Brats are an easy thing to grill however, there are a few basic things to remember. First of all unlike hot dogs, bratwurst is a raw product and most if not all have a casing where most hot dogs are fully cooked and only the high-end ones have a casing. What this means to you is you should rinse them before cooking and you will need to make sure that they are cooked thoroughly. After you have rinsed your brats you are ready to grill them and all you’ll need is some tongs, fork or meat hook.
Pre-heat your grill to a medium to medium low heat. Place the brat’s onto your grill directly over the heat and turn them every 4 to 5 minutes or so. If you are grilling something else on your grill on high heat you can place your brats on an upper rack or on a cooler portion of you grill.
Cooking time will be about 20 to 25 minutes. You will be looking for the juices to escape before they are finished.
If you have grilled them to hot the Brats will split open.
On medium heat the juices will begin to bubble out of the casing. I prefer to wait until I see all of them releasing some juices before removing from the grill. The casings should also show some brown from the heat. If they are not brown turn up the heat for a few minutes and turn frequently until you see the brown. If you brought your brats out to the grill on a plate be sure to wash that plate before placing the cooked bratwurst on it.
Here in northeast Ohio we like our brats with Stadium or Bertman Ball Park Mustard . These are a spicy brown mustard’s that pair well with the sausage and works with sauerkraut if that’s how you prefer them.
Now that you have learned how to grill brats. Here are a few more tips to step up your brat grilling game:
1) Use good buns and toast them on the grill while cooking your brats. Just brush them with a little butter and grill over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes per side.
2) Place a pot of sauerkraut on your grill or side burner. Drain the sauerkraut’s juice and replace it with beer (not light beer) and warm it and after your brats are cooked place them in the pot for a few minutes. This is a great way to keep them warm as well.
3) Butterfly cut the sausages open them up and grill on both sides. You will lose some of the juices but this adds a nice crust to the inside.
Mike
aka Sultan of Sizzle
I have been blogging about and selling grilling tool for over 12 years. A Certified Food Safety Professional, KCBS member, award winning writer and have over 10 years experience in the food service industry.
“I have experienced some of the best food this country has to offer and nothing is better than the food that comes off my own grill!”
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You don’t want the juices to run out of the brat—it loses flavor and dries them out! Don’t slice into the brat while grilling.