What Are You People Thinking?

[retailguy]

Personally, I do not boil the brats. I grill them only, and gently enough so as not to rupture the casings. It takes a little longer, but they end up much more flavorful and much more naturally moist than boiling them first.

Yup! This. You can marinate in Beer, but boil? HELL NO.

I don't worry so much about "cracking" the casing, but you gotta keep the heat low.

You boil out all the flavor. YUCK.

[3irty1]

I usually do a slow 1-2 hour simmer in beer, yellow onions, crushed garlic, butter and some other secret items. After that I finish them on a hot grill to sear the outside leaving them slightly crispy on the outside and juicy in the middle. Served on a grilled bun with the above mentioned onions, saurkraut and horseradish mustard is wonderful.

This past weekend I strayed away from my typical Pilsner simmer and instead used Guinness, onions and butter and got a really good product. Served with a side of german potato salad. (does anyone have any good recipes or tips for the latter to take it from good/really good to great?)

Good German potato salad has a sweet and sour combination.

1/2 lb lean bacon
3 T flour
1/4 small onion chopped
2/3 c apple cider vinegar
2/3 c water
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c brown sugar
4 t salt
1/2 t black pepper
1 t dry mustard
1 t chopped rosemary
3 lbs potatoes, peeled, boiled until tender and cubed. I like waxy ones like yukon gold.
1/2 c parsley, chopped

Put bacon in a large, oven safe frying pan such as cast iron and bake at 300 until crisp and pan is loaded with beautifully rendered clear bacon fat. Move pan to stove top. Reserve bacon on paper towels. Add flour and onion to pan. Stir in vinegar, water, sugars, salt and spices. Cook over medium heat until thickened. Combine with potatoes, crumbled or chopped bacon and parsley.

[3irty1]

Personally, I do not boil the brats. I grill them only, and gently enough so as not to rupture the casings. It takes a little longer, but they end up much more flavorful and much more naturally moist than boiling them first.

Yup! This. You can marinate in Beer, but boil? HELL NO.

I don't worry so much about "cracking" the casing, but you gotta keep the heat low.

You boil out all the flavor. YUCK.

Another advantage of the pressure cooker. Less beer wasted, more flavor reserved. I'm with Patler that cracking the casing is not a good thing.

[CaptainKickass]

I usually do a slow 1-2 hour simmer in beer, yellow onions, crushed garlic, butter and some other secret items. After that I finish them on a hot grill to sear the outside leaving them slightly crispy on the outside and juicy in the middle. Served on a grilled bun with the above mentioned onions, saurkraut and horseradish mustard is wonderful.

This past weekend I strayed away from my typical Pilsner simmer and instead used Guinness, onions and butter and got a really good product. Served with a side of german potato salad. (does anyone have any good recipes or tips for the latter to take it from good/really good to great?)

+1

Guiness works - I've done it because I couldn't go to the store for a cheaper brew and was pressed for time. But i find that cheaper beer works best with this recipe, plus Guiness is a preferred drink to say - PBR for instance.

The only small differences in prep are: I use the big purple onions instead and no butter. Them bastards can simmer all day if you want. I've put 'em on to simmer intending to grill before the early Sunday game and ended up not firing up the grill until halftime of the late game. After the brats go on the grill, I strain the onions/garlic and then saute them w/a touch of wine to caramelize. There's nothing like the smell of sauteed onions and garlic.

The only thing better - is to wrap them bastards in a slice of bacon while grilling. Soak some wood toothpicks in water to secure the bacon around the brats. Yes you pierce the casing on the ends of the brats doing this but it's a non-factor if you've simmered the brats long enough. If using thick sliced bacon - pre-fry the slices slightly before wrapping - but don't overcook the bacon as it will break while wrapping. This will also help limit the flame ups while grilling.

Adding bacon does mean a whole different approach to grilling because, as mentioned above, the bacon and brat combo WILL flame the hell up on you constantly - and likely singe your hair and eyebrows if you do not adjust your technique. I use a half grill hot side and a half grill warm side. I use long METAL tongs w/no plastic or rubber and I wear an old welding glove to hold the tongs. Also leave the grill lid open, and adjust the height of the grill itself depending on your grill.

It'll take you a few rounds to perfect your grilling technique - making sure the bacon is fully cooked, getting your grill marks, and flipping appropriately as well as moving between the hot side and warm side of the grill. I'd start by cooking one or two at a time. Once you figure it out - then you can do a dozen at a time.

[mraynrand]

Guiness works - I've done it because I couldn't go to the store for a cheaper brew and was pressed for time. But i find that cheaper beer works best with this recipe, plus Guiness is a preferred drink to say - PBR for instance.

Water is a preferred drink to PBR. PBR, the Grain Belt of Wisconsin.

[MichiganPackerFan]

Good German potato salad has a sweet and sour combination.

1/2 lb lean bacon
3 T flour
1/4 small onion chopped
2/3 c apple cider vinegar
2/3 c water
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c brown sugar
4 t salt
1/2 t black pepper
1 t dry mustard
1 t chopped rosemary
3 lbs potatoes, peeled, boiled until tender and cubed. I like waxy ones like yukon gold.
1/2 c parsley, chopped

Put bacon in a large, oven safe frying pan such as cast iron and bake at 300 until crisp and pan is loaded with beautifully rendered clear bacon fat. Move pan to stove top. Reserve bacon on paper towels. Add flour and onion to pan. Stir in vinegar, water, sugars, salt and spices. Cook over medium heat until thickened. Combine with potatoes, crumbled or chopped bacon and parsley.

