[ARCHIVED THREAD] - BRATS? (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 4/7/2016 1:21:15 PM EDT
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So until this time in my life I'm told I have lived a sheltered and deprived life so today I picked up some Johnsonville Original Brats and I'm going to put them on the Egg a little later.
What do I need to know? What do you put on them or just eat them in a bun? |
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your going to beer them first correct
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/149975/beer-brats/ |
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Didn't we just do this thread yesterday?
Edit: Yup. http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_1_5/1855836_Need_advice_on_cooking_an_amazing_Bratwurst_.html |
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Juices escape. low and slow on the grill or they burst. Quoted:
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Handle them with tongs not a fork.  Juices escape. low and slow on the grill or they burst. They're better if the skin bursts. After it does, you simmer with the onions and beer. See the thread I linked from yesterday. |
Lots of good replies. Use the Johnsonvilles for practice, then ask around, check out Yelp or whatever and find a butcher near you who makes his own  There are at least two butchers in Seattle who make great brats--mass produced brats don't even come close. Find some really good sauerkraut while you're at it.
Warning: Beer will boil over if you don't pay attention, and it will stink. FWIW, I slice the onions and then eat the onion pieces with the prats. |
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Use a more substantial "bun" than something for a hot-dog. Preferably a largish-bun that will hold two brats, along with plenty of mustard (you pick the brown-mustard of your choice).
Par-boiling brats in beer also keeps the casing from burning or getting tough and/or burned on the grill. No cover, turn often and a low to medium-heat over charcoal. Damn I'm hungry......... |
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Yeah, but even meh brats are good. Quoted:
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The johnsonville ones are such low quality though. Yeah, but even meh brats are good. Don't know if Usinger's Brats are available in your area, but you should try them. Made in the beer-and-brats city of Milwaukee. |
Beer and Brat Mustard or Cheddar Horseradish Cheese is wuz up!
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They're better if the skin bursts. After it does, you simmer with the onions and beer. See the thread I linked from yesterday. Quoted:
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Handle them with tongs not a fork. Juices escape. low and slow on the grill or they burst. They're better if the skin bursts. After it does, you simmer with the onions and beer. See the thread I linked from yesterday. Im always up for new techniques. If they burst in my grill i get flare ups. I usually offset them from a hot burner now so no direct flame. Now I want brats..... |
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The johnsonville ones are such low quality though. This. Find your local butchers and/or meat shops. Try a bit from each and then choose your favorite place to patronize. Our local butcher is leaps and bounds ahead of any supermarket shit. Fresh butchered each day, has several flavors of brats (cherry, chili cheese, feta and spinach, bacon and cheddar, cheese, chorizo and regular). Hell, he does enough business that its the same price or cheaper than Johnsonvilles. |
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I make mine by caramelizing a whole sliced onion in butter in a large skillet, then adding beer to about the halfway mark. Parboil the brats in the beer and onions until cooked, then transfer them to a casserole dish or hotel pan, with the beer and butter liquid.
Grill them on low heat on all sides until crispy and browned on the outside, and the skin's just starting to crack. Either serve up on a roll with german mustard and sauerkraut and some of the onions, or just on a plate with condiments to taste. If you're not going to serve them immediately, back into the dish or hotel pan to soak up more beer and onion mixture before reheating and serving later. |
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There's a local place that sells freshmade brats 9-10" long in the following flavors: regular, beer, cheddar, potato and cheddar, potato, jalapeño, jalapeño and cheddar, habanero, Hawaiian, and apple. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile I never understood the pineapple thing. Until this year that is. One of the guys we hunt with brought some sausage he had made form an early season fill. It had cheddar, jalapenos, and pineapple. I wasn't expecting much but holy hell it was great. You couldn't exactly taste the pineapple, it just added something to it that made it over the top. |
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So until this time in my life I'm told I have lived a sheltered and deprived life so today I picked up some Johnsonville Original Brats and I'm going to put them on the Egg a little later. What do I need to know? What do you put on them or just eat them in a bun? Johnsonville brats are not that great. There are a couple local companies that make some really good brats here, one is a place called Caninos that makes Italian Sausages but also makes brats. You might want to look around for some better alternatives. |
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You need sauerkraut. If you can't make sauerkraut, you need to buy some. You also need potato rolls and mustard. I like cheap, yellow mustard. YMMV. Making sauerkraut is easy. I do small batches in a mason jar. Grate or finely chop cabbage. Mix in bowl with about 1-1.5 tablespoons of canning salt per head. Let stand to develop juices. Place in wide mouth mason jar, fill extra space with salt water to cover cabbage, using an outside leaf and a small jelly jar weighted down to keep the kraut submerged. Cover with cheesecloth and place in dark, cool area for two to four weeks. Enjoy. |
