Bratwurst Vs. Sausage: What's The Difference?

Sausages are a food group that encompasses a wide variety of ground and flavored meats, per Science Direct. They originate in every type of cuisine, from the Middle East to South Korea to the American South, according to Bon Appétit. They're cooked and uncooked, fresh and cured, spicy and mild, made with chicken, pork, veal, beef, and even seafood, stuffed into a casing or not. Even the classic American ballpark hot dog is a sausage.

You can grill them, bake them, or boil them in a pot. Sausages are delicious sliced and sautéed, stirred into hearty stews, or used to top a pizza. 

German sausages have been around for centuries and are some of the most popular. According to the Michelin Guide, there are roughly 1,200 types of German sausages. The most famous is the frankfurter, and the second is bratwurst — of which there are dozens of varieties.

While all bratwurst are sausages, not all sausages are bratwurst. Bratwurst is a particular kind of German sausage that's sold fresh and uncooked, according to MasterClass, although you can sometimes find precooked bratwurst. It's made from pork or veal and is sold in a casing that can be natural (made from animal intestines) or processed. The seasoning added to the meal usually includes nutmeg, ginger, garlic, and sometimes caraway seed. The meat can be mixed with cream and eggs, which is unusual for sausages (per Thermoworks).

Most bratwurst must be cooked before you can eat it. It's sometimes simmered in onions and beer, then traditionally grilled until crisp and smoky and served with spicy mustard, per Martha Stewart. 

When cooked, bratwurst has a nice snap when you bite into it, especially if it's been grilled so the casing is crisp. The interior is soft and slightly chewy, with a rich taste from the meat and a nice spiciness from the seasoning, per Salvaggios Deli. It's delicious served with beer, either by itself with a knife and fork or stuffed into a toasted bun with lots of mustard.

If you shop around, you'll find all kinds of flavors of bratwurst. At Herman Wurst Haus, you can find brats flavored with bacon and cheese, chives, beef and cheddar, caramelized pear and gorgonzola, and even with blue cheese and Buffalo wing flavors. 

When you cook bratwurst, you need to pay attention, according to Guy Fieri. Do not pierce the casing, which will let out the juices and result in a dry tough sausage. It's easy to overcook this sausage, which may split the casing and ruin the flavor and texture. Always cook it to 160 degrees Fahrenheit using a food thermometer.

Make grilled and braised brats, cooked with apple and onion and served with mustard and sauerkraut. Or make grilled mesquite beer brats, cooked in a cast-iron pan on the grill with onions and a mesquite marinade. Or, enjoy pretzel bun bratwursts with tangy apple-cabbage slaw. Yum.