I like the addition of rosemary. Surprisingly that never occurred to me. And I totally forgot the parsley this time. My grandfather made me swear by redskins, and I'm okay with that. I usually cut the potatoes just in half before boiling and then cut each half into slices like a loaf of bread. I like the taste of celery seed as well. I've been using white vinegar, but the apple cider sounds like it may add a more robust flavor.

[3irty1]

Good German potato salad has a sweet and sour combination.

1/2 lb lean bacon
3 T flour
1/4 small onion chopped
2/3 c apple cider vinegar
2/3 c water
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c brown sugar
4 t salt
1/2 t black pepper
1 t dry mustard
1 t chopped rosemary
3 lbs potatoes, peeled, boiled until tender and cubed. I like waxy ones like yukon gold.
1/2 c parsley, chopped

Put bacon in a large, oven safe frying pan such as cast iron and bake at 300 until crisp and pan is loaded with beautifully rendered clear bacon fat. Move pan to stove top. Reserve bacon on paper towels. Add flour and onion to pan. Stir in vinegar, water, sugars, salt and spices. Cook over medium heat until thickened. Combine with potatoes, crumbled or chopped bacon and parsley.

I like the addition of rosemary. Surprisingly that never occurred to me. And I totally forgot the parsley this time. My grandfather made me swear by redskins, and I'm okay with that. I usually cut the potatoes just in half before boiling and then cut each half into slices like a loaf of bread. I like the taste of celery seed as well. I've been using white vinegar, but the apple cider sounds like it may add a more robust flavor.

Reds are very appropriate. Anything works well but reds have good potato flavor and a forgiving starch level for boiled potatoes that you don't want to be mush.

White vinegar works, apple cider has synergy with rosemary and bacon. I've subbed ver jus and reduced the sugar level to make it wine friendly before.

[Little Whiskey]

I know this is slightly thread jacking but.......i don't care!

I need a good rub for baby back ribs.

[MJZiggy]

And the Gourmet thread is reborn!

[Little Whiskey]

And the Gourmet thread is reborn!

just because tarlam started bitching about beer brats!

[MJZiggy]

And the Gourmet thread is reborn!

just because tarlam started bitching about beer brats!

He caused two pages just on the brats...

[3irty1]

I know this is slightly thread jacking but.......i don't care!

I need a good rub for baby back ribs.

I like a kansas city style rub that consists of mostly brown sugar but also salt, chili powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper, chipotle seasoning, old bay, dried thyme, onion powder.

[Tarlam!]

MPF, never ever ever cut spuds if they're destined for a salad. Ever! Always cook them whole.

I like the idea of reds, hadn't thought of that before.

Speaking of rosmary, you guys should do bratpotatoes with rosmary.

It's easy as anything. Blanch some spuds whole with skin, skin 'em, slice 'em about 1/4 " thick. Fry 'em in some tastes like butter with chopped bacon. When they're half done, add some sprigs of rosemary. Just before they're done add some chopped onions. Be careful, the onions will turn black if you add them too early.

This is def- a high cholesterol side dish, but hey, we all gotta die, right?

[retailguy]

I know this is slightly thread jacking but.......i don't care!

I need a good rub for baby back ribs.

Here ya go! (Don't spend too much time on the website! You'll be as addicted as I am.) I've done his pulled pork using this rub about a half dozen times and it's psycho good. We freeze it in plastic bags and defrost, microwave for a few minutes, and voila - DINNER! :P

http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/rubs_pastes_marinades_and_brines/meatheads_magic_dust.html

Memphis Dust Recipe
Yield. Makes about 3 cups. I typically use about 1 tablespoon per side of a slab of St. Louis cut ribs, and a bit less for baby backs. Store the extra in a zipper bag or a glass jar with a tight lid.
Preparation time. 10 minutes to find everything and 5 minutes to dump them together.

Ingredients
3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup paprika
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup garlic powder
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
2 tablespoons ground ginger powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 teaspoons rosemary powder

Optional. Add up to 2 tablespoons crushed dried chipotle, cayenne, chili powder, or other hot pepper. Try substituting some smoked paprika for regular paprika. Beware, it is usually a bit hot. But be careful. Not everybody likes it as hot as you do! You can leave out the heat and serve hot pepper on the side.

About the sugar and salt. I encourage readers to experiment with recipes, and "no rules in the bedroom or dining room" is my motto, but I have gotten some emails that require a comment. One said he loved this recipe but left out the salt. Another left out the white sugar. I appreciate the need to reduce sugar and salt in our diets, but they are in the recipe for more than flavor enhancement, they help form the crust (a.k.a. called "the bark" by the pros), an important part of the texture of the surface of ribs and slow smoke roasted pork. The salt pulls some moisture to the surface to form a "pellicle" and the sugar mixes with the moisture, caramelizes, and also contributes to the crust. There's only about 2 tablespoons of rub to a large slab. Of that about 1 tablespoon is sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. If you eat half a slab, you're not eating much sugar and salt. I recommend you leave them in. And for those of you who object to white sugar for non-dietary reasons, and use brown sugar instead, you need to know brown sugar is just white sugar with molasses added. It is not unrefined sugar. I use brown sugar for the flavor and white sugar because it improves the bark. You can substitute table salt, but beware that if you do, you should use about 2/3 as much. Read my article on salt.

About the rosemary. Another hates rosemary and leaves it out. Trust me, it hides in the background and you will never know it is there. Substitute thyme or oregano if you must, but I think rosemary is the best choice. If you can find ground rosemary, good for you. It's hard to find. So just grind the rosemary leaves in a mortar and pestle or in a coffee grinder. It will take 2 to 3 tablespoons of leaves to make 2 teaspoons of powder.

About the ginger. I think it is a very important ingredient. If you don't have any, get some.

[Little Whiskey]

Thanks retail. I'll give that a go!