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Quoted: Lots of good replies. Use the Johnsonvilles for practice, then ask around, check out Yelp or whatever and find a butcher near you who makes his own There are at least two butchers in Seattle who make great brats--mass produced brats don't even come close. Find some really good sauerkraut while you're at it.Warning: Beer will boil over if you don't pay attention, and it will stink. FWIW, I slice the onions and then eat the onion pieces with the prats. Fry up more onions, or chop them and add them raw. DO NOT eat the onions that were boiled in beer. I usually use a lager or a light beer. Don't mess around with darker or hoppy beers as that wrecks the effect. How to make brats: - half beer and water in pot on grill (or 100 percent beer if you want) - drink a beer - remove brats from the pot, place on grill to brown, brown until desired some like them blackened a bit - place on hard roll bun (not a hot dog bun) - add sauerkraut, horseradish, and mustard if desired - if brats will be traveling, you may place brats, more beer, and more onions in a crock pot, or back in the original beer boil |
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So what's a good brand
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The johnsonville ones are such low quality though. Yeah, but even meh brats are good. So what's a good brand
Local Butchers. I do have some Johnsonville in the freezer for bratwurst emergencies. I really like the handmade beer brats from the meat counter at the local grocery store. Best I ever had were from a tiny butcher here in Iowa. |
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Making sauerkraut is easy. I do small batches in a mason jar. Grate or finely chop cabbage. Mix in bowl with about 1-1.5 tablespoons of canning salt per head. Let stand to develop juices. Place in wide mouth mason jar, fill extra space with salt water to cover cabbage, using an outside leaf and a small jelly jar weighted down to keep the kraut submerged. Cover with cheesecloth and place in dark, cool area for two to four weeks. Enjoy. Quoted:
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You need sauerkraut. If you can't make sauerkraut, you need to buy some. You also need potato rolls and mustard. I like cheap, yellow mustard. YMMV. Making sauerkraut is easy. I do small batches in a mason jar. Grate or finely chop cabbage. Mix in bowl with about 1-1.5 tablespoons of canning salt per head. Let stand to develop juices. Place in wide mouth mason jar, fill extra space with salt water to cover cabbage, using an outside leaf and a small jelly jar weighted down to keep the kraut submerged. Cover with cheesecloth and place in dark, cool area for two to four weeks. Enjoy. The brats might be a wee bit overcooked by the time it's ready. |
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mmm... brats...
OP, congrats on coming out from under that rock! Since you have them already, just grill 'em up and enjoy. After you realize how much you like them, you can make plans to get better quality brats and cook them properly. You can get cheddar brats, garlic brats, plain old "beer brats" and probably other varieties if you have a place local that makes fresh sausages. Cheddar brats are amazing but so is the tried and true beer brat. Kraut, caramelized onion, grilled/fried onion are all great additions, depending on your preference and desire to cook on any given day. Still, if you're lazy about it, I would choose straight grilling a brat over a hot dog any day. |
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The brats might be a wee bit overcooked by the time it's ready. Quoted:
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You need sauerkraut. If you can't make sauerkraut, you need to buy some. You also need potato rolls and mustard. I like cheap, yellow mustard. YMMV. Making sauerkraut is easy. I do small batches in a mason jar. Grate or finely chop cabbage. Mix in bowl with about 1-1.5 tablespoons of canning salt per head. Let stand to develop juices. Place in wide mouth mason jar, fill extra space with salt water to cover cabbage, using an outside leaf and a small jelly jar weighted down to keep the kraut submerged. Cover with cheesecloth and place in dark, cool area for two to four weeks. Enjoy. The brats might be a wee bit overcooked by the time it's ready. Yeah, pre-planning is key. Homemade kraut is not a last minute decision.  In reality homemade sauerkraut in jars is easy to keep on hand. Put the lid on and keep it in the fridge, or put some in the canner and seal em up.
I do it by the 5 gal. crock now. But that is how I started out making kraut. |
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So until this time in my life I'm told I have lived a sheltered and deprived life so today I picked up some Johnsonville Original Brats and I'm going to put them on the Egg a little later. What do I need to know? What do you put on them or just eat them in a bun? Hillshire Farm American Craft Jalapeno Cheddar. They aren't hot but have a nice pepper flavor. Brown spicy mustard, grilled onions and a good sauerkraut, and a good roll....and a cold beer. 
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| Johnsonville uncooked original can be made ok with beer boiling if it has to be a national chain. Don't bother with the precooked "Stadium Brats" or whatever. Our local Fareway supermarket occasionally has some local made ones that are excellent. I'm from 'Consin, and when I'm home it seems like every local butcher makes unbelievable quality brats.. |
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You Ohio guys sure know how to fuck up some usually delicious food. Quoted:
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Cook them until the skin breaks open and I even like them a little burnt. Put on a bun and add ketchup. Enjoy. You Ohio guys sure know how to fuck up some usually delicious food. Probably uses Old Bay on crawfish. AFTER cooking them.
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