Pan Grilled Bratwurst with Peppers and Onions

Pan Grilled Bratwurst with Peppers and Onions. A pan of brats, peppers, and onions makes a great grilled dinner.

My family tree has roots in Wisconsin. Brats are in my blood. I grew up in Ohio but was born at the University of Wisconsin Hospital.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• How to make Pan Grilled Bratwurst with Peppers and Onions
• Substitutions
• Can I Pan Grill Frozen Brats?
• Equipment
• Scaling
• Tips and Tricks
• What to Serve With Pan Grilled Brats with Peppers and Onions
• Pan Grilled Bratwurst with Peppers and Onions
• What do you think?
• Related Posts
• 💬 Comments

I love brats, especially with peppers and onions. But the Sheboygan "beer bath" technique has some issues. Don't get me wrong; it turns out great brats. But the onions are just there to flavor the beer bath; they are not worth serving with the bratwurst.

That's why I use the pan-grilling technique in this recipe. I cook the brats in a sealed pan, on a bed of onions and peppers, with only the slightest amount of beer added. The peppers and onions are cooked perfectly in the fat that escapes the brats. I love these peppers and onions; they are the star of the show, a worthy side dish for the brats.

I finish the brats on the grill; they're cooked through by the steam in the pan, then crisped up over direct heat. This avoids the huge flare-ups that come from direct grilling sausages. Sure, there will be a few licks of flame, but the brats are already cooked through; they only need a little browning. If the flare-up turns into a raging fire, move them off the heat until it dies down.

(Don't tell my Wisconsin relatives I've gone rogue on the brat tub. There's no way they can find out; I mean, this is only being posted on the internet…)

To see this same pan-grilled technique but with sauerkraut, check out my Pan Grilled Bratwurst and Sauerkraut recipe.

Ingredients

• Onions
• Peppers
• Fine sea salt
• Fresh ground black pepper
• Vegetable oil
• One package of brats
• Beer
• Bratwurst buns

Condiments

• Spicy brown mustard (optional…but not in my opinion)
  See the recipe card for quantities.

How to make Pan Grilled Bratwurst with Peppers and Onions

Prepare the bratwurst pan

Toss the onions, peppers, salt, and pepper in the grill pan. Drizzle with the oil and toss again to coat the onions and peppers, then spread in an even layer across the bottom of the pan. Put the brats on the peppers and onions, then pour the beer over everything. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and crimp the edges shut.

Prepare the grill

Set your grill up for cooking on direct medium heat (350°F). For my Weber Summit, I preheat the grill for 15 minutes with all burners on high, scrape the grates clean with my grill brush, then turn all the burners down to medium. In my Weber Kettle, I light a chimney of charcoal, wait for it to be covered with gray ash, then spread it over the bottom of the grill in a tight single layer of coals.

Steam the Bratwurst in the Pan

Put the foil-covered pan on the grill over direct medium heat. Cook with the grill lid closed for 20 minutes.

Grill the Brats, Brown the Peppers and Onions

Remove the foil from the pan, and leave the pan over medium heat. Move the brats from the pan to the grill over direct medium heat. Grill the brats until browned, for about 2 minutes a side, then remove them directly into the waiting buns. Watch out for flare-ups while the brats are over direct heat, and move them around as necessary. While grilling the brats, keep cooking the onions and peppers in the pan, stirring occasionally. The peppers and onions are done when most of the liquid cooks away, and they start to brown around the edges about 10 minutes after removing the foil.

Serve

Pass the brats in the buns, with the onions, peppers, and brown spicy mustard on the side. Enjoy!

Substitutions

• What kind of beer? Now, my dad, who grew up in Stevens Point and Milwaukee, recommends Point Beer (motto: If you're out of Point, you're out of Town) or Miller, his favorite. You should use any beer you like drinking because you'll only use a bit of it in the pan. I would avoid light beers; they're so light flavored that you might as well use water (see the next step). But again, use what you're going to drink.
• No Alcohol: Most of the alcohol cooks off during the cooking time of this recipe, but there is still some left at the end. If you want to avoid alcohol entirely, substitute chicken broth or water.
• Pre-Cooked Brats: Most brats at my local store are uncooked, but If you have pre-cooked bratwurst, cut the covered cooking time back to 15 minutes. Pre-cooked brats are already cooked (it's right there in the name), so they only need to heat through to be ready to serve.
• Change up the sausage: Brats are my favorite, but this technique works with any uncooked sausage. Italian sausage, peppers, and onions are another fantastic combination.
• Mustards: Spicy brown mustard is traditional, but cheap yellow mustard is fine if that's what you like. I'll sneak in Cleveland's own Bertman Ball Park Mustard sometimes, and a spicy brown mustard with horseradish is another excellent choice. Even Dijon mustard, which is just a fine-ground spicy brown mustard, works well. On the other hand, there is one thing you should not add…
• Ketchup: On your brats? WHAT?? YOU WANT KETCHUP ON YOUR BRATS?!?!? (Takes a few deep breaths.) Fine. Fine. Just NOT IN MY SIGHT YOU MONSTER.

Can I Pan Grill Frozen Brats?

Yes! When I forget to take the brats out of the freezer, this recipe can cover for me. Increase the beer to ½ cup, and increase the covered cooking time to 25 minutes. (When I start with frozen brats, I temp them before moving on to the grilling step, confirming they are at least 150°F with an instant read thermometer. If they're not there, I re-cover the pan with the foil and let them cook for 5 more minutes or until they reach 150°F. The grilling step will take them to 160°F, the USDA-recommended cooking temperature for Brats.)

Equipment

• A grill (You see my Weber Summit in the pictures)
• A grill-safe pan, a 12-inch round pan (as seen in the pictures), or a 9-inch by 13-inch rectangle.
• Aluminum foil to cover the pan

Scaling

This pan-grilling technique is great when cooking for a crowd. It doubles or triples easily. When I get a "party pack" of 12 brats, I get a larger pan (about 13-inch by 19-inch "Roaster pan") and double all the rest of the ingredients. Increase the covered cooking time to 25 minutes to give the extra ingredients enough time to heat up. (If you want to be sure, check the brats with an instant-read thermometer to ensure they reach 150°F before the grilling step.)

Tips and Tricks

• Foil pans make for easy cleanup: The least expensive ones I can find are Half Size Steam Table pans. That said, I do a lot of pan grilling, so I bought an enameled steel roasting pan that I can reuse in the grill. (That's what you see in the pictures - and they're available in many fun colors!).
• Flare-ups: Watch out for flare-ups during the "grill the brats" step. There are going to be flare-ups - bratwurst has a lot of fat in it, and fat dripping into flames is an invitation for fires. A little fire on the brats is OK to add some charring around the edges. But, if there is a persistent grease fire, move the brats to a different part of the grill to get them away from the flames.
• A trick for stretching the brats to feed kids: After cooking, I cut them in half before putting them in hot dog buns to stretch the standard 5 brats package out to fill 10 buns. My oldest can eat three or four brats on his own; cutting the brats in half leaves enough for the rest of us.

What to Serve With Pan Grilled Brats with Peppers and Onions

While I have the grill lit, I'll make a few vegetable side dishes to accompany the brats. I throw a pouch of my Grilled Green Beans in Foil for my wife, who loves green beans. If it is summer corn season, I'll also make Grilled Corn In The Husk.

Adapted from Grilled Sausages with Peppers and Onions, Cooks Illustrated Magazine, July 2008

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What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Please leave them in the comments section below.

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