If you’re new to BBQ, you may feel ambitious and want to try smoking some of the bigger meats right away. Go and swing for the fences if you’d like! If you want to try something simple, easy, and tasty, then go for smoked bratwurst!
How to Smoke Bratwurst
It’s as simple as throwing them on the smoker for an hour. That’s it. You can stop there. Seriously. But since this is a website dedicated to learning to smoke, I will provide you the dialogue:
Meat: Bratwurst
Wood: Apple
Smoke: 250° F for an hour
Grill: Medium-low heat for about five minutes, turning once
Which Type of Bratwurst to Look For
When going to the store to buy your brats, a beginner to the ways of smoking might look for the brats that come packaged like this:
-Obi-Wan Kenobi, probably
These are pre-cooked. You can fire them up on the grill and still be satisfied. But since we are smoking, go for the uncooked bratwurst that come in a package like this:
Preheat the Grill
Once your smoking device is at 250° F, put the brats in the smoker for two hours. As far as smoking wood is concerned, it’s a matter of preference. Fruit woods go well with pork (which is what most bratwurst consist of). Apple or cherry wood pair well with smoked bratwurst.
Smoking Bratwurst
Place bratwust on the grill for an hour over the indirect heat. With that said, you may be tempted during the smoke to lift the lid to turn the brats with your tongs, but there’s no need. They will smoke evenly. Also, you don’t want any of that smoky heat to escape, for keeping the chamber door open too long will throw off the temperature and you will lose some of that trapped smoke that is flavoring your food.
How to Grill Bratwurst
Right before the hour is up, turn on your grill to a medium-low heat. Once up to heat, put the bratwurst on the grill for a few minutes so they can get those grill marks and cook a little more on the inside. Be careful not to get them too hot or the skins of the brats will break and the juices will pour out. You DO NOT want to lose these juices because this is where the they get their flavor.
The purpose of smoking them in the first place is to trap the juices and let the smoke seep into the sausages. With that said, a couple of my brats started to sputter on the grill. I noticed this because the juices dripped down unto the flame and made them burn higher. If you see this, it’s not too late. Pull them off and then you are ready to serve!
Smoke Ring: Does it Matter?
In the world of smoking meats, most people want to see a smoke ring to tell them the food is good. The smoke ring is a thin layer of pinkish-red color on the inside of the meat you’ll see when you cut it. Note that smoke ring is just an aesthetic and doesn’t mean it has more smoke flavor.
I’ve smoked bratwurst on a few occasions, but I’ve only seen smoke rings once or twice. As long as your smoked brats have that snap to the skin on the outside and cooked, juicy inside then you’re good to go! Each bite is bursting with those flavorful juices with a hint of smoke. There’s no shame in going back for seconds!
I hope you try to smoke bratwurst and see how simple and rewarding it can be. This can provide a confidence boost to beginners and fuel your ambition to tackle bigger meat (I hope that last part didn’t sound weird).
