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Since 1886
On Easter weekend, 1886, Alois ‘Grospop’ Thurn opened up a stall at the Old Central Market and began selling old world style, processed items. When he immigrated to Columbus from Germany a few years before, he began working at a processing plant that scrapped items often used to make things back home. He took home certain things and made meals for his family, then his neighbors.
In 1886, he made the leap to a full time purveyor of meats and processed items. His venture was quickly a success, as other immigrant families discovered the European flavors and styles he brought to market.
He worked out of his home, on South Front Street, but quickly outgrew it. In the 1890’s he bought some property off of Greenlawn Avenue and built his first plant and a new home. The entrance to the old plant can still be seen today.
On Easter weekend, 1886, Alois ‘Grospop’ Thurn opened up a stall at the Old Central Market and began selling old world style, processed items. When he immigrated to Columbus from Germany a few years before, he began working at a processing plant that scrapped items often used to make things back home. He took home certain things and made meals for his family, then his neighbors.
In 1886, he made the leap to a full time purveyor of meats and processed items. His venture was quickly a success, as other immigrant families discovered the European flavors and styles he brought to market.
He worked out of his home, on South Front Street, but quickly outgrew it. In the 1890’s he bought some property off of Greenlawn Avenue and built his first plant and a new home. The entrance to the old plant can still be seen today.
In 1958, with the new interstate encroaching, his son, Alois, along with his grandsons, Robert, Paul and Leo, began construction on a new plant and storeroom. This facility is still in use today. In 1965, the Thurn brothers moved out the Central Market, 2 years before its demise. Since that time, 530 Greenlawn Avenue is the only place to buy Thurn’s products.
In 1988, The 3 Thurn Brothers sold the business to Albert, Roberts’s son. At this time, the competition had changed. Large commercial entities had been defining price and product for a number of years. Also, the European immigrants from the late 40’s and 50’s were getting older. In order to survive these lean times, Albert opted to process wild game. Thurn’s Specialty Meats, now the name of Alberts company, quickly became highly regarded in hunting communities. Hunters appreciated the personalized service and flavorful sausages, much in the same way his great-grandfathers customers did.
After Greenlawn was complete rebuilt and a floodwall was constructed in the early 2000’s, the retail business began to rebound. Food lovers from around the city began to seek out different offerings from the homogenized products on grocery shelves. Thurn’s Specialty Meats fit the bill. Albert had never altered his product, some recipes dating back to the 1800’s. Albert also brought in a few new items, like smoked fish and chicken wings.
In 1988, The 3 Thurn Brothers sold the business to Albert, Roberts’s son. At this time, the competition had changed. Large commercial entities had been defining price and product for a number of years. Also, the European immigrants from the late 40’s and 50’s were getting older. In order to survive these lean times, Albert opted to process wild game. Thurn’s Specialty Meats, now the name of Alberts company, quickly became highly regarded in hunting communities. Hunters appreciated the personalized service and flavorful sausages, much in the same way his great-grandfathers customers did.
After Greenlawn was complete rebuilt and a floodwall was constructed in the early 2000’s, the retail business began to rebound. Food lovers from around the city began to seek out different offerings from the homogenized products on grocery shelves. Thurn’s Specialty Meats fit the bill. Albert had never altered his product, some recipes dating back to the 1800’s. Albert also brought in a few new items, like smoked fish and chicken wings.
How Its Done
Several weeks before, fresh hams are delivered to Thurn’s. They are trimmed and then brined. They cure for a minimum of 3 weeks. Fresh bellies then arrive, and must cure for 10 days before smoking to become one of our bacon products. Both must be rotated in the brine to ensure complete coverage. Beef is also trimmed and then frozen for use at a later time.
Now one week before products hit the shelf, the prior Thursday, pork arrives and is readied for production. Hams are de-boned and placed in presses to start the schinken process. Chicken wings are placed in a mild brine and fish are placed in its own brine. On Monday, more trimming occurs as the production for the week is set. Raw product is now separated into bins, similar items can begin together. On Tuesday, hams, bellies, etc. are pulled from brine. The salts must be rinsed off their exteriors. The grinding, mixing and processing of the individual items starts. Each product is now in smaller bins. Many are stuffed out on Tuesday so they may enter the smokehouse at an earlier time. Fresh pork shoulders arrive and are de-boned. On Wednesday, this meat will be separated into our fresh sausage products. The smokehouse is lit and the hams and bellies are hung to get an overnight smoking.
