Cooking brats on the stove is easy once you know how. Here’s a recipe that shows how to boil brats first, so that they are fully cooked and juicy inside, and then grill them to give them a delicious flavor and texture.
Even without an outdoor grill, you can recreate that classic grill-style brat flavor with this method. You’ll love these brats no matter if you’re cooking for a summer barbecue or a cosy winter meal. The recipes below are great to add to the rotation of menu items, along with stovetop brats.
What is a Bratwurst?
German sausages are the best. Whether you want cheap supermarket ones or high-quality ones at your local butcher shop, you can buy them everywhere.
Germany’s different regions produce different types of bratwurst. It’s easy to distinguish between the fine and coarse ones. Although both types are delicious, everyone has a favorite. The coarser kind is my favorite for stovetop brats, especially when made on the grill. However, I always buy both kinds of sausages whenever I grill them, because most kids prefer the finer varieties.
You can get bratwurst anywhere – at festivals, feasts, parties, Oktoberfests, or other fall celebrations. A charcoal grill is the perfect way to cook them. It’s usually stuffed in a bun, slathered with mustard and ketchup, or sliced in some weird machine and smothered in curry sauce.
In spite of our easy access to them, we still prepare and eat them at home regularly. Good bratwursts are loved by all!
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Ingredients
- Brats: To get the best results, start with a top-notch brat sausage.
- Onion: Red onions are best, but any type will work, even shallots.
- Water, beer or stock: I’d recommend using a light beer that isn’t too hoppy, such as lager or pilsner, to prevent the sauce from becoming bitter.
- Oil: The fat in the pan helps caramelize the onions and brown the brats beautifully. You can use butter, olive oil, or canola oil, but I prefer canola oil.
- Pan with a lid: Cast iron skillets are my favorite, but stainless steel, carbon steel or even nonstick pans are also good. Tip: For skillets without lids, use a sheet pan.
- Instant-read thermometer: Perfect for quickly checking the internal temperature.
How to Cook Brats on the Stove
- Cast-iron skillet 12″ over medium heat, drizzled with canola oil until it just begins to smoke.
- Prepare the brats by poking a few holes on each side while the skillet is heating to prevent them from bursting.
- The onions should be peeled and sliced lengthwise in order to keep their shape during cooking.
- In a skillet, place the brats, then add the onions around them.
- When the brats reach a medium-brown color on the first side (3 to 4 minutes), turn them over and carefully pour in ½ cup of water, beer, or stock, covering with a lid and lowering the heat.
- Continue cooking for about 10 minutes more, or until they reach 160° F (71° C), as verified by an instant-read thermometer. As far as cooking time goes, depending on the size of the brat, it will take around 13 to 15 minutes.
- Cook the sausages in the skillet for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until the liquid is reduced to a sauce consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste. Adding onions and sauce to the brats is the best way to serve them. Enjoy your time!
What is the point of cooking brats in beer?
Cooking the sausages until the center is cooked is the idea. First, you brown the meat in a pan, then you add the onions and beer. Unless the onions were dipped in beer, they would burn before the brats were done. A second reason is that beer gives them an extra flavor.
Beer is perfect in terms of flavor, but other liquids will also work, such as apple juice, cider, chicken stock, beef stock, vegetable stock, or even just plain water. You should also be able to drink nonalcoholic beer.
What is the best beer to cook brats with?
Beers like lagers or pilsners have a nice flavor, but they aren’t overpowering. It is easy to find and cheap to purchase them all over the world. You can also cook with them without having to worry about them boiling over.
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Is there anything to do with leftovers?
Place the meal in an airtight container and let it come to room temperature before refrigerating. The pan is a very convenient way to reheat them. If you want it to be even tastier, you should add a bit more beer. Heat them gently on top of the stove, covered, with occasional stirring.
Are leftovers freezer-friendly?
You can keep them for up to two months with no problems. Make sure the food is defrosted in the fridge and reheated well before serving.
How to Cook Brats on the Stove
Brats are best cooked with this method. It only takes a few ingredients and less than 20 minutes to make. Every time, it's perfect for a quick weeknight dinner, a Sunday supper or a party around Oktoberfest.
Ingredients
- 4 bratwurst sausages
- 1 red onion
- ½ cup water
- Canola oil
- Kosher salt
Instructions
- Add a drizzle of canola oil to a large cast-iron skillet and heat over medium heat until it just smokes.
- To prevent the bratwurst sausages from bursting while cooking, poke a few holes on each side with the fork.
- After cooking the brats, place the onions around them in the hot skillet.
- The onions should be stirred to coat them with oil and spread around.
- Depending on the size of the brats, they should be browned in about three to four minutes on each side.
- Add ½ cup of water to the skillet, cover immediately, and reduce the heat to medium.
- Put the lid back on and cook for another 10 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 160° F / 71° C
- You should remove the lid from the skillet as well as the brats.
- Add salt to the onions once they have been heated and seasoned. The onions should be cooked for a few minutes more to reduce the liquid.
- Put your favorite mustard on the sausages and top it with onions.
Notes
The water can be substituted with beer or stock, but you don't have to.
After leftovers have been refrigerated, microwave them for 1 minute.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4Amount Per Serving: Calories: 231Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 49mgSodium: 561mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 0.5gSugar: 1gProtein: 9g
