Confession: Before living at Stonewall I had never really experienced a bratwurst. How could that be possible? Well, they look kind of frightening uncooked. And only recently have I started conquring my fear uncooked meat products. But mostly, my Dad has a strong revulsion to bratwurst in any shape or form and thus it is never served back at home.
Backstory: my Dad grew up in Bucyrus, which as you know if you took the time to read the wiki article linked to above, is a really small town in northern Ohio with strong german-american roots. Bucyrus holds a Bratwurst Festival every year in mid-August. I've never had the privledge of attending, but my Dad claims that it is the nastiest, most foul display of brat eating and beer drinking that anyone could ever be subjected to witness. It is aparently because of this festival that my father has aquired a life-long distain for the bratwurst.
I, fortunately, do not fall into the brat-bashing category. In fact, I just today ran across a blurb in one of the cycling blogs I frequent on how to properly prepare bratwurst. This is not how burrito_bryant prepares his brats, but I thought it might be interesting and/or educational to post the brat-blurb here for all to read and critique-
How to properly prepare bratwurst. There’s no secret or trick to making great bratwurst, but everyone acts like it’s a religious revelation when they have a good one. So here’s how it’s done. Use Budweiser to boil the brats, with an onion chopped in and a half bottle of Worcestershire sauce poured in. Simmer for at least half an hour, and for much longer if you feel like it — up to an hour, if you feel like it. Then grill over charcoal or wood. Not gas. Serve with a good bun (Kenny’s homemade bread is the best) and Gulden’s Spicy Brown Mustard.
