Grilled Bratwurst, and caramelized onions on a toasted bun and topped with mustard. That is what this recipe for Beer Brats On The Grill is all about.
What Are Beer Brats?
Beer brats are basically bratwurst sausages cooked in beer and onions. The beer and onions are cooked down until the onions are caramelized and the beer has been reduced. The sausages are then grilled and served with onion and beer reduction.
Making Beer Brats on The Grill
Making this recipe is very easy. Everything can be prepared and cooked outdoors on a charcoal or gas BBQ.
The trick is to cook them in the beer before grilling them. This adds flavour to the sausages as well as keeps the sausages juicy so they won’t dry out when you grill them.
Special Equipment to Make Beer Brats
For this recipe, we make it on the gas or charcoal grill. Whichever you have will work.
We use a disposable aluminum pan for cooking the beer and onions. It makes for easy cleanup because I just rinse it and then throw it in the recycle bin.
A large cast iron pot can also be used or a heavy-bottomed pot. Just remember that whatever pot you use will likely have soot on the outside of it if you are using a charcoal BBQ.
Can Any Beer Be Used To Make Beer Brats?
Many recipes call for a certain type or brand of beer. But if you choose a beer you don’t like, odds are you won’t like the taste of the dish either.
Always cook with a beer that you enjoy. It doesn’t have to be an expensive beer or craft beer. Just make sure it is one that you like the taste of.
We have used different kinds of beer. It always depends on what we have on hand at the time.
Toppings for Beer Brats
Beer Brats are served with the beer caramelized onions that they are cooked in, on a toasted bun.
Then they are topped with mustard. Stone ground mustard is one of the best options, but regular mustard or even Dijon will do.
When making these for a crowd, we offer different flavours of mustard as well as sauerkraut. Some shredded Parmesan cheese makes a good topping as well.
Variations to the Beer and Onions
To add colour, we sometimes add red, yellow, and orange peppers, that have been julienned and cooked in the beer with the onions. When adding peppers, we usually add them after the beer cooks down so that the peppers still have a little crunch.
For added flavour, we have also added mushrooms to the onions.
What To Serve with Beer Brats
You can serve these sausages on their own, or with a side. These go well with coleslaw, potato salad, or grilled potatoes.
Mac and Cheese also goes well with these sausages. We like to set a pan of mac and cheese right beside the pan of brats to keep it warm.
Also, corn on the cob is a good choice. And since the BBQ is already hot to make these Beer Brats, grilling the corn is easy to do.
Beer Brats
Ingredients
- 4 cans beer
- 1 yellow onion, sliced
- 12 bratwurst sausages
- 12 sausage buns
Instructions
- Preheat BBQ to 375°F
- Place beer, onions and bratwurst in an aluminum pan and place on BBQ. Make sure the sausages are completely covered in liquid, add more beer if needed.
- Close lid and allow beer to come to a simmer
- Allow to simmer for 10 minutes, stirring to make sure sausages remain covered in liquid.
- Remove sausages from liquid and grill for 3 minutes, turn and grill additional three minutes
- While sausages are grilling, stir the beer and onions, keeping it on the heat so that the liquid reduces to create caramelized onions.
- Once beer has reduced, place the sausages back in the pan with the onions.
- Turn the sausage in the pan to coat with the beer and onion mixture.
- Toast the sausage buns on the grill.
- Place 1 sausage on each toasted bun, top with onions and mustard.
- Serve immediately.
I always love cooking with beer, it adds such a familiar taste and is always a fun excuse to enjoy a beer while you’re cooking because hey, the brats and the cook both need a beer right?