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How to Cook Bratwurst (+6 Bratwurst Recipes)
Published: Jul 15, 2020 · Modified: Jun 7, 2022 by WholeLottaYum · This post may contain affiliate links · Find our privacy policy here
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JUMP TO RECIPE Learning the different ways on how to cook bratwurst will make you a sausage pro in no time! Get the best tips and tricks on how to cook brats PLUS get our 6 bratwurst recipes all in one place, including brats on the stove, baked, steamed, grilled, air fried, pressure cooked, and brats in a crockpot too. It’s a WHOLE LOTTA YUM! Jump to:
The Best Way to Cook Bratwurst
Ingredients
How to Cook Brats on the Stove
Bratwurst in the Oven
On the Grill
In a Pressure Cooker
In an Air Fryer
In a Slow Cooker
Common Questions
More Sausage Recipes
How to Cook Bratwurst on the Stove
How to Cook Brats – 6 Ways!
With my husband’s family being from Germany, we are a bratwurst obsessed family. Our favorite sausage appears on our table just about weekly. Having a variety of bratwurst recipes on hand makes for a simple yet delicious dinner any day of the week.
Since brats are already pre-seasoned and don’t need much added, learning how to cook bratwurst is a snap! With just one ingredient (the sausage of course), and maybe 1 or 2 extras like a cooking liquid of veggie side, you have a simple yet savory meal.
To have an easy German-style meal, serve any of our bratwurst recipes with sauerkraut, our German mustard potato salad recipe, a pretzel, and of course a German beer.
The Best Way to Cook Bratwurst
What you consider the BEST way to cook bratwurst could come down to how much time you have, how many brats you need to cook, and what kitchen appliances you have available. Bratwurst in a skillet like cast iron is best when you’re just cooking a few brats, either the grill or in the oven works best for cooking a large batch, and in a pressure cooker is one of our personal favorites because it’s hands-off cooking. Here are the different ways to cook bratwurst sausage:
Bratwurst on the stove
In the oven
In a pressure cooker
On the grill
In a crock-pot
In an air fryer
Ingredients
All of the bratwurst recipes start with uncooked bratwurst sausage. Our favorite brand is locally made by a company called Hemplers because fresh and local is always best! For a national brand, Johnsonville produces a terrific bratwurst sausage, and the larger Costco packs of uncooked brats are also a great way to buy many at a time for a good price.
We’ve included the ingredients for cooking our sausage brat recipe on the stovetop, which first has you simmer the brats in a skillet in beer, onion, and butter to partially cook the sausages, and then you do a quick brats pan-fry to get the exterior brown to your liking.
1 lb of bratwursts (typically 4-5 brats per pack)
2-12 bottles of beer
1/4 cup butter
1 large onion, sliced
Popular add-ons – sauerkraut, buns, stoneground mustard Doubling– feel free to cook up to 2 lb of brats with this method if you have a large pot. Add enough bottles of beer to cover the sausage, and then we recommend doubling the butter and using 2 onions.
How to Cook Brats on the Stove
Cooking bratwurst on the stove is very quick and easy, and a terrific bratwurst recipe when you’re just cooking a small batch. You first simmer the brats to partially cook them and then finish them off with a quick pan fry in a cast-iron skillet.
Some might prefer to simmer the brats in liquid and then do a quick grill on the BBQ or gas grill to finish browning. Cooking brats in a pan on the stove before browning is a great way to prevent your bratwurst from splitting.
Simmer
Many people refer to this step as boiling brats, but technically we are simmering them in a pan.
In a deep skillet or Dutch oven, add the brats, 1 sliced onion, the beer, and 1/2 of a stick of butter cut into cubes. Make sure the beer is just covering the meat.
Bring the beer mix to a slow boil, turn the heat to medium-low, and simmer the bratwurst for 10 minutes. They’ll be par-boiled at this point, meaning partially (but mostly) cooked. They’ll finish cooking with the next step.
Pan Fry
Remove the bratwurst from the liquid and clean out the pan, making sure to scoop out the savory onions to serve alongside the bratwurst. Pan-fry them in a skillet with a little oil for 3 minutes on each side until brown. The internal temperature should be at least 160F to be properly cooked.
