Whoo Hoo beer brats

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SAS98M

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Just got done doing up a couple brats on the stove,lightly browned a bit then poured on the brown ale.WooHoo "Can you smell what the DAD is cookin"? These puppies smell great now for a couple good steak rolls and some spicy mustard....OHHHH I gotta go.... Shane
 
A house guest made up some brats once while I was out of the house. He used a can of Oskar Blue's Gordon. Little did he know that this beer is only sold in four packs (12 oz) for about $14. I was kinda pissed....as you could imagine
 
Yeh but if you're gonna cook with it better is always better....He shoulda saved one for ya'.
 
Holy cow!!!!! You actually cooked them right!!!!!!!!

I get complimented on my "brats" all the time--everyone asks me how I cook them.

It is of my opinion that if you simmer them in beer before they are browned, you lose a ton of flavor. You absolutely have to brown them quite well on the grill and then add them to beer and onions (and a little garlic salt). Serve the onions and the brats on a bun--a true treat.
 
Dude said:
.

It is of my opinion that if you simmer them in beer before they are browned, you lose a ton of flavor. You absolutely have to brown them quite well on the grill and then add them to beer and onions (and a little garlic salt). Serve the onions and the brats on a bun--a true treat.

Oh hell yea! Thats the recipe right there!!


I will admit though, I have let brats simmer in my house pale before. Along with some onions and garlic.


....I had alot of beer on tap at the time, plus I was rather drunk. Miller will do just as well I think
 
O.K. here it is. The best cooked brat is to boil fresh Klement's brats In onions, kraut, and your favorite beer (Leinenkugels) Then let them cool and put them in the fridge overnight. The next day you cook them up on a charcoal grill. They will melt in your mouth! *****Now if you are at the race track you will want to burn the outside of them so you can't see or taste the grease and oil from your hands tweaking the blower and changing the tires******

If you have any doubts about what I say just look at my location. Milwaukee is the beer brat capitol of the world!

http://www.bratwurstpages.com/brats.html
http://www.recipezaar.com/176286

Take care!!!:mug:
 
I like to slow smoke mine for about an hour with hickory wood. Hmmm good. With horseradish mustard & a cold brewski.

photo6.jpg
 
Horseradish is perhaps my favorite condiment! I usually don't take the time to fire up the smoker....but now you got me thinkin'!
 
I guess that this is one of those controversies that will never die (aren't they fun, though)?

Personally, I am against cooking them first in beer. Why? Because I think they are best when grilled. Charcoal is best, gas is also tolerable (especially if you put some smoking chips in the grill). To get that slightly smoky grilled flavor you have to start with raw meat. They are perfectly fine without the beer (of course, you must drink beer while eating them). If you want to introduce beer into the cooking process, then the brats should be placed in hot beer (just beer is fine. Onions and butter in the beer is nice, too) until eaten.

Now. Will I eat brats that have been cooked in beer first and then grilled? Of course! I won't even complain about it. But I still think my way is the better way.
 
Dude said:
It is of my opinion that if you simmer them in beer before they are browned, you lose a ton of flavor. You absolutely have to brown them quite well on the grill and then add them to beer and onions (and a little garlic salt).
Which is better...simmering them in aluminum, or stainless steel? :D
 
I don't know, I used to believe the only way to do beer brats was to grill them then put them in the beer bath. But, I watched Bobby Flay (SP?) one day and decided to try his way. Put beer and other ingredients (Garlic, Onions, etc. I perfer a dark Ale) you like in pot. Put pot on grill, make small cuts in brats (I know, never cut the meat, you lose the juices). Place brats in said pot and heat (DONT BOIL) until brats float. Then, pull brats and grill till nicely browned. These are the best brats I've ever had and I lived in Germany for 6 years and ate a lot of brats! The beer flavor really gets in the brat. If you grill them first, that "seals" them up and the beer (and other ingredients) can not get in.
This is my new way to cook brats, and I truely believe, if someone trys this and is honest, they will perfer them too.
 
JnJ said:
I don't know, I used to believe the only way to do beer brats was to grill them then put them in the beer bath. But, I watched Bobby Flay (SP?) one day and decided to try his way. Put beer and other ingredients (Garlic, Onions, etc. I perfer a dark Ale) you like in pot. Put pot on grill, make small cuts in brats (I know, never cut the meat, you lose the juices). Place brats in said pot and heat (DONT BOIL) until brats float. Then, pull brats and grill till nicely browned. These are the best brats I've ever had and I lived in Germany for 6 years and ate a lot of brats! The beer flavor really gets in the brat. If you grill them first, that "seals" them up and the beer (and other ingredients) can not get in.
This is my new way to cook brats, and I truely believe, if someone trys this and is honest, they will perfer them too.

