Here's how I do brats - and I'm from Wisconsin...so I have LOTS of experience. (I know other ways, but here's my favorite - simple, but you can't argue the results)
1. Get a slow cooker going and get a beer bath going with some sliced yellow onions (break them up into rings). Beer can be anything amber or lighter - you don't want dark beers. A cheap lager or pilsner works fine, Miller, PBR, Blatz, etc, save the microbrews for drinking. You don't want it to boil, it's just to hold the brats in so they soak up flavor. Let it get hot - when it starts to smell good, it's ready!
2 - Fire up the weber kettle (or whatever grill you have) and cook them hot, indirect until they start to get firm - I check doneness is entirely by feel. They should get a nice color on them, if you feel you need more color, get a little sear over the coals, but not very long..a minute on each side. You don't want them to rupture - NEVER pierce the sausage...use a rounded set of tongs! NO FORKS, NO THERMAPENS!
3. Put your brats into the beer bath for a swim, cover it - let them hang out there for an hour or so, they'll soak up all the awesome beer flavor, then serve!
You can put your Kraut right into the beer as well, or you can get it hot and keep it in a different crockpot - up to you!
The great part about this, is you can have your grilling done before company arrives so you can spend more time with the guests and less time tending the grill.
|
