On Wisconsin Beer Brats

I'm from Wisconsin and have been tailgating for 40 years in Madison and Green Bay. I have to tell you that if you are going to have a Wisconsin Brat, you better grill them first and have your hot marinade ready to receive them off the grill. Once off the grill, allow them to set for at least an hour in the marinade before serving. I usually make brats for a "crowd" the day before and allow the brats to sit overnight in the marinade. An hour or so before the tail gate I simply take my "huge" Bucky Pot full of brats and marinade and place it right on the grill for the "re heat". The brats are flavorful and melt in you mouth... oh, don't forget, use a slotted spoon to take out the sliced onions and garlic from the marinade to put on the brats.. OUT OF THIS WORLD. This is a good recipe for rainy days but, I agree with another reviewer, the flavor of the brat is lost to some degree in this recipe. You must also use a "strong" full bodied dark beer. I would use Augsburger Bock beer if it were still made out of Monroe, Wisconsin... ahhhh those good old fall days with a blue sky, cool breeze, the scent of fall leaves and grills, a cold beer, the laughter of friends and a good old fashion Wisconsin brat.

I have been making bratwurst for 20 years and took these to a Super Bowl party yesterday. Everyone loved them! Theh only thing I changed was to decrease the butter by about 1/3. This is the recipe I will use from now on. Thanks.

I always had my own beer brat recepie but I gave this one a try and now I will never cook them any other way! The brats were Awesome! Flaverful and and tender. Its worth the wait to cook these.

Not the beer brats I remember from Wisconsin. Using the slow cooker made the brats bloat up and the natural flavor of the brats weren't enhanced by the marinade - they were overwhelmed by it. I tried to get the flavor back by throwing them on the grill for 10min, this helped crispen the outer casing but the brats still tasted soggy. I'm getting my mom's recipe to put on this site; hers includes grilling the brats - you can't capture that flavor without grilling!

I tried this recipe for our Super Bowl party and it was a hit! The only change I made was leaving out the sauerkraut. The simmering beer and onions leaves quite a smell in your house, but the taste is well worth it!

I never cared for brats. I tried this recipe out on some friends and now I can't get enough~ DELICIOUS! I followed the recipe exactly, however, I cooked them for 8 hours on LOW while I was at work. Thanks for the recipe!

This is far and above the best Brat recipe that I've ever used. The only change I made was to use regular beer (MGD)rather than light beer and I used beer brats. Had a lot of happy guests that wanted the recipe. Thanks for sharing!

I pricked the brats all over with a fork before putting in the slow cooker so they would not burst and become soggy. I will leave out the brown sugar next time because my onions were sweet enough also will rinse the sauerkraut before adding to the cooker. I feel it is imperative to finish up on the grill for taste as well as presentation.

I've made this several times both for the family and for company. Everyone loves it. This will go into my regulation rotation. Glenda

I made this for my office's monthly luncheon. NOBODY touched them, except for one of the men in the office. Everyone thought that they were cooked in saurkraut. I was disappointed. I ate one and they definately taste like beer. The one guy that ate them thought they were great and he took the leftovers home and ate them for a few days.

These are the best. I followed the basic recipe with a few changes, using only one chopped onion, cumin, paprika, no sugar or butter, full beer and 2+ tbl. dry Uncle Joe's Southwest BBQ seasoning and didn't use the sauerkraut. I put 15 frozen brats, fork pieced four times each, in the crock pot overnight. Eight hours on low and ending with one hour on high. The frozen brats tend not to become mushy, dryout or overcook. Took them out and on to the Vikings vs. Chargers tailgate for a finish on the charcoal grill. Instead of the sauerkraut, I cooked down strips of green and red bell pepper with yellow onion until soft, a little olive oil while cooking. The strips were served on a good bun with the brat and condiments by choice. These really went fast. People were coming over asking for a taste. A lot of Viking jerseys in the crowd. One fellow from New York said these were the best brats he ever ate. Another former northern midwesterner asked for the recipe, he was giving up his traditional family recipe for this.

I cut this recipe in half. I used only one can of beer, one large onion, I upped the garlic to four cloves and kept the sauerkraut, garlic powder and cayenne pepper at the same amount. My family really liked this, me especially because it was SO simple. I'll be making this a lot, I'll tell you. NOTE: I have a newer crockpot so mine cooks a lot hotter than my old 60's thrifted version. I only needed about an hour and a half on mine, so cooking times may differ depending on your crockpot.

Did not like this at all.

Don't know if I did anything wrong. I followed the recipe and these turned out just ok. I'm not sure if I will try these again.

These are the best stinkin' brats I ever ate.

They were soggy. Good flavor but too mushy.

