Let's Talk BBQ
General => General Discussion & Topics => General Discussion => Topic started by: Pappymn on July 06, 2014, 07:02:40 PM
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My better half and I have this "discussion" a couple times a summer. She insists that fresh brats/polish and the like must be simmered in beer until basically cooked through and then grill finished.
Now being the Grill Jedi ??? That I am thinks this "technique" was created by BBQ warriors who never heard of indirect cooking. It was also created by the same crowd that cooked pork to 200 degrees (my mother).
They would put fresh sausage on the grill, burn the outside, and the inside would be raw. My father was great at this with chicken too. :(
We never had chicken on the grill growing up that was edible.
So I think this crutch is a waste of time, beer, and does nothing for flavor.
I will let LTBBQ have the last word.......
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Well...I have had 'em both ways...And I have to admit that I like the beer boiled brats that are then smoked. Done right they are not completely fated-out, and the beer taste is present. Not over-powering, but there.
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Pappy,
I have had them both ways, but I prefer simmering them in beer and onions first, then onto a hot grill for some grill marks and crisping up the skin and then back into the beer bath after the skins have split. They soak up that beer goodness. Served on a nice roll with onions and a good hearty mustard. And a beer.
Sorry, buddy, but I agree with your wife, on this one.
Art
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I prefer the simmer in beer, grill, back in the beer bath too. ;)
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I also love them simmered in beer just until they start turning gray than a quick searing. And the onions cooked in the leftover beer.
Not boiled but simmered. There is a difference IMHO.
If you just grill them by the time they are cooked they split open and lose all the juice.
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Having gown up in South Philly, I can tell that - at least back in the day - having people over for a BBQ meant some kind of meat (burgers, dogs, brats, chicken, whatever) put on the grill over direct heat. In fact, BBQ chicken was simply chicken on the grill that was slathereed with BBQ sauce at the very end so that it would carmelize.
It was after I moved dpown here, and got a job as a short order cook in a BBQ joint, that I began learning the true meaning of BBQ.
That being said, I do like me some "fresh" kielbasa, cooked in beer, then grilled. I think that could be the absolute best use for a hot dog bun!
BD
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Even though I love my Peas, I gotta agree with you on this one Pappy, if I want beer flavored brat's I'll add cold beer instead of cold water when I'm making the brats. I'm not a big fan of boiling/simmering sausages before grilling.
Maybe you could save the day and get brownie points by doing some brats with beer sous vide then grilling them, at least you wouldn't be boiling the good stuff out of them. :)
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I agree that high temperature boiling is not good for the brats. This will cause them to spilt and lose fat. But so does the high temperature grilling.
When I make my brats I bring the brats up to temp with the beer. Once the beer gets to simmering temp I cut the heat and put on the lid. Then I let them sit for 20 minutes. Sort of a redneck Sous Vide.
This way I can grill them at high temp for a short time since they are almost done, get a nice crust, and not have them split on me. When they split the juices will escape and I want them juicy.
Interesting that Sous Vide was mentioned because I am going to try that next time ;)
Of course this method is only for uncooked brats and not pre-cooked ones.
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Pappy, I love you dearly, but I gotta go with your wife on this one. Lived in Wisconsin for 10 years... you simmer (not boil) the brats in beer first (add some onions if you like) then you grill 'em... that's just what you do. Some guys give them an hour or two on the simmer.. not sure that makes a difference, but it does to them...
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I've been having real good luck getting mine cooked through without splitting open on the SRG lately, love the grill marks it gives and the flavor.
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This is a very good topic Pappy. I never had a Bratt until I watched the Blue Jays play the Twins a long time ago and have been hooked ever since.
I like to grill then into the beer and onion, now I'm going to try beer with onions and then grill. ;D
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Pappy, I love you dearly, but I gotta go with your wife on this one. you simmer (not boil) the brats in beer first (add some onions if you like) then you grill 'em... that's just what you do.
i agree w/ doc on this one. dude, listen to your wife. she is right as always. ::)
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Pappy,
I have had them both ways, but I prefer simmering them in beer and onions first, then onto a hot grill for some grill marks and crisping up the skin and then back into the beer bath after the skins have split. They soak up that beer goodness. Served on a nice roll with onions and a good hearty mustard. And a beer.
Sorry, buddy, but I agree with your wife, on this one.
Art
I agree with Art and do them both ways but the beer method is great when feeding a crowd to keep extra brats hot. Don
I forgot to add that some say for a perfect brat the skin should not burst so when you bite into it the skin, casing, pops and you get all that liquid fat. I feel that even if they pop you get rid of a lot of the fat and still get the good brat taste. I have even poked holes in mine with a toothpick to get rid of some of the fat and if using the beer method you replace the fat with some good beer and that can't be bad!
