Grilled Beer Bratwurst
Everyone has their own perfect secret bratwurst recipe. Since I’m not from Wisconsin, I can’t tell you if this recipe is perfect or not. What I can tell you is that this recipe has produced some very tasty sausages. I’ve heard people say that the secret to bratwurst is to either boil it in beer first (really? No kidding?), or slow cook it, or make sure the heat is just the right temperature.
In my experience, the secret is simply patience. The time for grilling sausages depends on how you grill them. You can throw them directly on the grill, which will take about 25-30 minutes, or boil the brats in beer, wine, or water for about 20 minutes. After boiling, they are grilled for 4-6 minutes. Boiling them first (also called par-poaching) in beer first improves the flavor so dramatically that it’s almost a sin to just throw them directly on the grill. The brats take a while to cook through anyway. If you rush, you could easily end up with a sausage that is burnt on the outside and underdone on the inside.
If not handled properly, the long cooking time often bursts the thin skin of the brat and lets out all the glorious juices, causing the brat to dry out.
traditional bratwurst
Due to the large German population, Wisconsin is known for its beer and sausage. The Germans brought their Bratwurst recipes with them when they settled throughout the area in the 19th century. Bratwurst is traditionally made with pork, although there are sausages that are all veal or other meats. Selecting which brand of brat to cook is a personal choice. Johnsonville is a popular national brand and is as good as any, unless you live in and around Wisconsin, where you can find plenty of delicious alternatives.
Although gas grills are fine to use, sausage tastes best when grilled over charcoal or wood. I’ve seen hot dogs fried in a pan, but this reduces the flavor to nothing more than a large breakfast sausage. Here’s how to grill perfect sausages
what to grill
6 brats
6 good quality rolls (Semmel Rolls if you can find them)
1 whole onion
1 large green bell pepper
12 ounces of beer
1 cup of water
2 butter spoons
1 tablespoon of salt
How to grill it
If you have a gas grill, the side burner is perfect for this.
Cut the onion in half and chop. Cut green bell pepper into 1/4-inch-wide strips. In a 2-quart saucepan, sauté sliced onion and green bell pepper in 2 tablespoons of butter for three to four minutes.
Remove half of the sautéed onions and green peppers and place in a foil-lined bowl to keep warm. (You can use these on the brats later) Leave the remaining onion and peppers in the pan.
Next, add 1 bottle or can of beer and 1 cup of water and bring to a simmer. Never boil bratwurst, it will break the skin. A simmer is when steam rises from the water and no bubbles rise to the surface.
You can use any beer, but full flavored Mexican beers like Corona or Tecate work great, light beer is not recommended.
Cook the brats over low heat for 20 minutes and remove them. (Discard liquid and peppers.) Take your slow-cooked brats straight to the grill. Take care not to break the skin. Grill on low heat. the key here is low and slow. Brats can be cooked directly over the fire or indirectly, where the fire is on one side of the grill and the food grills on the unlit part. This allows the sausage to cook with little risk of burning from flare-ups.
Grill the brats for 4 to 6 minutes total, turning frequently until golden brown. Now they are ready to serve.
Wear only flip flops for spinning. Using a fork or anything else that might poke holes in your brats will let all the good juices out and result in a dry brat. Sprouts from the dripping fat will cause the exterior to burn as well.
Seasonings:
Serve on good quality, freshly baked buns (not hot dog buns) and top with the onion-pepper mixture you sautéed, or brown or deli-style mustard, or all of the above. If you like sauerkraut on your brats, use fresh sauerkraut from the refrigerated section of the supermarket. I like to use the Bavarian style with caraway seeds. Heat it in a pan with a little ground black pepper.
Bratwurst and Beer with sauerkraut is one of my favorite grilled foods. It’s fun to cook and so delicious.