10 Easy Tips for Cooking Brats on a Griddle (Helpful Guide)
Imagine summer without a cold beer and a brat piled with mustard, peppers and onions… not quite the same, is it?
Can You Cook Brats on a Griddle? Brats, a traditional German sausage, can be slow-cooked, baked, grilled, and even stewed. One of the most delicious, easiest, and quickest ways of cooking them, however, is on the griddle.
The even heat of the griddle cooks brats to perfection, leaving you with tender, juicy meat and a skin that’s just the right side of crispy.
How to Cook Brats on the Griddle
Brats can be bought either pre-cooked or raw. While both can be cooked on the griddle, they require a different type of preparation. Pre-cooked brats can be thrown directly on the griddle, whereas raw brats benefit from some initial poaching or braising- putting them straight on the griddle without this step can result in the outside burning before the center cooks.
Cooking Raw Brats
Step 1
- Prick each brat with a sharp knife or a fork, then add to a large saucepan of ale, beer, stock or water.
- Bring to the boil, then reduce to a medium heat. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, flipping at the half- way point to ensure an even cook all the way through.
- Remove the brats from the poaching liquor and set aside
- Heat the griddle to a medium heat.
- Add the brats and cook until golden brown on each side.
Step 2
- Heat the griddle to a medium heat.
- Add the brats and cook until golden brown on each side.
Hot tip: For added “zing”, add some hot mustard, onions and spices to the poaching liquor.
Cooking Pre-Cooked Brats
Step 1
- Preheat the griddle to a medium heat.
- Prick each brat and add to the griddle.
- Cook until golden brown on each side. Remove from the griddle and serve.
Hot tip: For added flavor, baste the brats with ale or beer as they cook.
Cooking Time for Griddled Brats
Typically, uncooked brats need around 20 minutes of cooking (10 minutes on each side). Precooked brats need less: aim for 5-7 minutes on each side. Remember that actual cooking time will depend on the thickness of the brats. For guaranteed results, use a meat thermometer: an internal temperature of 160 °F means the brats are ready.
Cooking Temperature for Griddled Brats
Griddle brats at too high a temperature and you risk burning the outside of the sausages before the insides cook. A high heat could also cause the brat casing to split, releasing all those tasty brat juices into the pan. For best results, aim for a medium-low heat of around 300-350°F.
Cooking Brats on an Electric Griddle
An electric griddle allows you to precisely control cooking temperature, guaranteeing perfect, consistent results.
The Sautéing Method
- Add 1-2 tbsp of oil to the electric griddle.
- Heat the griddle to 325 °F.
- Prick each brat, and lay them on the griddle.
- Cook pre- cooked brats for 5-7 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Uncooked brats will need around 10 minutes per side.
- Half fill the electric griddle with water, stock, beer, or ale.
- Heat the griddle to 400 °F and allow the poaching liquid to come to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to 300 °F, prick the brats and add to the liquid.
- Cover and braise the brats for 20-30 minutes, turning occasionally and topping up the poaching liquid as it evaporates.
- Serve the brats once they reach an internal temperature of 160 °F.
The Braising Method
- Half fill the electric griddle with water, stock, beer, or ale.
- Heat the griddle to 400 °F and allow the poaching liquid to come to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to 300 °F, prick the brats and add to the liquid.
- Cover and braise the brats for 20-30 minutes, turning occasionally and topping up the poaching liquid as it evaporates.
- Serve the brats once they reach an internal temperature of 160 °F.
Recipes for Griddled Brats
Grab a griddle and get ready to tantalize your taste buds with one of our quick, easy recipes.
Beer Braised Griddled Brats
What could be better than a brat washed down with a cold beer? The answer… combine the two in one simple recipe. The result… one tasty summer snack.
Serves 8
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 8 brats
- 2 bottles of beer or ale
- 2 onions, thinly sliced
- 1 yellow pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
- 8 buns, toasted
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- Mustard to serve
Method
- 1. Preheat the griddle to a medium heat.
- 2. Place a tin tray or cake pan on the griddle top.
- 3. Add the beer, salt, ground black pepper, garlic, peppers and onion to the tray.
- 4. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- 5. Add the brats to the braising liquid and simmer for a further 5 minutes, turning midway through.
- 6. Remove the tray from the griddle and transfer the brats, onions and peppers directly to the pan. Cook until the brats are golden brown (around 5-7 minutes per side).
- 7. Lay the brats onto the bun, top with a dollop of the cooked onions and peppers and drizzle with mustard.
No-Beer Brats
Beer and brats is a classic combination, but if you don’t have any beer to hand, ginger ale makes a delicious substitute.
Serves 8
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 large onions, sliced
- 10 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 liter ginger ale
- 1 liter water
- 16 oz sauerkraut with the brine included
- 8 brats
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Method
- 1. Preheat the griddle to a high heat.
- 2. Place a tin tray or cake pan on the griddle top.
- 3. Add the ginger ale, water, sauerkraut with brine, garlic, onion, salt and pepper to the tray.
- 4. Bring to the boil, then reduce the reduce and simmer for 8 minutes.
- 5. Add the brats to the braising liquid and simmer for a further 15-20 minutes, or until the brats are cooked all the way through.
- 6. Drain and serve.
Griddled Brats with Onion Relish
Wrap your lips around a griddled brat heaped with onion relish for a taste sensation to die for.
Serves 4
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 4 pre-cooked brats
- 2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1 tbsp oil
- 12 ounces beer or ale (substitute with ginger ale or stock if preferred)
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- ¼ cup pickles
- 1 teaspoon chopped thyme leaves
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method
- 1. Heat the oil in a griddle over a medium-high heat.
- 2. Add the onion and sauté until tender (around 8-10 minutes), stirring frequently.
- 3. Reduce to a medium heat and add the beer and brown sugar.
- 4. Cook (stirring occasionally) until the beer evaporates and the onions turn a golden brown.
- 5. Mix in the crumbled bacon, pickles, thyme and enough salt and pepper to season.
- 6. Once the added ingredients have been incorporated, remove the mix from the griddle and set aside.
- 7. Prick the brats and add to the griddle. Cook over a medium heat for 5-7 minutes on each side, or until an even golden brown.
- 8. Serve the brats with a dollop of the onion relish.
Cooking Tips
- Don’t overcrowd the brats. Give them enough space in the griddle to cook evenly.
- If the brat casing bursts, you’re using too high a temperature. Keep the heat to a medium-low temperature for best results.
- For brats in a hurry, slice the sausages in half lengthwise before cooking. This will reduce cooking time to around 3 minutes per side.
Serving Suggestions for Griddled Brats
Serve the brats with a pile of fluffy mashed potatoes and onion gravy for a quick, comforting mid-week supper.
Chop the cooked brats into rounds and add to a soup for a tasty protein kick.
For a heavenly summer lunch with friends, serve up a platter of brats alongside potato salad, deviled eggs, baked beans, and heaps of caramelized onions and peppers.
