Smoked Brats: 4 Recipes and Cooking Advice

Best recipes to cook the juiciest smoked brats with unbelievable flavor
By
Jeremy Bivens
Jeremy Bivens
Research Writer
Jeremy Bivens is a passionate writer and grilling enthusiast. He's been working as a freelance journalist for over 15 years now and has a particular interest in food writing read more
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Reviewed By
Bruce Williams
Bruce Williams
Expert Consultant
Claims that grilling is the art that he has been learning all his life long and is not planning to stop. Has been grilling for as long as he can remember. Author of numerous read more
Last updated: September 02, 2023
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There is nothing quite as delicious as smoked brats. These traditional German sausages Trusted Source Bratwurst - Wikipedia Bratwurst (German: [ˈbʁaːtvʊɐ̯st]; plural Bratwürste) is a type of German sausage typically made from pork, and less commonly from beef or veal. The name is derived from the Old High German Brätwurst, from brät-, finely chopped meat, and Wurst, sausage, although in modern German it is often associated with the verb braten, to pan fry or roast. en.wikipedia.org are a griller and smoker’s delight. They can easily be made into a meal in a few minutes on the grill but are also delicious in a smoker too. No matter how you choose to make them, the odds are that you are going to enjoy a great meal.

Smoked brats are relatively simple to make as long as you take your time. No matter what you are smoking, you need to make sure that you have patience. Rushing the process can ruin the flavor that you are trying to cultivate, after all. You also need to make sure that you have the right recipes to match up to your preferences, which is precisely what we are going to give you! Read on so that you can learn how to make the best smoked brats possible.

How to prepare brats for smoking

Smoked Brats: 4 Recipes and Cooking Advice
Before you can start making your brats on the smoker, you first need to prepare them. Thankfully, this is not a terribly involved process since brats are already partly prepared by the butcher. To properly smoke the brats, you need to decide if you are going to smoke them vertically or directly on the grates of your smoker. If you are hanging them, you will need to place them on metal hooks designed for this purpose. If you are going to be putting them onto the grates, then you will first need to coat them in a fine layer of cooking oil so that they don’t stick to the grates when they are done.

Once you have decided how you will put your brats into the smoker, it is time to get the fire going. As is the case with any other type of smoked meat, the goal is to keep the temperature low and cook them slowly. The longer the brats are in the smoke, the bolder their flavor is going to be. Depending on your recipe, you will probably start cooking them once the temperature has reached between 200- and 225-degrees Fahrenheit.

Accessories you’ll need

Smoked Brats: 4 Recipes and Cooking Advice
The first and perhaps most obvious accessory that you are going to need to smoke your brats properly is a good smoker. There are lots of different options out there on the market, so be prepared to shop around a bit before you find the one that is going to suit your needs. One of the smokers that you might want to check out is the Traeger Grills Pro Series 780. Traeger has built a great reputation over the years for easy-to-use and durable smokers, and this one is no different.

Something else that you might want to find and purchase is the meat hooks that we discussed earlier. These stands allow you to vertically smoke your brats, which is a much more traditional approach than laying them on the grates themselves. To use these hooks, you need to cut the brats so that the two are strung together. Then, simply loop them over the hooks and get smoking.

Another key component of any good grill/smoker setup is a good set of grill tongs. Tongs make it much easier to manipulate anything on the grill since they keep your hands away from the heat source. This makes it easier to add and remove meat and check for doneness. There are many different types of tongs on the market today, but the Mountain Grillers Grill Tongs for Cooking BBQ are some of the best out there. These tongs are exceptionally long and strong, making them extremely safe and easy to use.

Smoked brats recipes

Now that we have the right tools and the brats are ready to smoke, it’s time to get down to the recipes. Each of the recipes below is sure to make your mouth water with anticipation, though don’t be afraid to mix and match a bit. After all, you are making these brats so that you enjoy them, so don’t be shy about changing the recipes so that you get the exact taste that you desire. You just want to make sure that they reach the finished temperature of 160 degrees Trusted Source Smoking (cooking) - Wikipedia Smoking is the process of flavoring, browning, cooking, or preserving food by exposing it to smoke from burning or smoldering material, most often wood. Meat, fish, and lapsang souchong tea are often smoked. en.wikipedia.org Fahrenheit so that they are safe to eat.

