The Art of Grilling Brats: Don’t Poke Me Bro’

Grilling Bratwurst is an art. You can’t just toss a brat on a grill with a bunch of hot dogs and expect positive results. The trick is to grill a brat just right; cooked fully on the inside, yet still juicy and not burned to a crisp on the outside.

Brats grilled to perfection

In the brat-cooking world, it is the patient griller that will serve a brat that even a Cheese-Head (Wisconsinite) would be proud of.

Bratwash: To improve patience, drink ice cold beer while preparing your brats.  Brat consumption is a social activity that is enjoyed best with friends and family and cold beverages.  For the under-21 crowd, serve frosty mugs of cold root beer.

I know what you good Moms are thinking, but please cut me some slack today. This is not meant to be the healthiest meal of the summer; it is for the good of your soul. Never fear, tomorrow’s menu includes skim milk, raw vegetables, fresh fruits and tofu burgers (all organic).

Now back to today’s cuisine…

Tip: Buy the freshest uncooked bratwurst you can find.

Let’s get cookin’: You have to cook these plump sausages slowly for at least 30 minutes. The internal temperature should reach 165 degrees. To avoid burning the casing or having the casing explode, you’ll need to cook on very low heat. To avoid burning your fingers you can use a meat thermometer to gauge the doneness. If your total cooking time exceeds the 30 minute mark, you should be fine.

Step #1: Simmer the brats in beer and onions for a solid 20 minutes before they hit the grill. This step slowly cooks the brats and adds some great flavor.  Never fear, all of the alcohol is cooked off, so this method is safe for kids and our pregnant brat lovers in attendance.  Warning: Do not boil. Heat up the beer and then turn down to low heat and simmer!

You can do this step on the grill if you have a pot that is grill-safe, or handle the action on a stove top.

Tip: For every five or six brats, I use one bottle of beer from the wall.  I take one down and pass it around and pour it in my pan.

When the beer heats up, I add a medium onion cut into eighths.  The brew should cover about half the brat so you’ll need to flip them occasionally.

If you are tailgating or camping and can’t precook the brats, then you’ll need to go low and slow on the grill. Cook over an indirect flame on  low heat for a long period of time (30+ minutes).  Turn often using tongs and drink cold beer to enjoy the culinary experience to its fullest.

Don’t poke me, bro: Never pierce the brat. Poking the brat will cause the juices to seep out, resulting in a dry brat. Hold off on using that meat thermometer until the very end.

Step #2: Remove the brats from the beer and discard…the liquid, NOT the brats.  Lightly brush the bratwurst with olive oil. Transfer them onto a preheated grill and cook on medium-low heat about 16 minutes, turning 3-4 times to brown them to perfection.

Tip: Use indirect heat and keep the cover closed.

Continue to drink cold beer.

Place vegetables that have been brushed in olive oil onto the grill. Do this just before or at the same time as you place the brats. Onions and colorful peppers are recommended.  Tonight, I skewered up some mini bella mushrooms and added them to the grill.

Tip: Onions take a tad longer.  You may want to put them on a few minutes earlier.

During the last 2 minutes, lightly toast your buns.

When those bad boys (brats) are browned to perfection (not black), slap them on the toasted buns and let your guests dress them up at the condiment bar:

Condiments:
-Variety of Mustard
-Relish
-Sauerkraut
-Raw or grilled onions
-Grilled Red and Green Peppers
-Tomatoes
-Sliced Wisconsin Cheeses (optional)
-Ketchup (Yup there is one in every crowd)

Serve with potato or macaroni salad and anything else your little heart desires.  My heart desired watermelon.  Whatever you choose will be fine, after all…. the brat is the star of this party.

Please drink responsibly and never drink and drive.