Bratwursts & Sauerkraut
The best bratwursts and sauerkraut involve lots of dark beer and onions for poaching, then end up grilled and served with lots of mustard!
Ingredients
- 8 links bratwurst sausages
- 2 cups julienned red onions
- 3 12-ounce bottles dark beer I like Porter
- 6 ounces chopped bacon
- 2 cups julienned yellow onions
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 large sweet apple like red or golden delicious, pink lady, jonagold
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon juniper berries crushed (I use my marble mortar & pestle.)
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns crushed
- 2 pounds sauerkraut packed in glass jars, drained
- Salt to season
To Serve:
- mashed potatoes
- rolls
- assorted mustards
Instructions
- With a sharp knife or fork, prick each sausage several times. In a large pot, combine the red onions and beer and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the bratwursts and poach until almost cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove the sausages from the liquid and set aside, reserving the liquid.
- In a large pot, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. If there's a lot of grease, pour some off.
- Add the yellow onions to the fat in the pan and cook, stirring, until soft, 5-6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Add the apples, the bay leaf, peppercorns, and juniper berries.
- Finally add the drained sauerkraut and 3-4 soup ladles of the reserved beer that the brats cooked in. Reduce the heat and simmer for about an hour, stirring occasionally and adding more reserved beer if needed.
- Preheat the grill. Grill the sausages until cooked through and brown on the outside. Place the grilled sausages on top of the sauerkraut in the pot and serve.
- Serve with mashed potatoes, if desired, plenty of bread or pretzels, and of course, a selection of mustards!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!