How to Make Homemade Beer Brats

Bratwurst is generally heralded as a difficult food to make from scratch. With the array of fine and gourmet brands of brats sold in major supermarkets, the art of making them is dwindling. Making bratwurst from scratch can be a really rewarding experience. It allows you control the amount of spice and the kinds of flavors you mix with the meat, which can lead to a more satisfying result. There are many directions in which you can take a basic bratwurst recipe. Adding a beer bath creates what is traditionally called a "beer brat" and is a common take on the classic brat.

Things You'll Need

• Meat grinder
• Sausage stuffer
• Stock pot or dutch oven
• Skillet or grill pan
• Medium casings
• 2 lbs of meat (pork, veal or beef) refrigerated
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed caraway seed
• 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• Beer
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup cold water
• 1 medium sliced onion

Instructions

1. Choose your meats. Brats can be made from pork, veal, chicken, turkey or beef, but are traditionally made with a combination of pork and veal. For this recipe, you will need two pounds.

2. Prepare your meats. Cut your meats into small cubes and place them in the meat grinder. If you do not have a meat grinder, buy ground meat or ask the butcher to grind your pieces. Once your meat is ground, transfer it to a bowl.

3. Add the spices you wish to use to the meat. A sample combination of spices is listed in the "Things You'll Need" section. Add the eggs and mix thoroughly with your hands. Next, add just enough cold water to the mix to make it sticky and moist.

4. Carefully fill medium-sized casings with your meat mixture and seal or tie off the ends of the casings, to form the sausages.

5. Place your brats in a Dutch oven or stock pot and cover them with your favorite beer. The brats need to be completely covered with beer, as it serves as the cooking liquid. Add the onions. Cover the pot and cook on medium heat until the brats are cooked through.

6. Once the brats are cooked through, place them in a skillet, on a grill pan or on a grill to brown. This will crisp up the casing a little and improve the flavor.

7. When the brats are browned, transfer them back into the beer and onion mixture until ready to eat. The classic way to eat a beer brat is on a hard bun or roll with mustard.

Tips & Warnings

• For better brats, keep the meat very cold through all the steps of the process. The alcohol content in food diminishes with cooking, so this recipe is safe for minors. The same cooking method using the beer and onions can be done with store-bought brats as well.