My fella and I are having a bratwurst craving. I’ve never cooked them myself, and he can’t even cook instant oatmeal. I’ve seen past threads on this, and through the snarling and name-calling I’ve figured out I’m supposed to boil them in beer, and then cook them. But NOT PIERCE THEM.
But what kind of beer? how much beer? for how long? and how long do I cook them after that? And on what? I don’t have a grill. Well, I have a George Foreman knock-off, and I have a skillet.
Thanks in advance! My mouth is watering in anticipation of your bratwurst guru advice.
Put brats in kettle. Add enough beer to cover, plus a bit. Bring to a boil. Go drink beer. Drink some more beer. No, have another. Take cooked brats from kettle. Drain. Put on roll with good mustard, maybe some kraut, and enjoy. I never bother grilling the brats after boiling in beer. Grilling is a whole 'nother way to cook tham.
I’ve always steamed them in a covered frying pan filled with a half-inch of water (burner on high; get the water boiling), and with the wursts sitting in one of those folding collenders. I wait until they get nice and bloated (a glass lid helps).
I suppose you could use beer for the steaming, instead of water?
Actually, in the case of bratwurst, any good ol’ American Adjunct Lager (e.g. Bud, Miller, Coors, etc.) will do just fine. There’s no need to waste good beer on brats. You could if you want, but it’s pretty much pointless. The light taste of American beer is just fine, if not perfect, for brats.
The classic Wisconsin way to do it is to grill your brats, and then to hold them in a simmering mixture of beer & onions. (I’d say like three bottles of beer and one large onion. You can’t really go wrong with the proportions, so just wing it.) Do not let this mixture boil. When you’re ready to serve, take them out of the beer & onion mixture and put it on a brat bun–not a hot dog bun–with mustard. It doesn’t really matter how long you leave them in there. Do not use precooked brats for this method.
I’ll go with the cooking in beer but simmer, don’t boil the brats, it will make them tough. Cover the brats in beer, bring to a boil then reduce the heat to a slow simmer. This will take about 45 minutes to an hour. When the brats are almost done, cook some sliced onions and bell peppers in a frying pan with butter till soft, push to the side and sear the brats to add some color to the casing. Put the brat on a bun or roll, add some of the onions and peppers along with your favorite condiments and enjoy.
i think the more important question is can you get good brats in OK? my mom brings them back with her (and cheese) when she comes back from SC because she can’t get good ones there.
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Pulykamell **is just about dead on with his/her method. If you have time, simmer them in bath of beer and onions before, then grill them. Most of the time we just toss them on the grill and go. Depends on how much time we want to spend.
Don’t stab them with a fork to get the juices out, it will flame up your grill and the brat will lose it’s ‘flavor’. Pickle relish and chopped raw onions, or ketchup and mustard.
Since you have a Foreman-type grill, give that a try too. I like them either way, boiled or Foreman grilled. My personal favorite is the Johnsonvile Irish Garlic style with dijon mustard, chopped onion and giardinera.
Put 3 cans Keystone Light in large saucepan with sliced onion. Add brats, bring to a simmer and cover for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally to dissipate foam.
While brats simmer, preheat grill to medium-low.
Remove brats and place on grill. Turn every 2-3 minutes until browned on all sides.
Drain beer from onions and place onions in skillet with some butter and cook until caramelized.
Put brat on brat roll, top with onions and serve alongside a beer.
I think what I’ll do is simmer them in some beer and onions, then (since I’m afraid my foreman grill will squish the oblivion out of them) I will brown the brats and the onions with some sauerkraut in a skillet. After that, on some buns with brown mustard.
Thanks for your help guys!
