It’s Labor Day Weekend! It is the last hurrah of summer and a welcoming to fall. I must admit that I’m ready for fall. I’m ready for chili and casseroles and short ribs. But before we dive into MLB playoffs and football season let’s give summer its well-deserved send-off.
I don’t like to generalize but I’m assuming EVERYONE is going to grill something at some point this weekend. Here is something that is quick and easy to add to your grilling line up: Beer-Boiled Brats. These have many positive attributes: they are delicious, fast and crowd pleasing. But one of the greatest things about beer boiled brats is that you know they are cooked through. You are throwing them on the grill to finish them off and you don’t have to worry about them being raw on the inside.
Now, any beer you have on hand will work. You have a couple of Budweisers, great. But over the years I have become partial to using two types of beer depending on my mood: Guinness and Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy. Guinness is a dark heavy beer that just gives the brats great flavor. Summer Shandy has a bit of a lemon flavor to it. If you will remember from my post on Grilled Salsiccia, we never serve salsiccia without lemon wedges. And like salsiccia, bratwursts are a type of sausage, so the hint of lemon works great here too. My friend Jami discovered the perfection of the Summer Shandy/Bratwurst combination. Thanks Jami! 
And don’t get discouraged if you don’t like these particular beers. I wouldn’t drink either of these on their own because I like very simple lagers, but these are fantastic with bratwursts! I like to use plain old Johnsonville Brats. They have never let me down.
Let’s get started, shall we…
Beer-Boiled Brats
Ingredients:
2 packages of Bratwursts (10 brats)
1-2 Beers
Water
Put the bratwursts into a medium to large pot.
Pour 1 – 1 ½ beers in the pot (you can drink the rest).
Add water to cover all the brats by at least 1 inch.
Bring to a boil then immediately reduce to a simmer.
Continue at a very low simmer for about 20 minutes.
(After 20 minutes, I will often turn off the burner and leave the brats in the hot pot until I’m ready to grill. I don’t leave them on there for more than 30 minutes though.)
Have the grill ready to go and get them nice and crispy.
That’s it. So easy! Put them on a bun or eat them plain, but serve them hot with mustard on the side.
Serve with corn on the cob, watermelon and any of your other favorite summer staples.
I hope everyone had a lovely summer!
Mangia! Mangia!
Beer-Boiled Brats
Ingredients
- 2 packages Bratwursts 10 brats
- 1-2 Beers
- Water
Instructions
- Put the bratwursts into a medium to large pot.
- Pour 1 - 1 ½ beers in the pot (you can drink the rest).
- Add water to cover all the brats by at least 1 inch.
- Bring to a boil then immediately reduce to a simmer.
- Continue at a very low simmer for about 20 minutes.
- (After 20 minutes, I will often turn off the burner and leave the brats in the hot pot until I'm ready to grill. I don't leave them on there for more than 30 minutes though.) Have the grill ready to go and get them nice and crispy.
Notes