I made these for an Oktoberfest party and they were completely gone by the end of the night, and everyone was raving. You can't really ruin brats, but this recipe is one I will keep because it really showcases what I love about bratwurst. Thank you!!!

Very nice! We had these on a summer day when it was too hot to be outside. These hit the spot. However, I would like to marinate the brats in the crock pot and then finish them on the grill, weather permitting.

Company and husband loved these! I liked how simple it was to throw them in the crock pot and then fry up some onions and green peppers! Definately a keeper!

the only thing I did different was brown the brats before putting in the crockpot & it was delicious. my husband loved it.

These were great. I actually used a can of beef broth in place of one can of beer. I also grilled them for a bit after they were fulled cooked. I feel that the slow cooker makes them pretty mushy.

These are incredible. You definitely should brown them on the grill or a skillet (only for about 5-10 minutes) before throwing them in the bath. My Super Bowl party dug into mine after about six hours in the bath and everyone raved. There were even some gals who didn't think they'd enjoy bratwurst who went back for seconds!

You MUST grill that brat first. It is a MUST, to get that grilled flavor into the sausage. I am from Wisconsin, and know my brats. This is a good recipe, but please, grill that brat first. ( I am watching the Badgers kick some Nebraska butt right now, GO BADGERS!)

The brats were mushy after leaving them in the crock pot.

MY FAMILY THOUGHT THEY WERE GREAT WE WILL DEFINETLY MAKE THIS RECIPIE AGAIN.

I kind a use this recipe as an idea to cook the brats this evening, since my boyfriend brought some fully cooked brats. First I heat up 1 tbls oil and 1 tbls butter then add sliced onion and add dash of cayenne pepper, a dash of chill pepper, and mix all together let it cook in medium heat until brown, then add garlic and cook till the garlic about to turn brown, then I put the pre-cook brats and cook together for another 2 mins. Then I put in one bottle of "New Castle" and let it boil . Then turn to simmer low heat, and let it cook for at least 1 hours. Then take out the brats and put aside, and put sauerkraut in the liquid and let it simmer under low heat until all the liquid almost dry down. Meanwhile, put the brats in the grill on low heat and keep your eyes on it. If you see burns mark or bubble on one side, turn the brats to another side, keep checking until the casing look kind a dry but not burst or crack open, then is really to eat. Put some of you buns on the grill for 30 sec to a minutes each side. And use brown mustard instead.

Wow! These are great. Tons of flavor and very easy to make.

I followed some other reviews and poked my brats with a fork so they wouldn't expand. I liked this recipe, however, my children did not. I still give it a 4 but I will know next time it's not for the kiddo's. We also did not use the optional sauerkraut.

I made this w/Kielbasa! I did grill it first, according to some reviews, then into the pot it went. We didn't slow cook it and it came out perfect. Used 1 yengling and 1# of smoked Kielbasa then everything went into the pot w/sauerkraut last. Add caraway seeds and hit w/mustard after it goes into bowls!!! YUMMY!!! Thanks for this recipe! We devoured it!

This recipe is replacing my "go to" brats recipe. I halfed it as I'm cooking for just my husband and myself. We loved the flavor of this brat bath. The changes I made were for personal preferences only. Added two cups of sauerkraut. Grilled brats for 10 mins and then into the bath for 15 mins. Added 1 tbsp of rice flour to thicken the sauce as we don't eat them on a bun. Very tasty!

Great recipe and perfect for every Packers fan! I brought this to my friends house for our usual game day potlucks and it was a hit! The brats plump up so nicely in the beer and are really juicy and flavorful. I didn't use the brown sugar since I don't like sweet brats, and I added more beer. I also just warmed the sauerkraut separately.

too much butter!

Seriously, these are amazing. I will never cook a brat another way. I used Shipyard Oktoberfest beer for this, and it was awesome. I don't even like beer, but this was just delicious. The brats were so tender! The only thing I might do next time is cut down on the cayenne pepper, as the onions were too spicy to eat on their own (this is just me, as my husband said they were fine).

These were delicious, the only thing i did different was i browned them in a frying pan and poked them with a fork so they wouldnt get mushy, then i added them to the crock pot and cooked on low for 5-6 hours.

I followed some other reviews and poked my brats with a fork so they wouldn't expand. I liked this recipe, however, my children did not. I still give it a 4 but I will know next time it's not for the kiddo's. We also did not use the optional sauerkraut.

On the plus side I enjoyed the smell of beer and onions. I prefer my brats w a crisp outside and you dont get that in a crockpot. The best thing to do would put ingredients in a pot and boil then grill brats.

