First chicken brats grilled (what not to do)
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Okay everyone I learned a valuable lesson over again!
When you are grilling don’t let yourself get distracted!
Really, how simple is this? I guess not too simple this is the second time I let myself get distracted! The second time!
Needlessly to say I killed the brats not in a good way either. I was doing really good up to the moment of distraction. I started the Treager with alder pellets set temp to 350°F and waited for 30 minutes for the first turn. So far so good. I opened the Treager took a peek and a photo and rolled the brats for their final cook to temp. (See photo)
That’s when I got distracted and over cooked the brats! They split wide open exposing I hadn’t pricked them before placing them on the grill, and turned the casing into what can only be described as vinyl that one would use to upholster a fine piece of furniture.
However, the inside of the brats were very tasty and delicious given the fact they survived the near pending inferno. Believe me somehow they were still a little juicy and I managed to eat two before my jaws gave out chewing the vinyl casing.
Yes, I’m embarrassed but I may have finally learned once again to grill is to be attentive to the art if you expect a great outcome. So everyone, I post this in trust that I’m not the only one that has done this, but pray you all don’t follow or repeat my misfortune.
Happy cooking!

-
Okay everyone I learned a valuable lesson over again!
When you are grilling don’t let yourself get distracted!
Really, how simple is this? I guess not too simple this is the second time I let myself get distracted! The second time!
Needlessly to say I killed the brats not in a good way either. I was doing really good up to the moment of distraction. I started the Treager with alder pellets set temp to 350°F and waited for 30 minutes for the first turn. So far so good. I opened the Treager took a peek and a photo and rolled the brats for their final cook to temp. (See photo)
That’s when I got distracted and over cooked the brats! They split wide open exposing I hadn’t pricked them before placing them on the grill, and turned the casing into what can only be described as vinyl that one would use to upholster a fine piece of furniture.
However, the inside of the brats were very tasty and delicious given the fact they survived the near pending inferno. Believe me somehow they were still a little juicy and I managed to eat two before my jaws gave out chewing the vinyl casing.
Yes, I’m embarrassed but I may have finally learned once again to grill is to be attentive to the art if you expect a great outcome. So everyone, I post this in trust that I’m not the only one that has done this, but pray you all don’t follow or repeat my misfortune.
Happy cooking!

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unclebill We have ALL been there! I’ve done it with Brats at least twice and once with Ribs…the ribs one hurt as they were wagyu. It still haunts me!
Like you said, learn and move on! I don’t doubt that they were still juicy on the inside, you probably case hardened the outside and that prevented any moisture from escaping the interior. Hey, at least some of it was edible! With mine, I even peeled off the casing and tried to scrape off some of the burnt meat.
-
Okay everyone I learned a valuable lesson over again!
When you are grilling don’t let yourself get distracted!
Really, how simple is this? I guess not too simple this is the second time I let myself get distracted! The second time!
Needlessly to say I killed the brats not in a good way either. I was doing really good up to the moment of distraction. I started the Treager with alder pellets set temp to 350°F and waited for 30 minutes for the first turn. So far so good. I opened the Treager took a peek and a photo and rolled the brats for their final cook to temp. (See photo)
That’s when I got distracted and over cooked the brats! They split wide open exposing I hadn’t pricked them before placing them on the grill, and turned the casing into what can only be described as vinyl that one would use to upholster a fine piece of furniture.
However, the inside of the brats were very tasty and delicious given the fact they survived the near pending inferno. Believe me somehow they were still a little juicy and I managed to eat two before my jaws gave out chewing the vinyl casing.
Yes, I’m embarrassed but I may have finally learned once again to grill is to be attentive to the art if you expect a great outcome. So everyone, I post this in trust that I’m not the only one that has done this, but pray you all don’t follow or repeat my misfortune.
Happy cooking!

unclebill
Yep. Me too. I’m sure we’ve all been there. After all these years I think my grill is finally attached to my hip. :face_with_tears_of_joy: -
unclebill We have ALL been there! I’ve done it with Brats at least twice and once with Ribs…the ribs one hurt as they were wagyu. It still haunts me!
Like you said, learn and move on! I don’t doubt that they were still juicy on the inside, you probably case hardened the outside and that prevented any moisture from escaping the interior. Hey, at least some of it was edible! With mine, I even peeled off the casing and tried to scrape off some of the burnt meat.
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unclebill
Yep. Me too. I’m sure we’ve all been there. After all these years I think my grill is finally attached to my hip. :face_with_tears_of_joy: -
Made some Bacon Brats with cheese this spring and they want to explode if we forget to pierce to brats. Seems to be more of a problem if there is cheese in the brat!
Walkeg What kind of casing are you using? Are the brats over stuffed? An excessive high temp can force the casing to burst. Are you using any binders or fillers? Is it just the ones with the high temp cheese? What does the rest of the recipe look like?
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Ugh, someone had to bump this post and make me think of the time I ruined wagyu ribs!?
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Walkeg Did you use an excess amount of water? You can prick the outside of the casings after stuffing and linking. I can’t think of any reason why the cheese alone would cause that. Extreme heat can cause a burst but your brats would also be a bit crispy.
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Well, this is an old topic, but people learn from searching and their interest is valid. I think this was from too high of heat and too fast cooking on the grill. Slow it down and cook it at a more moderate temperature.
I would guess everyone has had this problem along our learning curve. Experience is the best cure.
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Jonathon shame on you lol
-
Okay everyone I learned a valuable lesson over again!
When you are grilling don’t let yourself get distracted!
Really, how simple is this? I guess not too simple this is the second time I let myself get distracted! The second time!
Needlessly to say I killed the brats not in a good way either. I was doing really good up to the moment of distraction. I started the Treager with alder pellets set temp to 350°F and waited for 30 minutes for the first turn. So far so good. I opened the Treager took a peek and a photo and rolled the brats for their final cook to temp. (See photo)
That’s when I got distracted and over cooked the brats! They split wide open exposing I hadn’t pricked them before placing them on the grill, and turned the casing into what can only be described as vinyl that one would use to upholster a fine piece of furniture.
However, the inside of the brats were very tasty and delicious given the fact they survived the near pending inferno. Believe me somehow they were still a little juicy and I managed to eat two before my jaws gave out chewing the vinyl casing.
Yes, I’m embarrassed but I may have finally learned once again to grill is to be attentive to the art if you expect a great outcome. So everyone, I post this in trust that I’m not the only one that has done this, but pray you all don’t follow or repeat my misfortune.
Happy cooking!

unclebill Acknowledging the oops will always bring a better product later.
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Walkeg Did you use an excess amount of water? You can prick the outside of the casings after stuffing and linking. I can’t think of any reason why the cheese alone would cause that. Extreme heat can cause a burst but your brats would also be a bit crispy.
YooperDog My success in cooking brats is always low and slow. The outside will crisp up enough even at a low temp. IMHO But, I came to that conclusion after blowing up the first couple with skins all over the place.
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Blown up my share. It’s an skill that is acquired by failures and retries.
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