For Love of Beer Simmered Bratwursts - A Pictorial

I don't know where the idea for beer-simmered brats came from, but I hope that it involves some rosy-cheeked, heavy-set man with a big, bushy mustache and a thick Bavarian accent. My inspiration for this dish came from a much less authentic source, the culinary stylings of Bobby Flay. Personally, I'm not a huge fan (I don't like the way he berates his soux chefs on Iron Chef America), but no one else is doing a regular grilling show on the Food Network. I just fast forward through the parts where he's not cooking (Go TiVo!).

Flay's recipe calls for using pre-cooked bratwursts. Personally, I think this total crap. In the exhaustive research for this post, I prepared the same recipe using both pre-cooked and uncooked bratwursts. If you learn only one thing from my efforts, use the uncooked variety. The following pictures document my first attempt using the pre-cooked variety. Let's just all use our imagination and pretend that they're not.

Step 1: Chop up 1 large onion into rough strips. Slice a handful of garlic into slivers. Poke each bratwurst with a sharp knife 8 times.

Step 2: Toss everything into a grill-safe container (I like the disposable aluminum kind). Flay added a ton of spices into his mix, but I ignored all that and just kept it simple. I prefer to let the beer, onions and garlic rule the flavor roost.

Step 3: Add beer until the ingredients are covered. In this example I used Shiner Bock, which gives the brats an excellent flavor. Plus, it's a traditional German dark lager brewed in Texas. I don't know if grill karma exists, but I'm sure this doesn't hurt. Use cheaper beer at your own risk. Remember, don't cook with beer that you wouldn't drink while sober.

Step 4: Place the container on a covered grill on high until the beer starts to boil. Simmer for 20-30 minutes until the brats are grey (if you used raw brats, which you should). It's most efficient do this on a stove top in a regular pot, but admit it, the grill is manlier. An acceptable compromise is to use a regular pot on your grill's side burner. Your grill will reward the loyalty.

Step 5: Transfer the brats to the grill surface for the final roast. Extract the beer-boiled onions and garlic from the brew and save for future topping use. As delicious as bratwurst flavored beer sounds and smells, you'll be tempted to drink the leftovers. Don't because that stuff is pretty hot and because that's just weird.

Step 6: Give them a final toast. You can use much higher heat for this step than you'd normally use because the brats are already cooked through. In fact, this step should only take a few minutes. Remember - brown tastes good.

Step 7: Place on a bun of suitable (highest) quality. I prefer soft rolls that don't dominate the bratwurst. If you must go low-cal to compensate for the beer-simmered avalanche of flavor, I recommend Nature's Own Whitewheat buns (1 pt. per bun). Top with sauerkraut (I prefer the sweeter, milder Bavarian variety), spicy brown mustard and maybe an onion or two. If you really want a roundhouse kick to the tastebuds, slap on a little beer mustard.

To show how versatile this meal is, I've used the beer-infused onions and garlic to garnish a truly enormous hot dog.

The first batch using the pre-cooked brats was pretty good, but the second using uncooked brats blew my mind. My hands were literally shaking as I savored the beer-simmered juiciness. The room started to spin and I think I blacked out for a minute or two. These weren't just the best brats I've ever made, they were the best things I've ever prepared on a grill. Ever. Ever.

As for the points value, I'm guesstimating that the addition of beer as a flavorant actually doesn't raise the points value of the bratwurst. Thus, each link is 8 points (I used uncooked Johnsonville Original brats). Yes, it's worth it. My goodness it's worth it!

One final note - This method is particularly suited for tailgating because it's fast and doesn't require fine heat control. That, and because there's usually a lot of beer laying around. Just don't drink the brautbier.

A huge thanks to Kurt Rampton for snapping all the delectable photos while I was working the grill, and for helping me eat the results. Also thanks to everyone who let me use their grills, and for helping me eat the results.

Update 7/13/06 - Kurt made a monster suggestion after making these on a camping trip with his buds. He suggested cooking the brats in trays over live coals and then skewering them and roasting them over an open-fire marshmallow style. That way everyone can roast their own. Sounds like an incredible communal dinner...