Let’s go down to Germany for a while by exploring one of their very best sausages yet–Brats. The first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word ‘brats’ is a little spoilt kid, but it’s good to know that there is a whole lot more to that word.
Brats are very sweet tasting sausages that can be used for a variety of cooking ranging from soups to burgers; they blend into any form.
It wouldn’t be surprising if most of us have had brat once or twice and mistook it for any other sausage, especially if you had it diced up or sliced into a dish.
So, we are going to find out what makes a brat ‘a brat,’ then go further into ways you can prepare this special sausage on your own to get the best flavours from it.
If you also have a good understanding of how to prepare brats and you need some side dishes to egg it on, we have some handpicked ones lined up for you.
What are these brats?
Brats which are originally pronounced as “Bratwurst” are a kind of sausage peculiar to the German people. It is a traditional sausage extracted from pork or veal- a meat gotten from young cattle and in some cases, beef can also be used.
The exact origin of brats has been claimed by multiple cities in Germany, with each claiming to have first developed the sausage, but a traceable time of discovery can be pinpointed to the 13th century.
There are different types of brats which can be found within the regions of Germany; varying in one ingredient or the other but all technically the same production process.
There are over 40 different kinds of Brats in Germany alone with some of the most popular being the Fränkische Bratwurst, the Rote Wurst, the Coburger Bratwurst and the Kulmbacher Bratwurst.
Three Rich Brats Recipes
Beer Brats
Beer brats are one of the most common dishes to make brats with so there is no way we would be excluding it as it is very tasty, but we got an even tastier recipe which is the beer brats chilli soup by Kitchen Konfidence.
For that evening with your family or for a guest you will be having over, this brats recipe works for you.
Bacon Wrapped Bratwurst
Have you ever had bacon wrapped brats? You should try it now with this recipe by “Déjà vu” cook.
I like the fact that the ingredients used are simple everyday ingredients which make it quite easy to put together without having to source for any extra additions, even the dry mustard is optional so you can leave them out and go straight into cooking.
If you want to make the dish more alluring while serving, you can cut them up into smaller slices before wrapping your bacon around it and make them into mini bacon bratwurst wraps.
Grilled Brats
This grilled sauerkraut stuffed brats by West Via Midwest is a real party treat, perfect for any outdoor serving you have in mind.
Grilled brats on a stick make it look easier to handle and eat. I absolutely love the addition of sauerkrauts.
In case you are not familiar with sauerkraut; they are simply fermented cabbage; you can find out more about it and how to make it on your own by watching a video with this link:
Sauerkraut has a lot of probiotic benefits, if you are interested in increasing your probiotics naturally, this recipe is for you.
Side Pairs For Brats
Spaetzle
This is one of those dishes that seem hard to achieve but are actually quite simple and take less the time you think should be put into it. All you need is a very good recipe like this one by Crafty Cooking Mama which gives a detailed explanation of the procedures to follow, and you are ready to go.
Ensure you mix the batter properly till it bubbles; this will give you a perfect formed spaetzel.
Potato Pancakes
Why not have your brats with potato pancakes? This is ideal if you will be serving children also. It is simple, and this recipe by The Crumby Cupcake is explanatory enough.
I also like the turnout, it looks really browned up and tempting. If you wouldn’t want it as browned up as it is in the recipe, you can reduce the frying time for each batch of pancake.
Just be particular about the texture, you wouldn’t want to have undercooked pancakes when you are done frying.
Roasted Cauliflower And Parmesan
This side dish is best if you want to balance out your serving with healthy vegetables. When you have a taste of this roasted cauliflower and Permian in this recipe by That Skinny Chick, you will send me a lot of thanks.
The taste is simply magical. It makes it so easy to take in your vegetables.
Cook Some Brats!
Brats are very rich sausages which can be cooked in many ways. The thick texture of the sausage makes it sufficient to replace your regular meat or chicken when cooking as an addition to other dishes and it can be prepared and served on its own as well.
Most brats preparation involve the use of beer to add flavours and to make it tender as the case may be, but again, that is totally up to you.
There are many recipes which do not involve the use of beer, and you can get some more brats recipes from this cookbook. Want to watch a video on how to make barts yourself? Here you go
Enjoy!