Recipe one

Smoked Brats: 4 Recipes and Cooking Advice
This first recipe is as simple as it gets. If you are in the mood for some delicious brats but don’t feel like watching your smoker or having too much to prepare, then this is the recipe for you!

Ingredients

6 (or more) Bratwursts

Wood chips for smoking (hickory or apple work best)

Instructions

  1. Heat your smoker to 225 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure to keep these temperatures steady, though they might fluctuate a bit. Just be certain to keep it below 275 degrees since this might dry out the brats.
  2. Add your wood chips to get the smoke going.
  3. Place the brats inside the smoker. Allow them to cook until the internal temperature of the brats reaches 160 degrees. This will take a bit of time. In fact, you are probably looking at 2 hours of cook time total, but it is definitely worth it.
  4. Once the brats have reached the desired internal temperature, remove them from the smoker and sever immediately.

Recipe two

This recipe is sure to be a favorite at your next cookout. It not only contains delicious smoked brats but also uses a bear bath as well, which only adds to the overall flavor.

Ingredients

  • 6 brats
  • 9″ x 11″ aluminum pan
  • 24 ounces of beer (lager)
  • 1 yellow onion
  • 2 tablespoons of butter

Instructions

  1. Preheat, the smoker to 225 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Once the smoker has come to the right temperature, add the wood chunks. For this recipe, you should use apple or cherry wood.
  3. Place the brats inside the smoker and cook for 1 hour and 45 minutes.
  4. Lower the temperature of the smoker to 180 degrees.
  5. Place the pan on the grates and add the beer butter and onion.
  6. Add the cooked brats to the liquid mixture and let them sit for a few minutes before serving.

Recipe three

Smoked Brats: 4 Recipes and Cooking Advice

This recipe is a great option if you are looking to cook a lot of brats at once. It uses metal hooks to allow the brats to hang vertically, which makes for a more even flavoring throughout the meat.

Ingredients

  • 12 bratwursts linked (2 should be linked together)
  • Hickory wood chips
  • Onions

Instructions

  1. Heat up your smoker to 225 degrees Fahrenheit
  2. Place the metal hooks on the grates of the smoker 6 inches part.
  3. Sting two of the brats on each of the hooks.
  4. Smoke the bratwursts for 1 hour. Then, put the heat up to 300 degrees.
  5. Cook the brats for an additional hour until the skin is golden brown and wrinkled slightly.
  6. Check that the internal temperature is 160 degrees and remove the brats from the smoker.
  7. Serve immediately with onion or sauerkraut.

Recipe four

Smoked Brats: 4 Recipes and Cooking Advice

If you are in the mood for something sweet, smoky, and tangy, then this is the recipe for you!

Ingredients

  • 4 brats
  • 36 ounces of light beer
  • 5 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 6 slices of bacon, thick-cut

Instructions

  1. Preheat, the smoker to 225 degrees.
  2. Mix the brown sugar and cayenne pepper into the beer and bring to a boil.
  3. Place the brats into the mix and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
  4. Remove the brats and allow them to cool.
  5. Wrap each brat with a strip of bacon.
  6. Place the brats into the smoker and cook for at least 1 hour 30 minutes. Make sure the internal temperature is 160 degrees and remove the brats.
  7. Serve immediately, either with or without a bun.

Final thoughts

Whether you are new to smoking or are an experienced cook, you will most definitely want to include smoked brats in your repertoire. These delicious sausages are easy to make and are a real crowd-pleaser. They can also be cooked in a variety of ways, making them a versatile option that should be a staple of your backyard barbecues now and into the future.

No matter if you give them a beer bath, wrap them in bacon, or just smoke them alone, smoked brats are sure to provide you, your family, and your friends with a delicious meal. Just don’t be afraid to experiment a bit. After all, you will never know whether you like a recipe unless you try it out!

References

1.
Bratwurst - Wikipedia
Bratwurst (German: [ˈbʁaːtvʊɐ̯st]; plural Bratwürste) is a type of German sausage typically made from pork, and less commonly from beef or veal. The name is derived from the Old High German Brätwurst, from brät-, finely chopped meat, and Wurst, sausage, although in modern German it is often associated with the verb braten, to pan fry or roast.
2.
Smoking (cooking) - Wikipedia
Smoking is the process of flavoring, browning, cooking, or preserving food by exposing it to smoke from burning or smoldering material, most often wood. Meat, fish, and lapsang souchong tea are often smoked.

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