This recipe was good. I made 30 brats for a potluck I was having at work and the crowd loved them. I did put them on the grill for about 10 minutes and poked holes in them befor putting them in the crock pot. For the 30 brats I made I only used about a half a cup of butter, 4 beers and only 2 large onions but left all other ingredients the same. I cooked them all in one pot so I just arranged them to fit and poured the beer in until the brats were covered. Cooked them on high for about 3 1/2 hours and then turned on warm for self serve. Would make this again for a crowd and no grill.

Our go to when we are having a back yard party.

My husband & I enjoyed these. I left out the sauerkraut and only used one beer.

OMG these things are so easy to make and taste so good. I tried this recipe many times - even added pepper strips and cabbage. Wasn't a big bratwurst fan until I tried this simple recipe. Thanks Dgoodcookr.

This turned out to be a surprising success at yesterday's party! Instead of 3 cans of light beer, I used 2 bottles of Guinness and then 12 oz of beef broth. And I did not use sauerkraut. The brats were mushy, but it wasn't gross mushy. Several people commented on how tasty the onions were. Score!

I make this minus the beer, adding sauerkraut, in a skillet on the stove to put over even lowly hot dogs. Addictive as crack!

My German husband loved these! He didn't even mind that I skipped the sauerkraut because I don't like it, since the onions were so flavorful and tender. I broiled these for five mintes per side after they were in the slow cooker to give them some color-they were delicious. Spicy brown mustard is a must!

Probably the recipe I make the most from this site. Doesn't say much about my diet but I like them for tail gates (home and stadium) and summer picnics. Always the first to go.

my kids love it. my daughter want me to make it all the time.

These are awsome!! I don't usually eat the Brats when we have BBQ's, but there were so good I ate two. Everyone always wants teh recipe when I make them.

Easy for a crowd.

All loved it but my son(brat boy)I think he likes them grilled period...lol For beer I used Redds Apple Ale...thumbs up highly recommend Did have a strong onion flavor... And slow cooked for 8 hours instead of on high for 5

these got very mushy. the tast was alright. might try it agin with some modifications.

brats should be grilled too

Wow, I am cooking this right now and all three of my children walked in and said "It smells like Germany!!" Thank you so much, this brings back wonderful memories and tastes FANTASTIC! I will be following anything else you post!!

Just OK ..... tried the recipe twice and neither time was I impressed. First time - as written, second time with suggested "adds" from reviwers. Didn't really enhance the flavor of the brats. a lot of ingredients and a mess to clean up for little results.

i actually let it cook for longer than 4 hours and i used wine instead of beer and they taste amazing

Will definitely make this again. Didn't have any sauerkraut so left it out. Also ran brats under the broiler for a couple minutes to brown. Served on French baguettes with stone ground mustard. Outrageously good!

Great recipe! Hubby and kids loved it. Will definitely make again soon!

I am rating this for my 76 year old non-wisconsin Mother. I bought her a small crock pot so she could make single meals easier. I am trying recipes with her and writing them down...downsized to 'her' crock-pot. My dear mother loved these. This is her favorite recipe by far! Well a toss up between this and slow cooker enchilada casserole. She is doing great with her 'mini crock' . Thanks for the recipe!

A very mellow full flavor brat. Melt in your mouth.

Served them on pretzel rolls they were great.

Delicious and authentic Wisconsin Beer Brats!

Great!

This recipe is great, but I made some changes to the steps and the results were out of this world Sear the Brats on all sides on a hot skillet (I use my cast iron) so that each side is blackened/brown and set them aside to rest. Next add the 1/2 cup of butter and melt it down then add all of the onions (I use vidalias and cut them into strips) and reduce them down real nice so they are nice and caramelized. Then add in the three beers (I used bud light just for something neutral) and once the beer was in then I put in the dry ingredients but added a little salt and black pepper. brought it down to a simmer and reduced it to about 1/3. Next I put the brats in the slowcooker and dumped the onion/beer on top and set it on high for two hours. DO NOT STIR THE BRATS while you'll want to mix it up it will result and uneven coating and the brats will have a less robust flavor. Finally take them out of the slowcooker, turn it off and then put the brats on the grill for about a minute on each side. Put the onions on top of the brats and enjoy!

Excellent marinade! I followed a suggestion and grilled the brats first then simmered them for an hour after. I just put two whole garlic cloves in the mix instead of the minced for a more subtle flavor. I used my vegetable slicer and made the onions into fine strings and also added sauerkraut to the mixture. I made sandwiches on French rolls & sliced pickles and added them along with Dijon mustard. It's rare that a new meal comes out perfect the first time but this was great!

I made exactly as described, Best brats ever!

Cooked by recipe and I did not like. I will use beef broth next time. The beer flavor was too much.

These are a no brainer! Outstanding weather it be the summer time or football in the fall these brats are excellent!

I made no changes and it's great!