How to cook bratwurst in the oven is another one of our reader favorite recipes. When you don’t feel like pulling out the grill and have a large batch of cooked bratwurst to make, baking brats for a crowd on a sheet pan is the way to go.
Preheat
Turn your oven to 400F and make sure the oven rack is in the center position.
Bake
Bake the bratwurst on one side for 10 minutes. Flip the sausages over with a spatula or tongs, and continue cooking for 5-7 more minutes until the oven-baked brats are cooked through and have an internal temperature of 160 F.
MASTER TIP: If you decide to add veggies to the pan, it’ll cause the baked brats to take longer to brown. Feel free to cut up an onion or peppers to roast alongside the sausage. It could take up to 25 minutes total for them to cook with the addition of vegetables.
Grilling brats outside is probably the best way to cook bratwurst when it’s summertime and nice and sunny out! You can enjoy the cold beer with brats while they cook.
Grill the uncooked brats over indirect heat for about 18 minutes, or until the sausage is “almost” cooked through but not quite.
Grill them for 1-2 more minutes over direct heat to brown the outside of the sausages, the internal temperature should be at 160F+.
Serve with buns and hot dog toppings to go American style, or serve the German classics like sauerkraut and mustard.
If you need to keep them warm, put the bratwurst in beer and simmer on low until you’re ready to serve them.
In a Pressure Cooker
Instant Pot brats is a quick way to cook bratwurst, just brown it on both sides in the pan, add beer or another type of liquid, and then cook the sausage. Instant pot brats make for an easy hands-off meal. Learning how to cook bratwurst in a pressure cooker might just become one of your most favorite methods!
Turn on your instant pot and set to Saute.
Brown the brats
Once the pot is heated, brown the bratwurst lightly in 2 Tbsp of butter on both sides, which will take about 2-3 minutes each. You might need to brown these in two batches, depending on how many brats you’re cooking and the size of your pressure cooker. Remove all of the brats from the instant pot.
Place a rack on the bottom, set all of your bratwurst on top of the rack.
Carefully pour 1 cup of liquid such as beer, apple juice, water, or chicken broth in the bottom of the pot.
Cook
Set your instant pot to Manual or Pressure Cook (depending on your model) and cook for 6 minutes.
Once done, do a Natural Release until the steam is released.
In an Air Fryer
How to cook bratwurst in an air fryer is definitely one of our reader favorite methods! Air fryer brats are seriously the quickest of the bratwurst recipes when you just need them cooked as fast as possible without extras.
Cook the air fryer brats on 360F, there’s no need to preheat the unit first.
Lay the brats in a single layer on the air fryer basket, leaving room on all sides.
You’ll be cooking the brats for a total of 11-12 minutes, and flip them over after 6 minutes
How to cook bratwurst in a crock-pot makes for a pretty hands-off meal you can get started early in the day that lets you enjoy delicious scents while the slow cooker does the rest of the work.
In a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat, sear the brats on both sides for 2-3 minutes.
Add 1 sliced onion, 2 cups of sauerkraut in liquid and 1 can of beer or 1.5 cups of chicken broth to the bottom of the crockpot.
Place the sausage on top and gently press the brats down into the liquid as much as possible. Add 2 Tbsp of cut-up butter and place on top and around the meat and veggies.
Cook on low for 4 hours, or until the bratwurst recipe is cooked through and juicy.
Common Questions
Why Cook Brats in Beer?
Cooking brats in beer is a popular way of cooking brats on the stove OR parboiling before grilling. There’s just something magical about brats and beer together, they’re just made together like peanut butter and jelly!
Many people will cook or steam the brats in liquid to add extra flavor before you cook the bratwurst on stove top or before grilling. Simmering the brats in beer AFTER cooking is also a great way to keep brats warm and juicy before serving them to a crowd.
What to Cook Brats In?
Whether you’re planning to cook bratwurst on the stove or trying to simmer brats in liquid before grilling or pan-frying, you have options on what to cook brats in.
This is an optional step as some people prefer to roast the brats or grill them without partially cooking the sausage in liquid first.
The most popular liquid to cook bratwurst in is beer, the taste of the sausages combined with a mild beer flavor certainly goes hand in hand to make a perfect match. Try to find a mild tasting beer to just lend a light flavor to the final dish instead of a strong beer that could overpower the overall taste. @https://wholelottayum.com
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