# Bratwurst - brown then boil, or boil then brown? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 13, 2004, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bratwurst-brown-then-boil-or-boil-then-brown/239855 "2004-04-13T21:02:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![tiny\_ham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@tiny\_ham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiny_ham)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2004, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bratwurst-brown-then-boil-or-boil-then-brown/239855/21 "2004-04-14T14:27:02Z")
I work in a German Restaurant in Chicago, a great German city without the nasty Drug Riddled Football team šŸ˜‰ and we SIMMER all of our sausages (Thuringer, REAL Bratwurst, Sheboygan Bratā€¦(which are PORK rather than veal), Knack, Weiner and Weisswurst) in plain water. The water **never** comes to a roiling boil. THEN we brown them in a cast iron skillet with a touch of oil, until they toast a little on each side. (With the exception of Weisswurst which are a soft sausage and never browned) The owners of this restaurant were BORN IN GERMANY, so I can only assume they know how to treat a sausage correctly. ---
**Author:** ![lno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2004, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bratwurst-brown-then-boil-or-boil-then-brown/239855/22 "2004-04-14T14:39:46Z")
Bah, make your bratwurst at home, by hand. Hie thyself to your local butcher, get twenty pounds of pork sausage (80/20), a couple yards of hog casing (none of this artificial stuff for us!) and stuff your meat. Then simmer it for a little while, and toss 'em on a grill or a grill pan in the oven or just brown them in a skillet like **jarbaby** said. But most of all, eat the damn things like theyā€™re going out of style. Brothers! Why fight amongst ourselves, when the true foe, the ā€¦ the _vegetarian_ ā€¦ is still out there! ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2004, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bratwurst-brown-then-boil-or-boil-then-brown/239855/23 "2004-04-14T14:43:51Z")
I thought the canonical Sheyboygan Bratwurst was served in a hardroll. My aunt & uncle used to smuggle back bratwurst because it wasnā€™t available in California at the time. (outside of hard-to-find German specialty places) Brian ---
**Author:** ![indecisive1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/41988e/32.png) [@indecisive1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/indecisive1)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2004, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bratwurst-brown-then-boil-or-boil-then-brown/239855/24 "2004-04-14T21:04:15Z")
Iā€™ve never met a brat that I didnā€™t like, but Iā€™m thinking of combining all of the suggestions in this thread to create the worldā€™s most ā€œbest-est ā€ brat ever! First we make our own brats, or find a trusted old German guy to make them up fresh for us. We select our own hogs. (Iā€™m going to have get store-bought for my experiment. Iā€™ve lost contact with my German livestock farmer friends). Then we very lightly brown them in a well-seasoned cast-iron pan that has been handed down through our family line since time began. (donā€™t worry, grilling will follow later) Then for the _simmering_ stage. No not boiling! Pardon me, I shouldnā€™t have used that term in my title. No more left-over half-warm Old Style Light beer-spit leavings for me. I think Iā€™ll go for some kind of dark beer, with careful temperature control, of course. Then add; onions, sauerkraut, and put that hot mustard right in the broth too. NO Wait! Skip the sauerkraut, that gets special treatment as a side dish . Maybe a bit of thyme (really good on pork) some rosemary maybe. The kraut will have been roasting in the oven. Ever had baked kraut? Itā€™s really good. It gets slightly brown and is not all watery so as to mess-up your bun. While the brats are gently simmering we will cluster around the kitchen table and play cribbage. Anyone who gets skunked gets clean-up detail. No forks will come in contact with the brats at this point. The men-folk will have already started the grill. The coals will not be too hot, nor too cool. Now the brats will be carefully grilled. If they are turned multiple times the men-folk will make sure to line up the grill marks. When grilled to perfection theyā€™ll be served with the baked kraut, hot mustard, ketchup for those who like it and an enormous pile of potato salad (thatā€™s a whole ā€˜nother thread) Iā€™m in La Crosse, WI. But Ideally, we will have done all this in Sheboygan during brat days . Now I just need some suggestions on the beer. I donā€™t know much about beer. Also, when and if, the brats are pierced is still a problem. MMMMMM ---
**Author:** ![Algernon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Algernon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algernon)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2004, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bratwurst-brown-then-boil-or-boil-then-brown/239855/25 "2004-04-14T21:16:42Z")
> [@indecisive1](#): > > Iā€™m in La Crosse, WI. ā€¦ . Now I just need some suggestions on the beer. I donā€™t know much about beer. Well, grab a Leinie. Youā€™re real close to Chippawa Falls, where Leinenkugel is brewed, using only the finest ingredients. From [here](http://www.leinie.com/home.asp). > [@](#): > > The Northwoodsā€¦itā€™s an experience unlike any other. Pristine, natural, exhilarating - but you canā€™t always be there. The good news is you can capture the essence of the Northwoods in every bottle of Leinenkugelā€™s beer. And itā€™s handcrafted in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin- has been since 1867 by five generations of the Leinenkugel family. (This is a shameless plug for a good friend of mine who is the Operations Brewmaster of the Leinie brewery.) šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![Tentacle\_Monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@Tentacle\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tentacle_Monster)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2004, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bratwurst-brown-then-boil-or-boil-then-brown/239855/26 "2004-04-14T21:29:37Z")
