The Best Wisconsin Beer Brats are marinated and boiled in beer, onions, & garlic and then you finish the cooking process on a hot grill to give the outside a nice char, making them perfectly crisp! Perfect for a summer cookout or an easy weeknight dinner!
The Best Grilled Beer Boiled Brats
These classic beer brats were a mealtime staple every summer growing up in Wisconsin! Soaking the bratwursts in beer, onion, and garlic give them so much great flavor and result in the most juicy brats you have ever tasted. These are on regular rotation all summer long at our house. Serve them on a perfectly toasted bun and with a variety of toppings like sauerkraut, honey mustard, ketchup, and don’t forget some of the onions from the beer boiling pot!
If you are doing lots of grilling this summer (like us!) then we also highly recommend checking out our simple tutorial on how to grill a perfect burger!
What You Will Need
- uncooked brats – you can pick-up your favorite brat from your local grocery store or butcher.
- white onions & garlic cloves – these are all about bringing great flavor!
- beer of choice – we love using a light beer for this recipe and generally one that is not super expensive.
What Is The Best Beer To Use For Beer Brats
This is entirely up to you! We generally just grab a light beer that we have on hand when it is time to make them, but feel free to use your favorite. Growing up in the midwest, we definitely tend to be partial to PBR, which is what we used in these images.
How Long Do You Boil The Brats In Beer
Not long at all. Just bring the pot to a boil and then let them simmer for about 10-15 minutes before taking them out and bringing them to the grill.
What Are The Best Toppings for Beer Boiled Brats
You can top these perfectly grilled brats any way you want! Our favorite toppings are definitely homemade sauerkraut, grilled onions, and honey mustard. But feel free to use any topping that you love or create a brat bar with a variety of options the people can choose from.
What Should I Serve With Beer Brats
If we are making these for an easy weeknight dinner, then we will keep it simple with side dishes that can also be tossed on the grill like grilled sweet corn, grilled potatoes, or grilled broccoli. But if we are serving these beauties for a cookout we love pairing them with a creamy coleslaw, broccoli bacon salad, or smoked baked beans. A classic Wisconsin Brandy Old Fashioned is always a fun addition to the menu as well!
How To Make The Best Beer Brats
Begin by gathering your ingredients.
Option to marinate the brats – place them in a dish with the beer, sliced onions, and garlic cloves.
Once you are ready to cook, you can place the brats, beer, onions, and garlic in a dutch oven and bring it to a boil.
After they begin to boil you can reduce it to a simmer and let them cook for 10-15 minutes.
Next, place them on a clean, preheated grill to cook until the internal temp reaches 140 degrees F.
Let them rest for about 5 minutes and enjoy!
Don’t forget to check out my Instagram account for some behind-the-scenes action! Or give me a follow on Facebook or see what I am pinning on Pinterest!
Made this recipe and loved it?! We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
Other Recipes You Might Like
Grilled Spatchcock Chicken
Smoked Beer Can Chicken
Grilled Red Snapper
Wisconsin Butter Burger
Best Beer Brats
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Marinate Time: 12 hours
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 12 hours 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner/Entree
- Method: Stove Top + Grill
- Cuisine: American
Description
Beer Brats – a delicious and flavorful recipe for Wisconsin Beer Brats! Optional marinade included – perfect for your next cookout!
Ingredients
- 6 uncooked brats
- 1/2 large white onions, sliced
- 1–2 garlic cloves
- 1–2 cans of your beer of choice*
Instructions
- Marinate (optional): Place brats, onions, garlic and 1 can of beer into a glass container. Place cover on top and set in the refrigerator to marinate overnight (note: this step is optional).
- Boil Brats: Place beer, onions, garlic and beer in large Dutch Oven or saucepan. Add additional beer, as-needed, to ensure brats are covered.
- Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Let cook 10-15 minutes.
- Prepare Grill: While the brats are simmering, prepare your grill. Ensure grill grates are clean and bring temperature up to medium-high heat.
- Grill Brats: Remove brats from the beer mixture and transfer to the grill. Let the onions continue to simmer in the beer and then you can serve those with your brats later!
- Grill over direct heat, rotating every 2-3 minutes until they have a slight char on the outside and they reach an internal temperature of 140 degrees F.
- Rest: Remove from grill and let rest 5 minutes.
- Serve: Serve on a bun of your choice with onions, sauerkraut and honey mustard – or whatever toppings you like!
Notes
- Type of Beer: I generally choose a less expensive beer for this recipe simply because you do have to discard the beer that brats are boiled in – that being said, it is really up to you what beer to choose (maybe you just use what you have on hand). Naturally, the brats may take on a bit of the flavor of the beer that you choose.
- Toppings/Add-ons: serve on whatever type of bun you desire. Toppings can include: grilled onions, chopped onions, pickle relish, ketchup, yellow mustard, dijon mustard, honey mustard, sauerkraut, etc.
Gammer says
I really do not understand the recipes that call for boiling the brats first. Where will the flavors go into a brat casing when it is already full of the brat. Cook the brats on the grill first, then put them into a vessel with sautéed onions in butter, add a pilsner beer and keep them warm until served. Add your fixins, if you need to. Just enjoy a wonderful BEER brat
Erin says
Everyone has different ways of doing things so if that is what works best for you then great – keep cooking them the way you prefer, Gammer!
Sara says
Most beer brat recipes boil them first. You’re the odd one out if you don’t.