Slicing bratwurst for quicker, more even grilling
I am always surprised and little impatient with the time required to cook my brats all the way through on the grill. More heat typically means the outside finishes before the inside, and less heat means I'm waiting 30 minutes or more for fully cooked brats.
A few years ago at a grill-out, I saw that some friends that had scored their sausages before grilling them, I presume for quicker and more even grilling. I can't remember if these were hot dogs, brats, or some other kind of sausage, but they certainly weren't the cheap-o mystery meat dogs from the supermarket.
I recently tried this approach with brats, but it hasn't really been working.
- My first time, I sliced the brats before grilling, but then when they're exposed to heat the meat starts oozing out of the slices in the casing. This makes for a pretty un-appetizing looking brat.
- The next time, I tried slicing them after they had grilled for a bit, but they were difficult to handle and I don't know how much this helped in terms of time or even cooking.
Are there any slicing/scoring techniques that will help brats grill more quickly/evenly, or do I just need to be more patient?
Best Answer
Boil or steam them using beer (for a traditional flavor combination) or water before grilling. Grill for flavor, not as the sole means of heating them.
This is more about cooking faster (or more evenly, anyway) than slicing, though that step will also make them hold together better if sliced after boil/steam and before grilling. But if they are basically cooked via boil/steam, you don't need to do any further processing before grilling, since you can just grill until the outside suits your sense of grilled.
I think scoring is more about releasing some of the fat than actually grilling faster. Slicing (like in half lengthwise, or in chunks) will grill faster, and/or give you more grilled surface area/flavor (if you're pre-boiled and just grilling for flavor.) It may fall apart completely if not cooked somewhat before that.
This site looks reasonable: https://www.bratsandbeer.com/how-long-to-boil-brats/
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Can you slice bratwurst before cooking?
Even when I'm not heating up the summer kitchen with the oven, I still don't want to stand over a hot grill for more time than necessary. That's why I split my sausages before cooking for extra-fast times on the grill!How do you cook brats evenly?
Cooking brats in the oven is a simple set it and forget it method. First, preheat your oven to 350\xb0 Fahrenheit. Next, place evenly-spaced links on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Test with a thermometer to ensure the internal temperature is at least 160\xb0.How do you grill the perfect bratwurst?
How to grill bratsCan you slice bratwurst?
Since the sausage is already prepared, you can slice the sausage whenever the time is right.How to Cook Bratwurst on Stove German Way - How to Pan Fry Bratwurst
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