An Ode to Wisconsin Beer Brats (And How to Make Them)

Growing up in Wisconsin, brats were always part of life. Before food trucks, there were fundraising stands in grocery store parking lots tempting shoppers all summer long with the intoxicating smell of freshly grilled brats. Even McDonald's would offer brats on the menu from time to time, an event more exciting to the average Wisconsinite than the return of the McRib. And sauerkraut wasn't considered a gut-friendly superfood — there was always a can of kraut in the cupboard ready to top a brat at moment's notice.

In my family, as in many Wisconsin families, there's always been only one way to make brats, and that's by gently simmering fresh brats in beer, then browning in a frying pan or on the grill. Nowadays beer brats are found across the country with the beer magically infused right into the brat. These may be delicious, but as a beer brat purist I maintain that real Wisconsin beer brats are made at home with your favorite fresh brats plus a can (or two) of beer.

Here I'll show you step by step how to make real Wisconsin beer brats, no grill required. You can of course choose to brown your brats on the grill instead of a frying pan, but growing up we pan-fried brats more often than not — especially in the frozen-tundra days of winter.

How to make beer brats

What you'll need:

• 1 pack of your favorite fresh brats (make sure your brats are fresh and not precooked)
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 can of beer (a not-fancy Wisconsin lager always works nicely, but any lager will do)
• 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, for pan frying
• Buns, sauerkraut, mustard, and ketchup to serve

Step 1: Prepare the beer bath

Slice the onion and combine with the beer in a saucepan. Depending on how many brats you're cooking, you may need more than one can of beer, but for a typical six-pack of brats one can or bottle of beer will do. Half an onion is enough, but you can't really overdo the onion.

Step 2: Bring beer to a simmer

Place the saucepan of beer and onions over medium-high heat on the stove. Cover and bring to a strong simmer.

Step 3: Cook brats in beer

Just after the beer is simmering, carefully add the brats to the saucepan. Cover with a lid and bring back to a simmer, then lower the heat to medium or medium-low, allowing the brats to simmer very gently. Don't sweat the amount of time the brats cook here; you should gently simmer the brats for 10 minutes, minimum. After that, you can keep them on a very low heat until you're ready to brown them in a frying pan (or on the grill).

Step 4: Brown brats in a frying pan (or on the grill)

Pan frying brats is how we typically enjoyed them at home, and it makes them easy to enjoy year-round. To cook brats in a frying pan, heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Remove the brats from the beer, draining excess liquid so there's no splattering when you put them in the hot oil. Place the brats in the frying pan and gently brown on all sides, a total of 5 to 10 minutes.

No grill is required to enjoy beer brats, but if you'd like to grill them, you can do so by preheating a grill for medium-high heat and lightly oiling the grilling grate. When the grill is ready, place the drained brats on the grate and grill for 5 to 10 minutes, turning once.

Step 5: Assemble and enjoy

Wisconsin beer brat accoutrements are kept simple, but it's worth going over them for an authentic Sconnie brat experience:

No Wisconsin beer brat is complete without sauerkraut. Growing up, the standard was canned sauerkraut, which was heated on the stove or in the microwave before serving — a practice I only realized wasn't the norm after I left Wisconsin. Now that we know about probiotics, however, you may choose to enjoy your brat with raw fermented kraut without any heating. Any way you do sauerkraut is totally fine, as long as it ends up on your brat!

A wistful note about the bun: In Wisconsin, brat buns are a thing of their own. No, we do not use hot dog buns for brats. Brat buns are sturdier and while white brat buns are not uncommon, my brat bun of choice is a whole wheat bun with sesame seeds. True, if you aren't in Wisconsin as you're reading this, you will not be spoiled for choice when you go to the grocery store in search of brat buns — so buy a hearty bun that can withstand the juice of the brat and sauerkraut and you'll do just fine. (Though as I write this from California, my heart aches for a true Wisconsin brat bun!)

Yellow mustard or a good spicy brown mustard with a kick is also requisite brat fare. There aren't really any rules when it comes to the mustard, so go with your favorite. Ketchup is also always on offer; as a kid I never had a brat without it, but now my adult palate favors a ketchup-less brat. If you love ketchup, go for it, but if not, try your brat without it before dousing it in the red stuff!

More inspiration

Our entire collection of Wisconsin Recipes will help round out your brat affair. Plus check out these recipes and collections for more delicious ideas:

• Beer Brats
• Delicious Ways to Enjoy Sauerkraut
• Our entire Bratwurst recipe collection