Easy Grilled Beer Brats

When it comes to summertime grilling, few things are as iconic and satisfying as sinking your teeth into a juicy, flavorful grilled beer brats. And if you’re looking to take your grilling game up a notch, there’s one essential ingredient that will transform your ordinary brats into a culinary masterpiece – beer! Grilled beer brats are the ultimate combination of grilled charred goodness and rich malty flavors.

Whether you’re planning a backyard barbecue or simply want to elevate your next meal, this article will guide you through the steps to achieve perfectly grilled beer brats that will have everyone coming back for seconds. Get ready to savor the mouthwatering taste of these irresistible sausages infused with the essence of your favorite brews.

What Are Bratwurst Sausages

Bratwurst sausages are a popular and delicious type of sausage that originated in Germany. These sausages are made from finely minced pork or veal, mixed with a variety of spices and seasonings. They are known for their distinctive flavor and firm texture.

The word “bratwurst” is derived from the German words “brät,” which means finely chopped meat, and “wurst,” which means sausage. Traditionally, bratwurst sausages were made using pork, but nowadays, you can find variations made with beef, veal, chicken, or even vegetarian options.

One of the key characteristics of bratwurst sausages is their unique blend of spices. The traditional spice mix includes ingredients such as salt, pepper, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom, marjoram, and coriander. These spices give bratwurst its distinct savory flavor profile.

Bratwurst sausages are typically cooked by grilling or pan-frying them until they develop a golden brown color on the outside while remaining juicy on the inside. They can be enjoyed in various ways – served on a bun with mustard and onions as part of a classic bratwurst sandwich or sliced up and added to stews or casseroles for added flavor.

In Germany, bratwursts hold significant cultural importance and are often associated with festivals like Oktoberfest. They have become popular worldwide due to their delicious taste and versatility in cooking methods. When it comes to serving bratwursts, there is no shortage of options.

Beer Brats Recipe

This recipe is a beer brat recipe that is perfect for the experienced or novice backyard grill master. Not only that but it has the ability to be very versatile based on your choice of beer that you use.

This recipe require three ingredients, a white or yellow onions, I prefer the white onion myself. Then a package of brats, I used a 5 pack of Johnsonville brats and then of course some beer. For beer this is where you can really change things up as far as flavor goes. Personally I like going with lighter beers, since that is what I drink and usually have around the house. In this case I used Yuengling beer, which depending on where you are, you may or may not have. It tends to be more of a East Coast/Northeast beer. I have also used Miller Lite when cooking brats.

Now if you want a fuller flavor, you can go with a darker and richer in flavor beer, or if it is summer and you have a more citrusy beer you like to you use, you can add that as well. There are really no right or wrongs with beer but if you look around I do think you may find lighter beers tend to be used most often when cooking brats.

Once you have your beer of choice, go ahead and set it aside. If the beer has been in the regfrigator, let it come up to room temp a bit, its even better if the beer has not yet been refrigerated. We are going to then slice the onion, we will be using an entire onion for this recipe. After slicing it, I suggest slicing them all in half, as we will be placing these in the sandwich when done. After sliced, place the onions in an aluminum foil pan.

At this point you can layer the brats on top of the onions in the pan. Next, you can you can add in the beer. Depending on your tray size, you may need as many as 3-4 cans of beer. We can now get everything ready to get these brats on the grill.

Grilling Beer Brats

Before placing the brats on the grill, you are going to want it up and running at about 400°. Your set up, whether doing this on gas or charcoal grill should not change how we cook the brats. We are going to start off with indirect heat and bring the brats to a low boil. Close the lid and let them stay as is, this will take about 35 minutes.

If you are checking the IT on the brats, you will want them to reach an IT of 150°. At this point, you can transfer them from the beer and the pan, directly onto the grill. At this point, we are going to finish cooking over direct heat. You can keep it at 400°.

You will grill the brats for about 2-3 minutes on one side, and then flip and 2-3 minutes on the other. You can do this with the grill open as we want to keep an eye on the brats. This adds a nice sear to them and will also bring them up to a FDA recommended IT of 160° for brats. While you are doing this part, you can throw you rolls on the warming rack and toast them for a few minutes. Some nice Italian rolls are what you want if you can get them.

Need a probe to check the IT while grilling brats in beer, try the ThermoPro TP19H. You will love it!

The onions will soften up in the beer and will be ready to serve as is. If you wanted to mix things up and make caramelized onions, that is another great option as well. It may add some time to the process but not by much.

After 4-5 minutes of grilling the brats and toasting the rolls, we can remove everything. At this point, throw a brat in the roll, top it off with some onions and you have your beer brat sandwich ready to go. A simple, yet classic summer BBQ meal ready to serve.

Some great and traditional sides to go with these would be a German potato salad or roasted cabbage wedges.

Wrapping Up Grilled Beer Brats

Grilled brats are a great and easy recipe for your summer BBQ. Cooking brats in beer is a summer classic that is a flavorful and fantastic way to switch up your BBQ menu and delight the guests with a thoroughly enjoyable sandwich.

If you happen to have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container for 3-4 days and they will be good, although I would not plan that there will be leftovers, as they will be a party favorite.

Thanks for being here and checking out this Grilled Beer Brats recipe. I hope you enjoy it! We always appreciate comments, 5 star recipe rating and social media shares. As always, keep that smoke rolling!

Looking for some other recipes to wow the crowds, here are few ideas:

• Grilled Corn On The Cob
• Grilled Citrus Chicken
• Smoked Whiskey Burgers
• Smoked Chicken Legs
• Easy Steak and Shrimp Kabobs
• Clams On The Grill

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