I sure do love a good bratwurst. It’s always been on the top of my list as far as sausages go. The Wisconsin Beer Brat is no exception.

This bratwurst is more about a preparation style rather than how the bratwurst is made so if you don’t feel like making this sausage you can always run to the store and a pack of high quality brats for this recipe..

The goal here is layering flavor. You could always just use beer and call it a day but there’s so much room for more!! Caramelized onions, bay leaves, caraway seed, and beef stock are just a few ingredients we are going to be adding to the beer to really kick things up a notch.

Follow basic sausage preparation practices when making this sausage.

1. Clean and Sanitize all of your equipment.
2. Keep your meat and grinder parts super cold (below 34F)
3. Any liquid that is added to the mince needs to be ice cold
4. Mix your very chilled meat and seasonings till the mince becomes very tacky
5. Stuff the mince into sausage casings and prick out any air pockets
6. Cook till the internal temperature reaches 155F

Here are a few things you might find useful when making sausage

• High Quality Natural Casings (AA Grade)
• Iodophor Sanitizer
• MK4 Thermapen (Accurate Thermometer)
• Chef Knife – KOTAI
• Boning Knife
• Sausage Pricker
• Iwatani Professional Chef Torch
• Insta Cure #1
• Non Fat Dry Milk Powder
• Meat Grinders
• Meat Mixers
• Sausage Stuffers
• Smokers
• Bella’s Cold Smoke Generator

Enjoy the video and the recipe. If you have any questions feel free to ask away. If you make this at home I’d love to hear about how it came out! Especially if you added you own spin on it!

If you want to see the different things that we use in operation our be sure to check out our new Amazon Store.

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Print Recipe

4 from 2 votes

Wisconsin Beer Brats

A Delicious way to prepare a delicious sausage

Prep Time30 mins

Cook Time20 mins

If you are making sausage adjust the servings to reflect the total weight of your meat and fat

Servings: 1000 grams

Ingredients

• 700 g Lean pork
• 300 g Back Fat
• 17 g Kosher Salt
• 4 g White Pepper
• 2 g Ginger
• .5 g Nutmeg
• 3 g Coriander
• 3 g Caraway powder
• 2 g Thyme Powder
• 1 g Marjoram
• 20 g Nonfat Dry Milk Powder
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• Hog Casings

For the Beer poaching liquid

• 227 g white onion
• 14 g dark brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 2 each bay leaves
• 1/8 tsp caraway seeds
• 1 cup lager beer
• 1 tsp beef bouillon 1 cube

Instructions

• Clean your meat of any silver skin, sinew, arteries and cut into small strips or cubes.  Place in the freezer for an hour or until the temp reaches 32f – 34F.
• Grind your chilled meat and fat using a 10mm plate then regrind on a 4.5mm plate. Be sure the meat is very chilled during this process
• Prepare all of your seasonings and clean and rehydrate your casings
• Add your seasonings, milk powder, and cream to your mince meat and mix till it becomes very tacky.  If you grab a small handful it will stick to your hand if you hold your hand upside down.
• Stuff your mince meat into the casings, link, and prick out any air pockets.

To Cook these bratwurst

• In a small skillet with a little oil on a medium heat begin to sautee the onions. Add the salt and the brown sugar and stir often. Once your onions begin to take on a beautiful golden color add the lager beer, bay leaves, caraway seed, and beef bouillon. Bring to a gentle simmer
• Place your bratwurst in this simmering poaching liquid and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side.
• After it's finished cooking place your bratwurst on a BBQ grill or a griddle to finish them off. This is optional but adds a lovely flavor. While this is happening continue to cook the poaching liquid till it reduces into a beautiful glaze.
• Finally add the brats back to the skillet and coat them with your beer glaze and caramelized onions.
• Enjoy with a nice hot mustard and some sauerkraut..

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