The crew arrives early on Wednesday. The smokehouse, cooking kettles (filled with water), and ovens are now brought up to temperature. Most products are now in their final stage of production. The weisswursts are stuffed and then blanched. Being a product that contains no cure, this ensures their color and flavor. Then our natural casing wieners are stuff out. They are held so the cure can work itself. The smoked sausages are brought out and placed in the smokehouse. The whole hams are placed in a cooking kettle after smoking. The braunschweiger and liverwursts are now produced. A thorough sanitization of the production area must now be completed. This serves a secondary purpose, elimination of elements that may cross-contaminate our fresh sausage items.
The smoked sausages come out and wieners now enter the smokehouse. Both products, upon their exit from the smokehouse, are finished in a kettle, then water cooled before refrigeration. The fresh bellies emerge as bacon. The brined chicken wings are rinsed and placed on racks to enter the smoker. Wieners, knockwursts and franks get bundled separately by string.
On the production side, the fresh pork gets seasoned and ground. The bulk sausage is now completed, but the sausages must now be stuffed into casings. This area can now be sanitized. The ovens, filled with our roast beef and loaved lunch meats, are constantly monitored. As the items finish cooking, they are pulled out. Our Braunschweiger and liverwursts, having cooked for several hours, are then chilled. The hams will be finished soon after. The smokehouse is now ready for our fish. They are placed in when the temperature has cooled slightly.
As each kettle is emptied, we get closer to the end of a long day. Some items have a few more steps, though. Black Leona will be placed in its own smokehouse for a cold smoking. Our aged items, like cervelot and schinken, are placed in our drying cooler for several weeks. The cheeses we smoke are partitioned and placed on racks for cold smoking.
Several weeks before, fresh hams are delivered to Thurn’s. They are trimmed and then brined. They cure for a minimum of 3 weeks. Fresh bellies then arrive, and must cure for 10 days before smoking to become one of our bacon products. Both must be rotated in the brine to ensure complete coverage. Beef is also trimmed and then frozen for use at a later time.
Now one week before products hit the shelf, the prior Thursday, pork arrives and is readied for production. Hams are de-boned and placed in presses to start the schinken process. Chicken wings are placed in a mild brine and fish are placed in its own brine. On Monday, more trimming occurs as the production for the week is set. Raw product is now separated into bins, similar items can begin together. On Tuesday, hams, bellies, etc. are pulled from brine. The salts must be rinsed off their exteriors. The grinding, mixing and processing of the individual items starts. Each product is now in smaller bins. Many are stuffed out on Tuesday so they may enter the smokehouse at an earlier time. Fresh pork shoulders arrive and are de-boned. On Wednesday, this meat will be separated into our fresh sausage products. The smokehouse is lit and the hams and bellies are hung to get an overnight smoking.
The crew arrives early on Wednesday. The smokehouse, cooking kettles (filled with water), and ovens are now brought up to temperature. Most products are now in their final stage of production. The weisswursts are stuffed and then blanched. Being a product that contains no cure, this ensures their color and flavor. Then our natural casing wieners are stuff out. They are held so the cure can work itself. The smoked sausages are brought out and placed in the smokehouse. The whole hams are placed in a cooking kettle after smoking. The braunschweiger and liverwursts are now produced. A thorough sanitization of the production area must now be completed. This serves a secondary purpose, elimination of elements that may cross-contaminate our fresh sausage items.
The smoked sausages come out and wieners now enter the smokehouse. Both products, upon their exit from the smokehouse, are finished in a kettle, then water cooled before refrigeration. The fresh bellies emerge as bacon. The brined chicken wings are rinsed and placed on racks to enter the smoker. Wieners, knockwursts and franks get bundled separately by string.
On the production side, the fresh pork gets seasoned and ground. The bulk sausage is now completed, but the sausages must now be stuffed into casings. This area can now be sanitized. The ovens, filled with our roast beef and loaved lunch meats, are constantly monitored. As the items finish cooking, they are pulled out. Our Braunschweiger and liverwursts, having cooked for several hours, are then chilled. The hams will be finished soon after. The smokehouse is now ready for our fish. They are placed in when the temperature has cooled slightly.
As each kettle is emptied, we get closer to the end of a long day. Some items have a few more steps, though. Black Leona will be placed in its own smokehouse for a cold smoking. Our aged items, like cervelot and schinken, are placed in our drying cooler for several weeks. The cheeses we smoke are partitioned and placed on racks for cold smoking.