What is "bierschinken"

Bierschinken, or Schinkenwurst (called in Austria and Switzerland Krakauer) is a form of sausage particularly common in German-speaking countries.

Unlike the name suggests, it is not prepared with beer, but the name simply comes from the fact that Bierschinken is famously eaten with beer, as a cold cut. It is a fine Brühwurst of pickled pork, beef or poultry meat (also mixed), bacon and spices with a coarse deposit of pork pieces or cooked ham. It may be slightly smoked. It is usually sold sliced in delicatessen stores, but it can also be found preserved in cans.