Whether you are grilling bratwurst on the barbecue at the family picnic or tailgating for your favorite football team, you will want to be sure your sausage is cooked through. Using a meat thermometer is the best way to determine this.
Mark’s recipe uses a beer boiled technique to ensure the brats are cooked properly and avoid bursting. This also provides the charred flavor that we all love at a cookout.
Parboiling
When it comes to brats, the proteins that make up the meat and casing need time to fully bind. If you try to grill them over high heat right away, the proteins unfold faster than they can bind, which causes the sausage to become mushy or even separate its casing completely.
Parboiling precooks the sausage so it holds up to higher, direct heat without bursting its casing. It also helps to flavor the sausage and tightens the skin of the casing, resulting in that classic snap that everyone loves.
To parboil, add your brats and a cold liquid like water, broth or, for a tasty twist, beer, to a pot. Simmer until the internal temperature reaches 150 degrees Fahrenheit, which you can check with an instant-read thermometer.
Once the sausages have reached their target temperature, drain them and discard the liquid. When it’s grilling time, place the brats over medium direct heat and cook until browned on all sides (about 3-4 minutes per side).
If you want to use a broiler to get charred spots on your brats but don’t have a gas grill, consider using a heavy-duty, oven-safe grill pan. Just be sure to preheat the pan over medium heat and lightly coat with oil.
Searing
A good, high sear is a must for a grilled brat. It creates a nice crust and imparts a great flavor. To get a good sear, start your brats over direct medium heat for a few minutes each side. Turn them with a pair of tongs, and cook until the desired color.
If you don’t have a grill, you can use a skillet or cast iron pan to achieve the same effect. The skillet will also help you avoid a flare-up while keeping the heat lower to prevent burning the outside of your sausages.
Many people prick the casings of their bratwurst, believing that it will prevent them from splitting and popping open while on the grill. While this does keep the cases from cracking, it also allows all of their flavorful juices to ooze out of the sausages and into your grill, where they will burn and be lost.
Instead of piercing the casings, try simmering your bratwurst in beer first. The beer isn’t necessary to cook the sausages, but it adds some delicious flavor and keeps them moist while cooking. It’s also a quick, easy way to bring your brats up to temperature before they go on the grill. If you’re going to be grilling brats for a crowd, this method is a great choice.
Zone Heating
If you have a gas grill with separate zones, you can cook your brats in one zone while searing them in the other. This is a great option if you are serving your beer brats at a social gathering. Alternatively, you can prepare a fun build-your-own brat bar and let your guests choose their own toppings and sauces to enjoy with the bratwurst.
You will still want to make sure your grill grates are clean and wiped down with a bit of oil before you start cooking. This will help ensure that your brats get nice grill marks and don’t burn.
If you are using a charcoal grill, place the raw brats into an aluminum foil pan and set it over indirect heat (away from lit burners or coals). Cover the pan with a lid and simmer gently until they reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees F as read by an instant-read thermometer.
After the brats are cooked, transfer them to the high-heat zone of your grill and sear them on both sides for a couple of minutes. Be sure to rotate the brats occasionally to avoid burning them on any side. When they are done, remove them from the grill and serve.
Rotating
Brats are encased in natural pork casings and typically contain meat from either beef, veal or pork. They are widely available in groceries near the hot dogs section. They can be purchased pre-cooked, but we recommend boiling them as part of your preparation. This reduces the cooking time on the grill, while also allowing the proteins in the casing to shrink slightly and bind together to give the classic snap to every bite of your brat.
Once you’re ready to start grilling, preheat your grill and lightly oil the grates. Add the raw bratwurst in a pan with some veggies, such as onions, red or green peppers or sauerkraut. Set the pan on the grill over indirect medium heat and cook until browned with grill marks, about 3 to 5 minutes per side.
The key is to rotate the pan constantly to avoid burning. This is because the brats will not cook at the same rate on all sides. Depending on the size of your pan, you may need to turn and rotate the bratwursts as much as once per minute.
When the brats are done and browned on all sides, transfer them to clean grill grates and cook over direct medium heat until charred in spots and an instant-read thermometer registers 160F. Let the brats rest for a few minutes before serving so the juices can redistribute within the sausages. Serve them on buns with a great German mustard and some tangy sauerkraut!
