These brats are wonderful–crispy on the outside, and pop in your mouth with you bite into them. The easiest way to cook brats are to braise them first in a liquid and then brown them on the grill. Most recipes call for beer, but I think they are just as good braised in apple juice, and it’s a lot cheaper.

Bratwurst bratsIngredients

  • 12 fresh bratwurst (Colosimo brand at Costco are my favorite)
  • 32 ounce apple juice
  • 1 onion, quartered
  • Brat buns (large croissant rolls from Costco are my favorite–they’re shaped perfectly for a brat)

Instructions

  1. Preheat grill
  2. On stove top, add apple juice and onions to a large sauce pan. Turn heat to high until liquid begins to boil.
  3. Turn heat down to medium and place the brats in the liquid. Do not let the liquid boil while the brats are in it. Ensure that the brats are completely covered in liquid. Add water if necessary.
  4. Cook brats for 10 minutes at medium heat.  Turn heat down to low until you are ready to grill.
  5. Once grill is hot, turn off the burners on one half of the grill and keep the burners on the other half of the grill on high. (Only if you have a grill with  lid)
  6. Using tongs, place the brats on the side of the grill with the burners off and close the lid.  Be careful not to puncture the skin of the brats and always use tongs, not a fork to turn.
  7. Check the brats every few minutes until you get a feel for how fast they cook on your grill. You will want to turn the brats when they are golden brown, and remove from grill when they are golden brown on both sides.
  8. Serve on brat buns or croissants with BBQ sauce, mustard, onions, sauerkraut, or your favorite topping of choice.

Cooking time (duration): 30

Number of servings (yield): 12

Meal type: dinner

My rating: 4.0 stars
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