The Best Sauerkraut
Recipe for Brats and Metts
This is an old favorite, which has developed from many years of cooking german and polish sausage on a bed of sauerkraut on the grill in a Dutch oven, or in the oven (in the same Dutch oven) .
- (2) One Pound bags of deli quality Sauerkraut
- 1 to 2 Tablespoon Sugar
- 4 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
- 1/2 Teaspoon Seasoned Pepper
- 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/4 Teaspoon Caraway Seeds
- 1/2 Cup Ketchup
- 18 Dashes of Tabasco
- 1/4 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
Empty the Sauerkraut into a strainer and rinse well under cold water. Place one half of the Sauerkraut over the bottom of a Dutch Oven or any oven proof cooking pot with a heavy lid. Sprinkle Caraway seeds over the first half of the Sauerkraut. Also sprinkle 2 Tablespoon sugar over this layer. Drizzle with the Ketchup. Add 1/2 cup water, if you are cooking on a hot grill.
Add the remaining Sauerkraut. Sprinkle this layer with Garlic powder and Seasoned Pepper. Ladle the maple syrup over this top layer, and hit it with the Tabasco or any red pepper sauce that you like.
If Brats and Metts are already cooked, pierce them with a fork once or twice. Lay them on top of the bed of Saurekraut. Cook over a medium grill or on 300 in an oven, for about 20 minutes with the lid on. If grilling, remove the top and add smoke chips to give a smoky flavor. If meat is uncooked, cook over lower temperatures for 30 minutes or until suggested by your Butcher. Don't let them split.
Serve on Onion Rolls or Buns. Top with...
- Gray Poupon or any Dijon mustard
- Sprinkle a little bit of Cayenne on top, if you like.
Warren "Ski Bum" Bowyer (below) and the notorious David Lake, (now of Mason, Ohio, pictured left) have enjoyed this recipe often.
Warren especially, since he has been known to survive on nothing but Brats and Metts for weeks at a time. Upon each visit to pal David Lake's residence (for whatever specific holiday event that may be taking place in Ohio), Warren has been seen at Biggs SuperStore or Costco, purchasing upwards of 20 to 30 Brats and Metts. He then freezes them in Dave's already jam packed freezer, on the night before returning to the west coast, and stuffs the frozen objects in his luggage, for the long journey to Southern California.
I figured it was a good idea to slap the recipe for the Sauerkraut, up here at Outdoor Cooking World, just so Warren knows where to look it up, when he's ready to grill up a few of his favorite sausages from Ohio.
Happy Q-ing, chillin' and grillin' from the folks at Outdoor Cooking World!
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