Family Chow Hall

Real Germans Love Bratwurst

April 6th, 2006

Its unanimous in our family, and since we are both of a German heritage, it should come as no surprise - All seven of us love bratwurst. Okay, well, the baby isn’t so sure about it, but I’m thinking he will come around.

And when you love bratwurst, you have to serve it with sauerkraut. Sauerkraut comes from the words “sauer” — meaning sour, and “kraut” meaning herb, in this case, cabbage. It’s not actually sour, as in sour milk, but fermented, like vinegar or wine. “Bratwurst,” as far as I can find, simply means fried sausage. (I grill it rather than frying, but it’s still bratwurst.) Put together, bratwurst and sauerkraut is a quick and simple meal that appeals to everyone.

First, a word about bratwurst…

No two brats are created equal. Every brand and type is different from every other. Some are spicier than others. Some have mustard seed in them (depending on your opinion, that’s either great or terrible). Some have beer in them, others have cheese. Some bratwurst are relatively lean, some are fatter. Keep trying different brands until you find one you love. Then stick with it. For us, this is Johnsonville Bratwurst, the recipe with Beer in it.

The same is true about sauerkraut…

Because I used to make my own sauerkraut, with cabbage from my garden, my husband has become very picky about it. It should, indeed, be “sour” but too much so. Buy canned Bush’s sauerkraut or, if you happen to find one, a label with a German name on it. If you choose Bavarian Kraut, you will get sauerkraut with fennel seed in it.

Now, it may seem like common sense, but I will give a couple of tips for cooking bratwurst and then let you go buy and cook some for yourself.

Bring a pot of water to a boil on your stove. Place the bratwurst in the boiling water and boil for 5 - 10 minutes. I do this so that they get a head start on cooking before I put them on the grill. Brats are large and thick, and not pre-cooked, so you want to make sure they are done all the way through. While they are boiling, you can light your grill and dump the sauerkraut into a smaller pan and set it on low.

When they’ve boiled a few minutes, transfer them to your grill, set it on low, and keep an eye on them. Bratwurst is fairly fatty and will definitely cause flare-ups on the grill. Have a squirt bottle handy to keep the flames under control. Grill them about 10 minutes or so. Cut into the center to check done-ness.

When they’re finished, serve on a hot dog bun and top with sauerkraut. The combination of spicy sausage and tangy sauerkraut is super. Yum Yum!

Entry Filed under: Old-Fashioned Foods, Recipes, Supper, pork, sandwiches