Apple Bratwurst — Real Apples, Brown Sugar, a Whisper of Cinnamon and Cocoa
At Valor Provisions, we partner with American producers who do things the right way. Paradise Meats in Trimble, Missouri is exactly that: a family-run, USDA-inspected shop where the Fantasma family has been making sausage since 1995 — in a Missouri locker that's been feeding its community since 1946. This is their Apple Bratwurst: a fresh pork brat studded with real dried apples and seasoned with brown sugar, cinnamon, and a touch of cocoa, from a sausage program that's earned over 100 awards.
What Makes This Brat Different
Most “apple” sausage gets its apple from a flavoring. This one gets it from dehydrated apples — the second ingredient on the label, right after pork — so every bite has real fruit in it, semi-sweet against the savory pork. Brown sugar and cinnamon lean into fall; a small measure of cocoa does what it does in a good chili: adds depth you taste but can't quite name. No cheese, no MSG, no cure, no fillers. It's the brat for the first cool Saturday of the season, and it's built to hold its own on a bun with mustard or crumbled into a breakfast gravy.
Why You'll Love It
Real Apples – Dehydrated apple pieces, not apple flavoring — second ingredient on the label.
Sweet-Savory Balance – Brown sugar, cinnamon, and cocoa against clean pork; no heat, all comfort.
Award-Winning Sausage Craft – From a program with 100+ awards over the last 15 years.
Made In-House – Ground, seasoned, and stuffed at Paradise's USDA-inspected plant in Trimble, MO.
How to Cook It
This is a fresh sausage — cook it through to 160°F internal. The tailgate method: simmer in a beer-and-onion bath until nearly done, then finish over the grill for the char. Or pan-sear over medium, turning often, without piercing the casing. On a bun with grainy mustard and sauerkraut is the classic; crumbled into biscuit gravy is the move Paradise's own customers found. Sear slices with cabbage and apples for a one-pan fall dinner.
Ingredients
Pork, dehydrated apples, water, and less than 2% of the following: brown sugar, sea salt, spices (including cinnamon), cocoa, evaporated cane juice, citric acid for flavor.
The Paradise Meats Story
The Fantasma family bought the Paradise meat locker in 1995 and rebuilt it from the ashes of a 2002 fire into one of the most respected small processors in America — 50+ employees handling 300–350 local animals a week, with over 100 awards earned along the way. When you buy Paradise, you're keeping a Missouri family business and the local farms behind it in business. That's the Valor mission on a plate.