That's similar to what I do, but I'm going to have to try that whole process
 
I boil mine in beer (bud or some other stuff that only smells good when you boil the fcuk out of it). Then I put them on the grill.

Don't poke a hole in them. All the juice runs out, then you have a dry weener. Sounds good, unless you're talking about brats.

.............hey whitey, where's your hat.
 
I like to boil them in beer then put them on the grill with onions, absolute perfection.

I've never tried browning them first and then adding the beer, I'll have to try that this winter when I go back to making them on the stove.

The real question of course is, which beer to cook them with.
 
Brewer3401 said:
Don't poke a hole in them. All the juice runs out, then you have a dry weener. Sounds good, unless you're talking about brats.
Normally I would agree not to puncture meat before or during cooking, but in this case you are incorrect. Since the brats are heating (I don’t boil them) in the beer, they absorb a bunch of the beer mixture and actually plump up. Yes, once you throw them on the grill to brown, they will leak out some of the juices, but they retain enough to stay nice and juicy. I'll make some for lunch today and share some pictures.

As far as the beer goes, use a beer you like to drink. I like amber ale with my brats.
 
Woohoo! I love food discussions/arguments! First of all, I guess I should state my method or choice, which is brown first then simmer. This is very similar to a traditional braise. It was mentioned that this "seals" the brat and won't allow goddies to go into it. Sorry but that's not the case. heat will not make meat impermeable. Having said that, I do see how you can make a mean brat by simmering it first then grilling it, especially if there's a slightly higher salt content in the liquid than in the brat. This is basically like brining, the salt activates an osmotic reaction that draws the fluid into the meat cells... yummy....

Getting of my soap box, I think we all should set up a little experiment next time we do brats... half of them simmer then grill, the other half grill then simmer... Yeah, that's what I'll do probably this weekend. Nothing says Labor Day weekend like grilled brats! I guess I better go make sure I still have some brown ale left in my fridge!
 
What I meant by saying the brat is sealed, had nothing to do with the heat sealing them. Normal cuts of meat are porous, open to marinades and such because they are cut, maybe not by you, but they are cut to make that "piece" of meat, by the producer/butcher. However, brats are incased, and this I believe prevents them from absorbing your beer mixture. Now I'm sure they absorb/take on some of the flavor but not like the ones that have been punctured and heated in the beer first.
I used to grill then soak, not any more.

Pictures to come...
 
Wow, am I hungry after reading all of these posts. But Ed's smoker got me thinking that you may be able to impart some beer flavor if you soak your wood chips in beer first, then just smoke your brats. Or maybe even also putting a metal bowl of beer on your heating element so it evaporates and you get a bit more beer vapor in the smoker.

Has anyone tried it this way? I might have to try this over the weekend at the UM tailgate.

Go Canes!
 
frothdaddy said:
Wow, am I hungry after reading all of these posts. But Ed's smoker got me thinking that you may be able to impart some beer flavor if you soak your wood chips in beer first, then just smoke your brats. Or maybe even also putting a metal bowl of beer on your heating element so it evaporates and you get a bit more beer vapor in the smoker.

Has anyone tried it this way? I might have to try this over the weekend at the UM tailgate.

Go Canes!

I've done this in a water smoker, just replaced some of the water with beer!:D
 
Ok, here we go;
beer_brat_ingredients1.jpg

The peppers are fresh from a friends garden.
the_beer_for_brats.jpg

The beer. Not what I ususally use, but it is very good.
beer_brat_ingredients2.jpg

brats_in_the_pot1.jpg

Just put them on the heat.
 
starting_to_float.jpg

Just starting to float, time to put them on the grill.
grill_temp.jpg

You want a hot grill, your not cooking them, just browning them.
onto_the_grill.jpg

Onto the grill. Now before you charcoal/wood cookers jump on me, I usually cook on charcoal or wood, but I was hungry and these get their flavor from the beer soak, not the cooking method. That is a whole nother discussion.
bratsdone.jpg
 
Damnit!
You left off the onions/peppers but I'll forgive you for one of those.
Mustard, the only way to go. Wife puts Catsup on hers. blblbbbllbbblah!
 
Catsup?!?!?! NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! Dang, now I'm hungry for brats again. I just made more this weekend. Used some really hot peppers a friend gave me and the finished brats were very spicy! I loved them.....
 
Can you guys pls talking about all this? It's not even 8:30 and I'm hungry again. Thanks guys! :mad:
Time to get my new grill :cross:
 
I just made some brats last night too. They are always good. And I went with the grill first and then throw them in the beer and onions to simmer. That way they have the good bbq taste and grill marks, but if anything gets over done on the bbq then the simmer softens them up and makes them plumb and juicing again.
 
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