Smoked Bratwursts with Beer-Braised Cabbage & Onions

Each tailgate get together wants a cooker filled with smoked bratwursts. These are made even higher with smoked beer-braised cabbage and onions.
By Christie Vanover | Printed February 25, 2023 | Final Up to date February 27, 2023
Please don’t pop open a can of sauerkraut. You’re higher than that. You, my good friend, are a yard BBQ genius. At the least that’s what folks will assume once they style this Smoked Bratwurst Recipe.

What are bratwursts
Bratwursts are German-style sausages. They’re historically made with floor pork that’s blended with traditional spices like salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and sugar. Then, these flavors are accentuated with herbs like marjoram and caraway seeds, which give them their distinctive taste.
The flavored meat is stuffed into sausage casings and twisted into 6-inch lengthy brats.
You’ll find pre-made, raw bratwursts within the meat part at your native grocery retailer. They’re often close to the Italian sausages and floor meat.
When you’re feeling extra adventurous, it’s also possible to make Do-it-yourself Bratwurst.
Bratwurst, sauerkraut and beer go hand in hand. This recipe includes making a fast smoked, beer soaked sauerkraut that will get piled proper on high of the most effective smoked brats with spicy mustard. It’s out of this world.
- Coleslaw Combine: Seize a bag of pre-shredded cabbage and carrots. It can prevent a lot of time.
- Yellow Onion + Garlic: I like yellow onion for this recipe. The sweetness goes nice with the beer.
- Beer: Use a darkish or amber. It can present extra depth and richness to the cabbage.
- Spicy Brown Mustard: The mustard will get combined into the cabbage and added on high. When you don’t like spicy mustard, use yellow mustard.
- Honey: For only a contact of sweetness.
- Caraway Seeds: This gives the genuine German flavors that you just discover in sauerkraut.
- Salt + Pepper
- Bratwursts: Purchase a pack of pre-made, raw brats or make your individual.
- French Sandwich Rolls: These are my favourite rolls for brats. They’re bigger than scorching canine buns in order that they maintain the big sausage and toppings nice.

For the most effective outcomes, this recipe works rather well on a pellet smoker that has a number of racks or a vertical smoker, like a Barrel Home Smoker, Weber Smokey Mountain, Hunsaker Smoker or Gateway Drum Smoker.
The a number of layers of grill grates permit you to smoke the brats on a grate proper over the cabbage, which permits the drippings so as to add a lot taste the kraut.
When you don’t have a vertical smoker, you could have a pair different choices. You’ll be able to merely smoke the cabbage on one aspect of the grill and the brats on the opposite. Or, place the cabbage in a bowl or pan after which place a wire rack on high of the bowl or pan. And add the brats to that rack.
Irrespective of which smoker you could have, warmth the smoker temperature to 275F levels with an oblique warmth zone.
Add a wooden chunk to your charcoal smoker. When you’re utilizing a gasoline grill, add a Foil Pouch with wooden chips to get the smoke taste.
- STEP ONE: Let’s begin with the simple stuff. Seize a bag of pre-shredded coleslaw combine. The cabbage and carrots are already mixed and uniform in dimension. Toss it in a bowl with some onion and spices and a bottle of beer. The darker the beer, the extra taste you’ll get. Place the bowl on the preheated smoker.

- STEP TWO: Add the German sausage in a single layer to the recent grill over the cabbage combine. Shut the lid and smoke for 1 hour.

- STEP THREE: You’ll see the colour of the smoked bratwurst rework, and the cabbage might be delicate and smokey. After 1 hour, the interior temperature of the bratwursts ought to surpass 165F levels, which is the protected temp for floor meat.

How you can serve smoked bratwursts
Take away the bratwurst sausages and cabbage from the grill.
Tuck the bratwurst in a bun and high them with that smoked cabbage and a few spicy brown mustard. The brats will nonetheless have that signature snap with juiciness that runs down your face.
It’s that simple to smoke an ideal brat for a weeknight dinner or tailgate get together.

Storage
You’ll be able to retailer cooked bratwursts in an hermetic container within the fridge for 5-7 days. Retailer the cabbage and brat buns individually. While you’re able to assemble, warmth the brats and cabbage individually and cargo them in a bun with mustard.
You may as well freeze the smoked bratwursts for just a few months. The cabbage nonetheless doesn’t freeze properly.
GCG Professional Pitmaster Ideas
- Begin with a bag of pre-shredded cabbage to save lots of time
- Use darkish or amber beer for richer taste
- Smoke the brats over the bowl of cabbage for 1 hour
Regularly Requested Questions
With this smoked bratwurst recipe, the German sausages take about 1 hour of cooking time at 275F levels till the temp of the brats reaches the really helpful temperature. When you smoke them at a decrease temperature, plan so as to add extra time.
Per the USDA, the protected inner temperature for all floor meat is 165F levels. You’ll be able to check this through the use of an instant-read digital thermometer. Pierce the meat thermometer into the bratwurst from one finish.
Pecan wooden, apple wooden and hickory wooden are all nice selections for smoking bratwursts.

Smoked Bratwursts with Beer-Braised Cabbage and Onions
Each tailgate get together wants a cooker filled with smoked bratwursts. These are made even higher with smoked beer-braised cabbage and onions.
Directions
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Warmth Smoker: Warmth your smoker to 275F levels with an oblique warmth setting. If utilizing a charcoal grill, add 1 wooden chunk. If utilizing a gasoline grill, add a wooden chip foil pouch.
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Combine: In a big metallic bowl, mix the coleslaw combine, onion, garlic, beer, mustard, honey, caraway seeds, salt and pepper. Place the bowl on the decrease rack of the smoker.
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Smoke: Add the brats to the highest grill grate. Shut the lid and smoke for 1 hour or till the interior temperature reaches at the least 165F levels. In case your grill solely has one degree, smoke the brats subsequent to the cabbage or place a wire rack over the bowl of cabbage.
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Assemble: Take away every part from the grill. Toss the cabbage and onions. Serve the brats on French sandwich rolls with beer-braised cabbage and onions and spicy brown mustard.
Notes
Caraway seeds will give the cabbage and onions the quintessential style of Germany. When you’re not accustomed to caraway, it’s the signature taste of rye bread.
Vitamin
Energy: 402kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 15gFats: 21gSaturated Fats: 6gLdl cholesterol: 48mgSodium: 1136mgPotassium: 319mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin C: 1.6mgCalcium: 81mgIron: 2.3mg
This estimate was created utilizing a web based diet calculator