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Pappy these folks make the best bratwurst there is. And this is how to correctly prepare them! Trust me brother!
ps you are more right than your wife but Do Not tell her I told you so! Capeesh! 8)
www.miesfelds.com/wp/grill_tips
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Pappy,
I have had them both ways, but I prefer simmering them in beer and onions first, then onto a hot grill for some grill marks and crisping up the skin and then back into the beer bath after the skins have split. They soak up that beer goodness. Served on a nice roll with onions and a good hearty mustard. And a beer.
Sorry, buddy, but I agree with your wife, on this one.
Art
I'm with Art on this one.
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As much as I hate to waste good beer by not drinking it, I have to admit I prefer my brats simmered in beer then finished on the grill.
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I like em straight to the grill,and boiled with cabbage and taters. Hard to eat them 'wrong' IMO.
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Really prefer them simmered with beer and onions for about 15 mins, BUT, because of dietary restrictions, WHEN I do get to have brats, just grill them, poked with a fork a few times, to get rid of the fat. Hate to lose it, BUT when your health is at stake, you do what you gotta do!
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Pappy,
I have had them both ways, but I prefer simmering them in beer and onions first, then onto a hot grill for some grill marks and crisping up the skin and then back into the beer bath after the skins have split. They soak up that beer goodness. Served on a nice roll with onions and a good hearty mustard. And a beer.
Sorry, buddy, but I agree with your wife, on this one.
Art
X2!
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Just to add a little more about brats and boiling them a mid west thing. Brats are a mid west thing being popular in Wisconsin brought there by German immigrants; I am not sure when they started getting popular all over but baseball is credited with spreading their popularity. I don't remember having them growing up in the 50's in Ohio. Mary from Deep South Dish is one of my favorite southern cooks and she writes a little about them and her favorite recipe for doing them in beer with some good photos. http://www.deepsouthdish.com/2014/07/grilled-hot-tub-beer-brats.html#more
Smokin Don
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I have to admit I have never had a Brat simmerd in beer before.. It sounds really good. I'm going to make this next time I'm at the trailer.
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I learned the boil then grill method way back in the 70's, living in Germany of all places. The most common German method of service was simply grilling.
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Just to add a little more about brats and boiling them a mid west thing. Brats are a mid west thing being popular in Wisconsin brought there by German immigrants; I am not sure when they started getting popular all over but baseball is credited with spreading their popularity. I don't remember having them growing up in the 50's in Ohio. Mary from Deep South Dish is one of my favorite southern cooks and she writes a little about them and her favorite recipe for doing them in beer with some good photos. http://www.deepsouthdish.com/2014/07/grilled-hot-tub-beer-brats.html#more
Smokin Don
Great link. Thanks, Don!
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Any brat any way is better than no brat no way.
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Any brat any way is better than no brat no way.
zactly!
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To add a little more to the discussion, I delivered a couple of batches of Greek sausage to my friends restaurant today and he had the cook fire some up for our lunch. They tasted even better than when I grilled them so I asked him how they were done. He told me they go on a rack into a 500 degree oven for about 6 minutes then onto the grill to finish for a couple of minutes. They were juicy and moist on the inside and had a great grilled look and taste on the outside, better than straight grilling and better in my mind than simmered in beer then grilled. Just my new two cent's to keep a good topic going.
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To add a little more to the discussion, I delivered a couple of batches of Greek sausage to my friends restaurant today and he had the cook fire some up for our lunch. They tasted even better than when I grilled them so I asked him how they were done. He told me they go on a rack into a 500 degree oven for about 6 minutes then onto the grill to finish for a couple of minutes. They were juicy and moist on the inside and had a great grilled look and taste on the outside, better than straight grilling and better in my mind than simmered in beer then grilled. Just my new two cent's to keep a good topic going.
Interesting idea - worth trying! Thanks.
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I would think 500 degrees would split them....but I bet your sausage has better quality casings then mass produced commercial casings.
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I think it's more of a a German thing than a Midwest thing. I enjoy brats cooked both ways, but if I had to choose, I'd pick brats with onions & peppers in a beer bath every time.
When I do a beer bath, I usually grill them first, then into a beer bath to finish cooking with some onion & peppers.
Pappy, now you got me wanting brats for lunch! ;D
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Kimmie get upset when I use her beer to cook with, ???
She can't understand why folks would waste good beer to cook with it.
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I would think 500 degrees would split them....but I bet your sausage has better quality casings then mass produced commercial casings.
You may be right, but I was only using LEM hog casings this time.
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Thanks for all the good info everyone.