SIMPLE Grilled Beer Brats

There are hot dogs, there are sausages and then there are BRATS.   All three can be eaten the same way.

• A hot dog is usually made with beef or pork and … well, other things.  They are ground until fine and come precooked.  There’s not a whole lot that goes into ‘cooking’ them.
• Sausages come in several shapes and in a combination of flavors and spices.  They usually have a broad title which doesn’t give a huge amount of information for what’s inside.   There’s sweet, Italian, mild and hot.
• Brats are usually made from pork with spices such as ginger, caraway and sage and come raw.

How to Cook Brats:

1. NEVER boil brats.  The key is to gently simmer.  This will allow the temperature inside the brat to slowly rise, cooking the brat while maintaining its moisture.
2. Place the sausages in a disposable aluminum pan along with some flavorful beer, perhaps a little whole grain mustard and even some sauerkraut or sliced onions.  Place them on a grill with only 1 side lit.  The brats will be on the side that IS lit.  Close the lid and allow the beer just to come to simmer.  Then transfer them to the cooler side and allow them to simmer for about 20 minutes or until they reach an internal temperature of 145°F.
3. Once the brats are completely cooked through they can be place directly onto the grill over a medium heat to give them some nice grill marks.  Cooking them this way helps the brats take on all these flavors as well as the smokiness from the grill while not getting overcooked on the inside, which results in a casing that is all shriveled up.

If you cook brats directly over high heat on the grill without parboiling them they will crack and split resulting in precious moisture dripping onto the coals.   A huge amount of moisture is lost due to this rookie mistake.

Simmering them first also enables you to cook the brats ahead of time.  Once cooked, simply place some foil on top of them until they are ready to be grilled.  The hot liquid will keep them warm without continuing to cook them.

Then all you’ve got to do is grab a brat, throw it on the grill and in mere minutes it’ll be on a bun with your favorite condiments!

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Don’t forget to make some Potato Salad to go along with your brats!