Beer Brats

24 Sep, 2025

Beer brats are a classic tailgate item. My preferred method of cooking bratwurst is to simmer the brats in beer and then grill them which allows the sausage to remain plump and flavorful, contrasting with a quick, high-heat grilling which can lead to dryness.

In this recipe and video we par boil the brats in beer first, which completely cooks the brats while keeping them moist and flavorful. This also helps tighten the casings while keeping them from bursting so the brat is juicy. After the brats have simmered in beer we directly grill them to crisp up the casing and to add some delicious char and grill marks.

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Meat Church How To YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/FjLO98tD3lA

Ingredients

raw bratwurst
buns
3 beers
3 medium sweet onions, sliced thin
2 T butter

Toppings

sauerkraut
mustard

Tools

Dutch oven or deep cast iron skillet. We used a YETI Ranch pan.

Prepare your grill
This cook requires sautéing onions, simmering brats and grilling over direct heat. We are doing all of this over a direct fire on a grill, but cook these with your desired tools and method.

Prepare your grill at medium high direct heat. In this video we used a Mill Scale Yakitori with lump charcoal.

Caramelize the onions
Add the butter to the pan. Once melted, add the raw onions.

Cook while stirring continually until your desired level of caramelization. Typically around 20 minutes.

Boil the brats
Add the raw bratwurst to the pan. Submerge in beer.

That took 3 beers in this video using a YETI Ranch pan.

Bring the beer to a simmer and cook at least until the brats reach 165 internal temperature which should take around 20 minutes. I prefer to simmer the brats for at least 45 minutes.

At this point the brats are completely cooked and safe to eat.