I’m originally from Sheboygan, Wisconsin, the bratwurst capital of the world, so what I’m about to say may be considered heresy: brat sliders are better than bratwurst sausages if you\u2019re cooking for a crowd.\u00a0\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
I love a good grilled brat, but they take careful minding and must be cooked slowly for a long time. If you take your eye off the grill to watch the game, say hi to a newly-arriving guest, or try to hurry them along over higher heat, you\u2019ll wind up with sausages that are raw in the middle or burnt\u2026or both. That’s why I’ve switched to serving brat sliders when I host on game days.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
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Simply Recipes \/ Ali Redmond<\/p>\n
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Lose the Casings for an Easy Win <\/span> <\/h2>\n
While casings on bratwurst give you a great snap when you bite into them, they make the sausages prone to bursting and drying out. Plus, you need to hover over the grill, turning and moving them carefully for at least 20 minutes to cook them through and manage any flare-ups.\u00a0 When I\u2019m cooking for a big group of friends, I find it nearly impossible to get the brats cooked perfectly and still manage to socialize, watch the game, and juggle all the side dishes at the same time.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why I\u2019ve switched to bratwurst patties as the game day brat of choice. Thin patties of sausage cook much more quickly than whole sausages, never burst, and taste nearly identical. To make them more fun, I make diminutive sliders so guests with varying appetites can have as many or as few as they want with no wasted half-eaten brats. I plan on two to three sliders per person as part of a meal with side dishes.\u00a0\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
To make the patties, I remove the casings from my favorite bratwurst, form the meat into little pucks, and stash them in the fridge. When everyone is ready to eat, I fry up the patties in hot skillets (it takes just 3 1\/2 minutes to cook them through!) and I\u2019m back in the game. You can also grill the patties over indirect medium heat.\u00a0\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
I serve the sliders with a squirt of grainy mustard and a little sauerkraut, but you can invite your friends to DIY their own toppings, too.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
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Simply Recipes \/ Ali Redmond<\/p>\n
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Hold Them in a Slow Cooker, AKA \u201cSheboygan Hot Tub\u201d <\/span> <\/h2>\n
While the sliders are at their crisp-and-juicy best right out of the pan, I usually make enough for everyone to have seconds or thirds. To keep the patties warm, I set up my slow cooker with a thin puddle of beer and a few onion slices in the bottom\u2014what some Wisconsinites call the \u201cbrat hot tub.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
The cooked patties soak up the beer and onion flavors and will stay warm in the slow cooker for up to an hour.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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