Das Würstchen

My local Big Lots store usually carries a few German products.  They almost always have red cabbage and sauerkraut in glass jars, some German-style cookies, and Knäckebrot (a flat bread or crispbread, comes in many variations like rye, sourdough, and multi-grain - usually from the brand Wasa).  

Yesterday I was at BL, and I found a whole German end cap (perhaps in preparation for Oktoberfest??!!?!).  Anyway, I found my youngest daughter's favorite sausage.  

These sausage - 6 links in a jar of brine water - are a combination of an American hot dog and a German Bockwurst.  Bockwurst's skins make the sausage knackig - which means crisp.  In this case, the crisp isn't crunchy (like a vegetable) but more like "crisp to the taste" - hard to explain but think of biting into a sausage and the skin kind of "pops" slightly.  THAT is a fresh sausage.  

The brand Meica is one of the most famous in Germany, and something I remember from my childhood.  I remember commercials like this one:

AND ... believe it or not, these sausage are lactose and gluten free, no artificial colors, and doesn't have preservatives.  Once you open the jar, you should only keep the leftovers for 2 days.  Although, the sausage can be frozen for up to 3 months ... but who would want to do that?!??! ;) 

While almost all sausage have a high sodium content, overall, Bockwurst-type sausage don't have as much fat content as say, Bratwurst.

You can eat these cold (NOT my preference), warm them in the microwave OR in a pot of hot (not boiling) water.  AND then get some German mustard (Senf) from a jar

a tube 

or a squeeze bottle, if you must.

The Meica motto is "Meica macht das Würstchen" ... which means Meica makes the sausage.

In my opinion, they make  some of the best outside of fresh, butcher-made.

Guten Appetit!