Bratwurst Pasta Recipe (in a Buttery Beer Sauce) (2024)

FAQs

What kind of beer do you use for bratwurst? ›

Place your bratwurst into a full pan of beer on the grill. Any beer will do, but pale lagers work best. Boil in the beer bath for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the brats turn white.

Serve Brats with buns slightly larger than the brats, leaving room for add-ons. Top with assorted peppers, onions and garlic and your favorite mustard.

Dry bratwurst off with a paper towel and place sausages in the heated pan. Turn every 2 minutes for 10 minutes until cooked through and no pink shows in the middle (proper pork temperature 160F). Continue to fry until you get a nice brown color on the skin. Eat as soon as possible to get the max flavor and juiciness.

The first secret for making the most flavorful beer brats is soaking them in beer (and sliced onions) before they even hit the grill! This step infuses the brats with extra flavor while also adding moisture to help keep them from getting dried out on the grill. A win-win!

Riesling, Grüner Veltliner and Friulano are crispy (it means acidic) and they match both the condiments and the meat. The red wine to match Bratwurst should also be acidic: Zinfandel and Primitivo are acidic and work magically with BBQ.

While cooked bratwursts are usually delicious to use, you really need to start from scratch to impart the flavor from the beer. We boil for about 10 minutes with the beer and onions, then finish them for about 10 more minutes off on the grill for a gorgeous char exterior and caramelized flavor.

Before grilling the brats, parboil them on the stove or in a cast-iron skillet on the grill. This will help to precook the inside of the brats and make sure that they don't burst open on the grill, releasing all of the flavorful juices. Place the brats in a skillet and add a cold liquid 3/4 of the way up the brats.

Sindelar said parboiling speeds up the unfolding process and can result in a mushy meat texture, the development of rubbery casings and separate the casing from the sausage. So, there you have it. It's settled science.

Add bratwurst, pepper flakes, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to beer and onion mixture. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 10 to 12 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate. Transfer bratwurst to a plate.

During the unfolding process, proteins bind with fats, salt, pepper and seasonings to create texture and flavor. Parboiling speeds up the process that can create a mushy meat texture, develop rubbery casings and separate the casing from the sausage. Proteins unfold slower in the medium-low heat of a grill.

What is the difference between brats and beer brats? ›

A beer brat is when you boil uncooked brats in a couple of cans of beer to fully cook it on the stovetop. Oftentimes, they are finished off on the grill. We truly believe beer brats are superior to any other kind of brat because they are so dang delicious.

According to Chowhound, parboiling your brats in beer prior to grilling them is a foolproof way to ensure the meat gets thoroughly and evenly cooked. Otherwise, you may end up with a slightly pink center, which isn't ideal for consuming sausages.

Brats in Beer Bath

With the brats seared, move them into a foil pan filled with beer and continue to cook them over indirect heat. That means on the grill away from the lit burners or coals. The brats are done when they reach an internal temperature of 145º F as read by an instant-read thermometer.

For the beer, use a lager, which has a clean, crisp, not-too-bitter taste. Lager is a family of beers that includes bright lagers, amber lagers, dark lagers, Oktoberfests, and pilsners. I use Sam Adams Oktoberfest, but Budweiser, Bud Light, Coors Light, and Miller Lite are all good options.

Bratwurst: Always start with raw than pre-cooked sausages. Beer: Pilsners and lagers are traditional, but IPAs, porters, and stouts all work wonderfully.

Best Beer for Brats

Other German types of beer that will work well are Munich helles, kolsch, and if in season – definitely Oktoberfest style (Marzen) lager. Outside the German styles seek out brown ales, porters, stouts.

Weissbier (Wheat Beer):Style: Hefeweizen or DunkelweizenDescription: These wheat beers are slightly fruity with a touch of spice, making them a great match for the savory flavors of sausages. The banana and clove notes in Hefeweizen can complement the grilled or smoked characteristics of the sausages.