature to 320 F and bake for another 45 to 60 min. or until the top is golden brown and the core temperature reaches about 165 F.
