Dear Carol,

If there is anywhere in the U.S. that you could have asked about the most coveted Midwestern icon of pure fire-cooked culinary nirvana, the venerable brat, it has to be here in the surrounding towns of Lake Michigan. Being located in Chicago, I have to relent to my neighbors to the north, Wisconsin (Sheboygan to be exact). They are the true beneficiaries of a bevy of Bratwurst preparations, recipes and subsequent bratwurst lore. However, I will try to do this celebrated guarantor of the grill justice with my few words of wisdom. The traditional preparation for brats, as well as most sausages, are to braise or pan roast. But we are not going to waste our time with that less than masculine way to prepare foods. We will concentrate on grilling!

Here’s the scoop—many people will just grill brats and some will actually pre-cook or boil them in beer prior to hitting the charcoal. As far as I’m concerned I see no reason to cook them twice. The residual flavor of beer on the outside or the inside of the sausage will be overtaken by the flavor of the grilling procedure.

The important things to remember are to not cook them over direct or high heat and to lightly “jaccard” or perforate the outer casing with a small, sharp object such as a large sanitized sewing needle or tooth pick. This will allow the moisture in the sausage to heat and expand but not blow the side of the Brat out. I know what you’re thinking: “Won’t I still lose some of those juices through the holes? Won’t my Brat be dry and flavorless?” Well Carol, the needs of the many juices outweigh those of the few juices. The amount of moisture you will lose from the perforations will be worth not having the sausage explode.

Lightly coat the outside with oil and place the Brats over medium to medium-high indirect heat (not directly over the coals or a burner). Allow the sausages to slowly grill while tuning every few minutes. Brats taken out of the refrigerator (approximately 40 degrees) and placed directly on the grill will take a good 15 minutes turning 3 to four times. When they are evenly browned on all sides, the surface firm, and those juices beginning to flow they will be ready. You can tell by the amount of shrinkage and the firmness of the outside if they are ready. Pull them off the grill, pop them in a freshly baked bun and enjoy with grilled onions and mustard. Just one final thing: Under no circumstances will any of us here in this region (as well as NY) tolerate the silliest of all condiments anywhere near a self- respecting brat—ketchup. You must promise not to use ketchup.

Thanks,
Neal Corman

Need grilling advice? E-mail Chef Neal Corman