Disclaimer: I wouldnā€™t drink beer unless it was flowing between Christina Ricciā€™s fabulous tits. However, if youā€™re looking for the balance between price and quality, Iā€™ve heard good things about Schlitz and Pabst Blue Ribbon. ---
**Author:** ![BottledBlondJeanie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/0ea827/32.png) [@BottledBlondJeanie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BottledBlondJeanie)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2004, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bratwurst-brown-then-boil-or-boil-then-brown/239855/27 "2004-04-14T21:47:31Z")
Actually PBR is pretty much the BEST beer for the brat boilin as afr as Iā€™m concerned. Reminds me of tailgaits a Lambeau Field. Trust me on this one thoughā€¦_donā€™t_ use Heinekin. ---
**Author:** ![indecisive1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/41988e/32.png) [@indecisive1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/indecisive1)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2004, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bratwurst-brown-then-boil-or-boil-then-brown/239855/28 "2004-04-14T22:00:13Z")
\*\*Algernon[b/] you have an in with the Operations Brewmaster of the Leinie brewery? Iā€™ve had a little bit of involvement with the Leinie folks, but so far I havenā€™t gotten any beer out of the deal. Damn it. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2004, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bratwurst-brown-then-boil-or-boil-then-brown/239855/29 "2004-04-14T22:05:28Z")
Well, what we used to do was, of course, boil them first at home. Then pack up the car and head to Milwaukee COunty Stadium (an hour drive from Madison), where you would get out you little grill and light it up in the parking lot. This tailgating of course should begin several hours before the Brewers game. You take the boiled brats and start to grill them. As they grill you stad around drinnking and tossing the footabll. And, this is the key, while grilling you take the beer in your hand and pour some of it over the brat. You do this every once in while as the urge strikes youIt is kinda like basting in a dumb guy kinda way. I am not really sure iif it actually did anything to the brat at that point, but why take a chance? Oh I do miss a fine brat. Southern California doonā€™t know brats! ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2004, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bratwurst-brown-then-boil-or-boil-then-brown/239855/30 "2004-04-14T22:07:43Z")
My father-in-law hails from Sheboygan, Iā€™ve visted that Font of All Brats many times, and I doubt that Iā€™ll ever have a totally satisfying bratwurst experience anywhere else. Nonetheless, it was very exciting to discover that the old [Schaller & Weber](http://www.schallerweber.com/products/html/PRODUCT_D_SAUSG_HOT.html) German delicatessen in the Yorkville section of Manhattan (86th Street and Second Ave) produces an _excellent_ uncooked brat. I generally just grill these over a slow fire for about half an hour, then serve on a hard roll with raw sweet onion, sliced dill pickle, horseradish mustard, and lots of cold pilsener. ---
**Author:** ![Algernon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Algernon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algernon)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2004, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bratwurst-brown-then-boil-or-boil-then-brown/239855/31 "2004-04-14T22:13:31Z")
> [@indecisive1](#): > > **Algernon** you have an in with the Operations Brewmaster of the Leinie brewery? Indeed I do. Heā€™s a long time Miller employee from here in Milwaukee who was promoted to go run the Leinie brewery about a year ago or so. I donā€™t know if I could guarantee any free beerā€¦ but you never know. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2004, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bratwurst-brown-then-boil-or-boil-then-brown/239855/32 "2004-04-14T23:39:56Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > I thought the canonical Sheyboygan Bratwurst was served in a hardroll. You are quite right. A hard roll is just so implicit in its necessity that I didnā€™t even think to mention it. A hard roll, or ā€œSemmelā€ roll is as necessary for a brat as a poppy-seed hot dog bun is for a true Chicago dog. You can find a photo and a recipe for the Semmel (hard) roll here. Scroll down a bit, and ignore that hot-dog bun shaped version next to the true hard roll. Who the hell eats brats one at a time anyway? [Semmel roll](http://www.bratwurstpages.com/bratsides.html) And hereā€™s the [Sheboygan purist grilled bratwurst recipe](http://www.bratwurstpages.com/bratrecipe2.html) ---
**Author:** ![Gazoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ce73a5/32.png) [@Gazoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gazoo)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2004, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bratwurst-brown-then-boil-or-boil-then-brown/239855/33 "2004-04-15T01:11:15Z")
Boil until gray. Grill until brown. As noted, no piercing. Of course, itā€™s all moot without Stadium Sauce. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bratwurst-brown-then-boil-or-boil-then-brown/239855.md?page=1)