Cheesy Beer Brats with Fried Pickles Recipe (2024)

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Cheesy Beer Brats with Fried Pickles are layered with amazing flavor! Simmered in a buttery beer stock and finished on the grill, topped with cheesy beer sauce, sauerkraut, and Sriracha ketchup. A mouthwatering and mind blowing combination!

“One if by land, two if by sea, and THREE if by plane!”

Our friends are coming! Our friends are coming!

Yes, it’s true - three of our favorite people on the planet are coming to visit us in Boston for Labor Day!

I must tell you I’m beyond excited to have our dear friends in town this weekend. At this point in life, they’re really more like family.

We’ve been friends since before both of us got married, over 20 years and counting. We’ve vacationed together every year, we’ve seen each other through the loss of jobs and loved ones. We’ve celebrated weddings, anniversaries, births, birthdays, and too many holidays to count.

No matter the location, being with them is like going home.

As long as the weather cooperates we’ve got lots fun things planned for this holiday weekend.

A trip to our favorite swimming hole in MA… Crane Beach.
A whale-watching tour, as long as we can sedate little E (one of their sweet cherub babies who thinks she doesn’t like boats. She is 16 but she’ll always be a baby to me).
A visit to Plymouth Plantation is most definitely in order. I’m all about some reenactments of days gone by.
Of course a Duck Boat tour – it wouldn’t be a trip to Boston without one.
This one's up in the air...the Freedom Trail walking tour but someone hurt their big toe and is in timeout. That would totally be me!

I can’t even remember how I hurt it but I do remember thinking… this is on my top ten list for painful experiences and I really hope it’s not broken. Then I forgot about it because the pain went away, but then it came back in a different more swollen and throbbing kind of way.

These easy beer brats are amazing every time!

Get out those tongs, and heat up that grill, ‘cause we’re celebrating this final holiday weekend of summah 2016!!

What tasty morsels are you grilling up this weekend? Possibly some Balsamic Baby Back Ribs or a maybe a platter of Korean Slaw Dogs? Or perhaps some Cheesy Beer Brats with Fried Pickles! Yes , that’s totally it! You really can’t go wrong with any of those yummy options but those Cheesy Beer Brats have totally got my vote!!!✅

These meaty links are gently simmered in a pot of butter, onions, beer and apples. It makes my mouth water just thinking about all that goodness. Trust me on this: boiling brats in beer is the absolute best way to infuse them with flavor!

The brats are then finished on the grill for a few minutes to get a bit of smoky flavor infused and charring on their skins. But of course there’s so much more to this recipe…

You strain your sauerkraut, put it in a small bowl and spoon some of that buttery beer pan juice right over top of it. And let it just sit there while you mix up your cheesy beer sauce! Yes – I said cheesy beer sauce!!

Cheesy Beer Brats with Fried Pickles Recipe

Meaty links gently simmered in a pot of butter, onions, beer, and apples, then finished up on the grill.

Prep Time10 minutes

Cook Time20 minutes

Total Time30 minutes

Ingredients

For The Brats:

1 apple
2 onions
½ stick of salted butter
2 beers of your choice - 12 ounces each, (darker beers work better)
8 bratwurst

For The Cheesy Beer Sauce:

8 ounces shredded Gruyere cheese
8 ounces shredded orange sharp cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup of simmering liquid from the brats

For The Sriracha Ketchup:

1 cup of ketchup
2 tablespoons Sriracha sauce

Instructions

For The Brats:

Slice onions and apple. Place in large pot with butter over medium heat, just until the butter has melted. Slowly add the beer and bring to a boil.
Add brats to the pot and cook for 10 minutes.
Preheat grill to a medium-high heat.
Remove the brats from pot and immediately finish them on the grill for a few minutes, just to get a bit of smoky flavored infused and char the skins.
Meanwhile, strain sauerkraut, put it in a small bowl and pour ½ cup of the simmering liquid from the brats over the sauerkraut.

For The Cheesy Beer Sauce:

Toss together cheddar cheese, Gruyere cheese, and flour in a small bowl.
Heat 1 cup of liquid from the beer brats in a small sauté pan and slowly add in the cheese mixture one handful at a time.
Whisking continually, add another handful of cheese only when the last one has completely melted. Continue until all cheese is thoroughly mixed and creamy.

To Assemble:

Make the Sriracha ketchup by combining ketchup and Sriracha sauce.
Toast buns for 30 seconds over high heat.
Add braut and sauerkraut to bun, then a layer of cheese sauce.
Finish with sliced jalapenos, chopped green onions, and Sriracha Ketchup.

Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

1 bratwurst
Amount Per ServingCalories 481Total Fat 37gSaturated Fat 17gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 109mgSodium 917mgCarbohydrates 9gFiber 1gSugar 3gProtein 25g

Looking for more grilling recipes?

Korean Slaw Dog:

Balsamic Baby Back Ribs:

Cheesy Beer Brats with Fried Pickles Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Should you boil brats before frying them? ›

Bring to a low boil. Add brats to the pan, cover with a lid and cook over a low swimmer for 10-12 minutes. Preheat a frying pan or grill to medium to medium-high heat. Add cooked brats to frying pan or grill and cook for a few minutes a side until brown & caramelized all over.

