Here's Why Your Grilled Bratwurst Never Turns Out Right

When you bite into a grilled bratwurst, you want to be greeted by that telltale snap and unctuous chew. But if you're cooking them the same way you cook plain old American hot dogs, you probably won't get the result you want.

Fortunately, Chowhound's Ksenia Prints shows us how to do it right in the latest episode of "You're Doing It All Wrong." Prints starts by explaining that we should grill brats directly from the fridge. There's no need to boil or prick them to prevent bursting, as is the conventional wisdom when it comes to hot dogs. Instead, you're going to cook them low and slow, moving them as needed from the hot zone to the cold zone of your grill until they're cooked on all sides and have grill marks.

You could stop there, but to get that authentic German beer hall flavor, Prints recommends a warm beer bath. But this probably isn't the best place for those spicy and flavorful Oktoberfest ales. Stick with a lighter lager. You want to choose a beer that complements your meat, like a German pilsner or a bock, heated with a couple of sliced onions for extra flavor. Then let your cooked brats hang out in the warm liquid for five or 10 minutes.

There's a correct method for cooking your brats, but there's no wrong or right way to enjoy them. Prints likes brioche but says regular sesame-adorned brat buns work too. It's probably best to stick with something sturdy enough to hold a bratwurst, which is significantly larger than most hot dogs, and your toppings.

When it comes to topping your brat, as Prints says, you do you. She likes a quality sauerkraut and mustard, but you can use anything you like; even curry sauce is popular in Berlin. Those beer-soaked onions from the beer bath would make an excellent topping too. You can also riff on Sonoran- or Chicago-style dogs. Or look beyond Germany and North America for topping ideas. Kimchi and gochujang are amazing Korean-style bratwurst toppers. The Danes use a tangy, creamy remoulade sauce with refrigerator-style pickled cucumbers and crispy fried shallots.

Be as conventional or creative as you like. Any toppings you choose will benefit from that German-style base of slow-grilled bratwurst steeped in a beer and onion bath to give the brat that crave-able taste and texture.

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