Brat seasoning suggestions/favorites
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We did the chicago brat and are having it again for dinner defrosted from the freezer. I want to cook them after defrosting to make sure quality isnt lost… I simmer them in beer over the fire and then sear them on the grill. My inlaws are from Chicago and they say they are the best they have had since moving to the south. I will be getting the blue ribbon next.
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lkrfletcher Thoughts on the cheese whiz topping? Or have we covered that elsewhere?
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lkrfletcher Thoughts on the cheese whiz topping? Or have we covered that elsewhere?
Jonathon
I really liked the cheese wiz in a jar for these brats. -
twilliams Thank you for pointing out Apple Brat doesn’t get nearly the love it deserves.
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I’m kinda stuck on Jerry’s. Not hot and flavorful,
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Clyde Johnson I ruined a batch of Jerry’s. I tried to make it cured and added sodium erythorbate and then had problems with the smokehouse and had to hold it overnight which wouldn’t;t have been the worst thing but then humidity control stopped working (read that as I never checked to make sure it was working!) and they ended up way too tough! Overall though, nice brat seasoning, it has a good flavor like you say with nothing too crazy or anything that anyone would object to.
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I’ve never tried to smoke 'em. I just load them up, eat one or two and freeze the rest. I have noticed that the collagen casings sort of just slough off when they are cooked. Maybe I should get the H instead of the T type collagen casings ???
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Clyde Johnson I’d use the Fresh casings any time I am not smoking them, they have a better bite for a bratwurst style sausage. The TF is the clear collagen (I believe, I don’t go by that Austin will make fun of me as he has tried to get my brain to remember that information numerous times) so, if you aren’t hanging it in a smokehouse I’d go fresh.
So, are you cooking them before you freeze them? Are you vac packing?
Get more help with your processing questions and learn more about processing meat by subscribing to our waltonsinc.com youtube page at https://wltns.link/waltonstv I am a Gorilla, love yourself
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I’ve never tried to smoke 'em. I just load them up, eat one or two and freeze the rest. I have noticed that the collagen casings sort of just slough off when they are cooked. Maybe I should get the H instead of the T type collagen casings ???
Clyde Johnson We use the collagen casings as well( also what do you mean by H type or T type collagen casings). And agree that they just ‘peel’ off by themselves as they cook. Not sure if I have overstuffed them or did something else wrong. Have only made brats once.
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Clyde Johnson I’d use the Fresh casings any time I am not smoking them, they have a better bite for a bratwurst style sausage. The TF is the clear collagen (I believe, I don’t go by that Austin will make fun of me as he has tried to get my brain to remember that information numerous times) so, if you aren’t hanging it in a smokehouse I’d go fresh.
So, are you cooking them before you freeze them? Are you vac packing?
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Clyde Johnson We use the collagen casings as well( also what do you mean by H type or T type collagen casings). And agree that they just ‘peel’ off by themselves as they cook. Not sure if I have overstuffed them or did something else wrong. Have only made brats once.
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So TF is Clear collagen which is good for cured sausages and the Fresh is for bratwurst. Mschmidt Did you use the fresh or the clear? Clyde Johnson Can I ask how much water you are adding to your brats and what is your defrost schedule? Ar you popping them in water or letting them sit out overnight in the fridge?
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My last batch was 2 lbs. only, I added about 1/3 cup of water. I put them in the freezer til well frozen (over night) then vacuum packed with 4-5 in each pack.
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So TF is Clear collagen which is good for cured sausages and the Fresh is for bratwurst. Mschmidt Did you use the fresh or the clear? Clyde Johnson Can I ask how much water you are adding to your brats and what is your defrost schedule? Ar you popping them in water or letting them sit out overnight in the fridge?
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Mschmidt When making a fresh sausage like a bratwurst you don’t necessarily need to add water, I do sometimes to make mixing in the seasoning easier. First, I would take a look through the Meatgistics University stuff on fresh sausage just for a good base of knowledge (though if you are already making good product I would say you probably won’t learn much from it).
I asked on water because this can happen if you add too much water to a fresh sausage so I was making sure that wasn’t the issue. How do you defrost and cook?
Clyde Johnson Do you cook them totally in the microwave or just defrost. I’d guess that we might have hit on the issue there. Microwaves heat up food by exciting the water molucles in the food and forcing them to vibrate. I’d guess that you are forcing small amount of moisture from the collagen but I am going to go put some empty collagen casings into a microwave and see what happens. BRB
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So, I can’t say for sure that microwaving the casings with sausage inside would return similar results but I can say that collagen doesn’t seem to like to be microwaved?
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I cook them totally in the microwave. I’ve not had a problem except at seems that the brat appears to swell and push out at the ends. Doesn’t change the shape of the brat or the taste. I just peel off the casing and eat em’ I don’t microwave all my brats, but even when I cook them other ways (boil, grill, fry) the casing acts the same way. I think you have it right about the addition of water.
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We currently have only tried the Blue Ribbon Brat and love it. But would like to try a couple others, not to crazy though(and not HOT). Suggestions? Maybe even try adding cheese, but to which seasoning works best? And how does Supreme Pizza Brat compare to Mild Italian sausage? Thanks
Mschmidt Both the Philly Steak and Supreme Pizza seasonings are outstanding. Especially, if you add cheese. But, I added Blue Cheese to the Blue Ribbon Brat and people asked why I didn’t make more and that’s a good thing.
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As for defrosting, usually I pop them in the microwave and using an instant thermometer check til they reach 160 deg.
Clyde Johnson Defrosting is easy. Place the package in cold water for about 15-20 mins and you’re ready. If you’re going to sous vide them. Put them right in the sous vide water and add about 45-1 hour. You’ll get perfect results and can still lightly pan fry them to get color on low heat.
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