Brat Seasoning

Tenpoint5 · May 21, 2009, 05:31:18 PM

Quote from: Caribou on May 21, 2009, 04:39:27 PM
Does anyone ever boil them and then brown their brats on the grill?
Or would that ruin em somehow?
I've already got ground venison and ground pork defrosting so I can make 5 pounds of these this weekend.
Can't wait!
Carolyn

Boiling Brats is like boiling Ribs in my world Strictly TABOO!!!!! Now after you brown them on the grill if you want to simmer them in some beer and onions maybe a splash of Dales sauce that's completely exceptable. Boiling them will fat them out in my opinion and leave you with a dry brat. A 5 lb batch should equal about 15-17 Brats Carolyn.

Caribou · May 21, 2009, 05:41:20 PM

That's good to know..boiling bad!
That will keep us supplied for a while.
Do I need to freeze them before I vacuum seal them?
Are they apt to get squished if I don't?
Carolyn

Tenpoint5 · May 21, 2009, 07:07:18 PM

That's up to you if you want to freeze before vac sealing. I usually just cut, bag , and vac seal so a little squeezes out the end no biggy. But if your doing the for show thing like for relatives then yea flash freeze and then vac seal. I had to laugh a little that would be two meals here.

smokeitall · May 21, 2009, 07:16:46 PM

Yeah two meals would be about right here also.

Smokin Soon · May 21, 2009, 10:31:54 PM

I have found that if I just cut my bags a little bit longer than I need I don't get the "squeeze". I only use bulk roll vac seal, as it is much cheaper. I use it quite a bit. 10.5 is right on with the no boil on the Brats.
Throw just about anything you want into a pan with beer and onion after browning, and you got a crowd pleaser!. I use a Cajun brat recipe I think I got from len poli's sight.

Habanero Smoker · May 22, 2009, 02:38:44 AM

Beer brats is one of my favorite ways to cook them.

12 Brats
1-2 onions sliced
4-6 Tbs butter

sauerkraut

In a 5qt sauce pan or dutch oven, melt butter. Add 1 to 2 onions sliced onions and cook at medium high heat, stirring often until they are caramelized.

Next add brats, and enough beer to cover the brats. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook until the brats are done. Remove brats raise heat to medium high and cook until liquid is reduce and becomes syrupy like.

Brown brats on the grill, and return to onion/beer mixture. Toss them until completely covered with onions. Keep warm and serve with some onions and sauerkraut.

westexasmoker · May 22, 2009, 04:34:13 AM

Habs nailed this one! Beer brats are awesome, gonna make some this weekend!

C

OU812 · May 22, 2009, 04:57:21 AM

What Habs said.

Caribou · May 22, 2009, 06:38:40 AM

Sounds really good!
Yeah, sometimes I find it a waste of vac seal bags when I seal something that the family really loves.
I smoked up 5lbs of Nepas' fantastic snack sticks last weekend and we've already opened a vac bag of them from the freezer after going through the ones I left in the frig.
Carolyn

OU812 · May 22, 2009, 06:59:58 AM

When I do something that's going fast I just wrap in freezer paper and save the vacume bags for the longer storage.

As far as vacume sealing fresh sausage I havent had a problem with any thing pushing out or flatting out, when I do sausage I use the 8" roll of bags.

This is how I like to cook Brats.

Two teaspoons olive oil or butter, divided
One sweet onion, sliced into 1/4" rings
6 Brats or your favorite sausage
Half can of BEER

Heat one tea olive oil or butter in a large skillet. Brown sausages until golden brown. Remove to a plate.

To the drippings add the remaining oil or butter and the onion rings. Toss the rings to coat. Cook, stirring often until the onions are limp and golden but not brown.

Return the sausage to the onions and add the BEER. Cook over medium heat until the BEER has cooked down to a syrup, about 15 min.

Enjoy.

Caribou · May 22, 2009, 11:35:42 AM

OU812...wasn't that a Van Halen album?
Thanks for posting that beer/brat cookin' recipe.
Gonna have to try it,
Caroly

OU812 · May 22, 2009, 11:51:14 AM

Quote from: Caribou on May 22, 2009, 11:35:42 AM
OU812...wasn't that a Van Halen album?

Yes it is although there earlier ones were better this one is just fitting

Caribou · May 23, 2009, 05:08:20 PM

I made my Brats today using Nepas' recipe posted in this thread.
5lb of them made from 3lbs ground venison and 2lbs ground pork.
I did my best first attempt at linking them though a little lacking on quality control!
Cooked a little patty for a taste test and they were great!

Also, cooked up a strawberry-rhubarb pie to go with our Brat dinner.
Carolyn

Smokin Soon · May 23, 2009, 10:01:22 PM

That's a beautiful batch of Brats Deb! hope they grill up as good as they look!

Caribou · May 24, 2009, 07:42:01 AM

I have to give kudos to Nepas for this great recipe.
Since we were doing hotdogs for our 6 year old on the grill last night I grilled up some of the brats, too.
Did indirect heat like 10.5 recommended for 8 mins on each side and they turned out perfect.
Fully cooked but incredibly juicy, what a treat.
Going to try the beer-cooking method next time I cook them.
Carolyn