Grilling brats isn’t rocket science but this tips will ensure you enjoy delicious brats every time.
Grilling brats isn’t as difficult as cooking beef wellington or a turducken but it can be intimidating the first few times you grill up some brats.
Especially if you have a horde of friends and family hungrily waiting, stomachs rumbling, and expectations high for some delicious brats.
Never fear — just follow our ten basic tips below and you’ll be well on your way to grilling brats like a seasoned pro.
You can cook up grilled brats alone — always served on a hard roll with stone ground mustard — or include them in many different bratwurst recipes.
Keep in mind, too, that it’s awfully hard to go wrong with a brat so fire up that grill and jump right in!
Ten Tips for Grilling Brats Perfectly
WisconsinMade.com specializes in shipping genuine Wisconsin brats to every U.S. state.
1. Always use fresh, local brats. If you can’t find bratwurst from Kewauskum, Klement’s, or Usinger’s, Wisconsinmade.com is a great option to buy brats online and have them shipped to you.
2. Never puncture brats when grilling and be careful when transferring them to the grill that you don’t break the skin.
3. Simmer your brats in beer and water first for 15 minutes. Use equal parts beer and water and throw in a few sliced onions.
4. Don’t boil your brats too hard, just simmer them gently at a low boil. Boiling them at too high a heat will cause the casings to split and you’ll lose all the juicy, delicious taste.
5. After simmering is done, grilling brats will only take about five to ten minutes, just long enough to get a nice crisp char.
6. Only grill for 5-10 mins, just to char slightly. Simmering did all the hard work as far as cooking your brats so don’t worry about 5 minutes being too little time on the grill to cook them properly.
Inglehoffer stone ground mustard is the mustard of choice for many bratwurst purists.
7. Serve immediately after grilling brats. Bratwurst is best right after it comes off the grill so have your sides ready and serve them up right as they come off the grill.
8. Never serve grilled brats on a soft, squishy hot dog bun. It’s a crime against brats.
9. Always serve brats on a hard roll. If you can’t find bratwurst rolls any hard sandwich roll will do such as a French roll or a sourdough roll.
10. Only use stone ground mustard on brats. Using cheap yellow mustard is another crime against bratwurst that might be avoided at all costs, so always go with a quality stone ground mustard such as Inglehoffer or Plochman’s.
How Do We Grill Brats Thoroughly to Get The Perfect Taste?
We all want our Brats to be grilled properly, how do we do that? Below are some tips and tricks to grill your Brats perfectly:
1. Use Medium to Low heat
You get to savour that golden-brown colour, flavour, and texture at its peak when the flame is controlled and managed properly.
Often people get a perfect sear on the exterior, but the meat remains raw in the middle.
Using Medium/Low flame will ensure you get your desired caramelized and aesthetic looking brat, while keeping the brat moist and juicy on the inside.
2. Freshly Made for the win
Fresh brats most of the time tends to overpower the old with its flavors. Try to buy fresh brats that you’d find at a butcher’s store instead of a grocery store. You’ll automatically be able to note the differences.
3. Time and Temperature
Well, first things first you need to be aware of what temperature your Brat needs to come out at, as an indication of ‘well-cooked meat.’ The temperature is 160 degrees Fahrenheit or 71 degrees Celsius. Anything lower or higher than that will affect how moist and tender your meat is.
Secondly, you must cook your breasts at around 300-350 degrees Fahrenheit or 145-178 degrees Celsius. You’ll be safe if you throw them in the oven, since that’ll maintain a constant temperature.
However, if you’re taking the stove route, medium-low heat is the way to go! Cook your meat for 20 minutes, 10 for each side. Try to get your judgement right. Be proactive but don’t stress out.
4. Medium of Cooking
This is what will give your brat the edge over others. There are different ways and modes of cooking. Common ones include the oven and stove. But for brats, the most preferred is charcoal grilled. This is because charcoal has this smoky texture that makes your food feel like it came right out of a geothermal power plant.
If you’re lucky enough to have charcoal at home or even a barbecue set up, you’ll be able to experience that beautiful flavour.
5. Boiling your Brat
This method works for some people, but it takes away so much from the meat. No doubt, it’ll give you the best brat broth in the world, but unfortunately, it won’t offer you the same flavour profile.
While boiling in water takes out flavor, boiling in beer would enhance it.
These are simple tips about grilling your Brats to perfection. Do you know more? Comment here.