Boiling brats then to griddle

ChokeOnSmoke · May 2017

Spaightlabs said:

Dollars to donuts they went into a shallow beer/butter/onion bath after cooking.

Point being, grill first, beer bath after.

PS - Johnsonville brats get grilled the same way any other non-precooked sausage does. They are mass produced, yes, but they are still sausages.

I'm sure that's still the procedure, that's the way it was done growing up there (beer/butter/onion) -- And yes, grill first, keep warm after.
As long as you don't blast them with flames, you're good. You simply cook them (direct) over coals and keep turning so the "skin" doesn't break. (15-20 min.)

Focker · May 2017

Even Kenji, can Fock up a brat.

https://youtu.be/PD5Xm6d41NI

Teefus · May 2017

I've done them that way. Simmer with onions and peppers and a little beer until mostly done, then off to the grill to finish. It works well, especially when you have to do a couple hundred under the watchful eye of a company EHS guy concerned that you'll poison someone if you serve a less than well done brat. I prefer them cooked indirect with some wood smoke myself. If they're cooked direct I like a low fire so as not to char them.

ChokeOnSmoke · May 2017

Focker said:

Even Kenji, can Fock up a brat.
https://youtu.be/PD5Xm6d41NI

Interesting. Amazing what some people will go through to cook a simple brat. That dude must have limited grilling skills, they're really not difficult to cook correctly.

lwrehm · May 2017

I'm done with the right/wrong way argument on par-cooking brats before they hit the grill, it is a personal preference thing.

However I will point out a few of my views...
1. Grilling raw vs par-cooking yields a different texture to the sausage, I find par-cooked to have a "mushy" texture, that I do not like.
2. If you are par-boiling to avoid burnt on the outside/raw in the middle sausages, you are cooking them at WAY to high a temperature, possibly from poor fire management. When I fry (more about this in a bit) brats at home on the BGE I usually shoot for a dome temp of 300-350 on a raised grate (mine sits about 3/4" above the rim not plate setter or other defector).

I grew up in Sheboygan County Wisconsin, about 15 minutes drive from the wide spot in the road known as Johnsonville eating Johnsonville, Miesfeld's, and Poth brats for dinner 3-4 times a month, mostly cooked on an old Weber Kettle with Grove Charcoal. Not once did my father par-cook a brat. Now the "fry" comment, I think this has been covered before, but that is what we call grilling brats and burgers around here, if you softball team needs uniforms, hold a brat fry at a bar sell brats and burgers on Sheboygan Hard Rolls and raffle off a bushel of booze or two and you will be set.

FatTrout · May 2017

I learned this technique from a Cooks Country magazine article about grilling the perfect brat. Their main goal was to get that crisp snap bite but keep the nice moist juicy filling. The technique is pretty simple. Slice two Texas sweet onions into 1/4" rounds. Put the onions in a glass bowl cover with plastic wrap and just to give them a jump start put them in the micro wave for 6 minutes. (watch the steam when your remove the plastic wrap) Lay the onion slices in the bottom of a foil roasting pan large enough to hold the number of brats you want to cook. Lay the brats on top of the onions and cover the pan with foil (no other liquid, beer etc. the steam from the onions gently brings the brat's filling to temp). . Set the pan on a moderately hot grill for 10 minutes. Pull the foil and lay the brats on the grill. Leave the onions in the pan uncovered and let them continue to cook. As soon as the brats are nicely marked pull em. Load a nice fresh roll with onions, a brat, and lots of spicy brown mustard, grab a fresh beer and your good to go, my friend. If you like you can add peppers to the original bowl with the onions and let the peppers follow along with the onions during the rest of the cook. Never had a fail, even from the 1st time I used this method, always a snappy bite and very moist inside. Enjoy

SloppyJoe · May 2017

I've always boiled my Johnsonville Brats in beer for roughly ten minutes and then moved them to the grill.

Boiling brats then to griddle

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