Read On ›

Should you soak brats in beer before cooking? ›

The first secret for making the most flavorful beer brats is soaking them in beer (and sliced onions) before they even hit the grill! This step infuses the brats with extra flavor while also adding moisture to help keep them from getting dried out on the grill. A win-win!

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How long do you boil brats before putting on the grill? ›

Bring the water and brats to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Let simmer for 10 minutes. You can boil and simmer the liquid and brats either inside on a stovetop or outside over a grill. This parboil step helps cook the brats evenly throughout so you don't have any raw spots in the middle!

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What beer is best for beer brats? ›

Any beer will do, but pale lagers work best. Boil in the beer bath for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the brats turn white. Once your brats are cooked through, you'll want to sear them to achieve the crispy skin and grill marks we all love.

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Should you poke holes in brats before cooking? ›

Sure, some recipes suggest that you poke or score the casings, because it might prevent the sausages from bursting at the ends, while helping the interior cook slightly faster and more evenly. However, you should skip that step and simply cook the sausages at the right temperature for the proper amount of time.

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Why shouldn't you boil brats before grilling? ›

Sindelar said parboiling speeds up the unfolding process and can result in a mushy meat texture, the development of rubbery casings and separate the casing from the sausage. So, there you have it. It's settled science.

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How do you know when beer brats are done? ›

A digital meat thermometer is the only way to guarantee your brats reach a safe internal temperature of 160°F degrees. (The temperature continues to rise by a few degrees after cooking, so it's fine to pull the brats from the heat at 155°F). This rule applies to both fresh and pre-cooked brats.

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What's the difference between brats and beer brats? ›

A beer brat is when you boil uncooked brats in a couple of cans of beer to fully cook it on the stovetop. Oftentimes, they are finished off on the grill. We truly believe beer brats are superior to any other kind of brat because they are so dang delicious.

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Why do people boil brats in beer? ›

Bratwurst is a raw, pork-based sausage that must be thoroughly cooked before serving. The idea behind soaking bratwurst in hot beer prior to grilling is that they cook all the way through ahead of time, so the grill master needn't worry about serving an undercooked sausage.

Tell Me More ›

Can brats be a little pink? ›

However you choose to cook bratwurst, be sure the sausages are cooked all the way through. They should register 160 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, or you can cut into one with the tip of a paring knife and check that the meat is no longer raw and dark-pink; it should be moist and juicy and very light pink.

Are boiled brats done when they float? ›

How do you know when brats are done boiling? The boiled brats are done boiling and ready to grill or fry when the casing turns white and the brats float. The best way to check this is to see whether a meat thermometer inserted into the center of a brat registers145°F.

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How to cook bratwurst on the stove top? ›

Place the bratwurst in the pot and bring the water to a boil before turning the heat down to simmer until the brats have cooked through — about 20 minutes. After you finish boiling, transfer them to a hot skillet to cook covered for an additional three minutes to get their outsides crispy.

Get More Info Here ›

What beer should I put in beer cheese? ›

I used Fat Tire because that what I had on hand, but Budweiser, Bud Light, Coors Light, and Miller Lite are all good options. No need to use anything fancy! What brands of cheese do you recommend? For the Cheddar, you can use a good supermarket brand, like Cabot or Tillamook.

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Is Budweiser good for beer brats? ›

For the beer, use a lager, which has a clean, crisp, not-too-bitter taste. Lager is a family of beers that includes bright lagers, amber lagers, dark lagers, Oktoberfests, and pilsners. I use Sam Adams Oktoberfest, but Budweiser, Bud Light, Coors Light, and Miller Lite are all good options.

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Does boiling brats in beer add flavor? ›

Add extra flavor to your brats by cooking in your favorite beer. They'll take on some of the characteristics you love – citrus, hops, malt and more. Try different beers with different brat varieties.

Is it better to boil sausage before frying? ›

As mentioned before, boiling sausages isn't ideal if you want the sausages to have a lot of flavour. However, there is a simple way to add more flavour to boiled sausages: fry them. Dry the boiled sausages and then put them in a pan of hot oil.

Get More Info ›

Can you cook brats without boiling them? ›

Grilled brats are a game day must, a tailgating tradition, and perfect for an outdoor bbq! And with my easy method, you don't even have to boil them. Instead, you'll cook fresh brats over medium-low heat on a gas grill, then sear over high heat. They're amazingly juicy and full of flavor.

Tell Me More ›

How long to cook uncooked brats? ›

Place the bratwurst in the pot and bring the water to a boil before turning the heat down to simmer until the brats have cooked through — about 20 minutes. After you finish boiling, transfer them to a hot skillet to cook covered for an additional three minutes to get their outsides crispy.

Cheesy Beer Brats with Fried Pickles Recipe (2024)

These easy beer brats are amazing every time!

Ingredients

For The Brats:

For The Cheesy Beer Sauce:

For The Sriracha Ketchup:

Instructions

For The Brats:

For The Cheesy Beer Sauce:

To Assemble:

Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

Looking for more grilling recipes?

FAQs

Should you boil brats before frying them? ›

Are boiled brats done when they float? ›

References