Sheboygan Style Bratwurst
I had the pleasure of living in Sheboygan Wisconsin for a few years and developed a particular taste for Bratwurst. Sheboygan is the Bratwurst Capital of the world, is the home of Brat Days every August, and has numerous markets that each have their own recipe – Miesfeld’s is my favorite and Johnsonville is a real town just 10 miles northwest of Sheboygan.
In Sheboygan Weber Kettles are in every back yard (my parents received one as a housewarming gift when they moved there) and brats are fried year round. You don’t grill or barbecue in Sheboygan, you have a brat fry! Here is a great video on “Bratwurst Culture”
Brats are served as breakfast sausage as well as for lunch and dinner. There is no single “Sheboygan style” for bratwurst, but this is the way I learned to keep brats juicy and tasty. The key part is the “brat bath” of beer, butter, and onion.
Sheboygan Style Bratwurst
Ingredients
- 2 Bratwurst per person
- Brat bath = 1 cheap beer, 1/2 stick of butter, and 1/4 onion sliced per 4 brats.
- Brown mustard (not yellow for heaven’s sake).
- Ketchup (many purists would protest, but I see more people use ketchup than not and I like a little ketchup on mine).
- Seasoned Chopped Onions
- Dill slices
- Brat buns – In Sheboygan, this means a hard roll big enough for a double brat, but singles are easier to find in most places. Most importantly it needs to be strong enough to hold together with brat(s) and all of the toppings.
- Butter – as if there is not enough calories already I learned to butter the buns before building the brat and it does add another level of flavor and richness.
Instructions
- Chop an onion the day before, and sprinkle it liberally with salt and pepper. Store overnight in the fridge in a tightly sealed container. These are for serving on the cooked brats.
- Pour the beer into a sauce pan and add the butter and sliced onions. Simmer until the onions are soft and translucent, and then add the brats. Do not let the brats boil, just a low simmer to warm them up before the grill. Save the brat bath to use again later.
- Grill the brats slowly on low and indirect heat – they should take 20-30 minutes to cook. They will brown nicely if given enough time. Too hot and they will split, losing precious brat juice. Use tongs, a fork will poke holes in them. They are done when they are firm – I pick them up and let them take a short drop to see if they will bounce.
- Remove them from the grill and put them back into the brat bath to hold them until it’s time to eat (give them at least 10-15 minutes). This will ensure juicy, flavorful brats.
- Serve with the brat buns (buttered if you like) mustard, ketchup, chopped onions & dill slices, and a good beer.