When they were young, our two oldest grandsons created a dilemma for their uncle at a family birthday celebration held at a lakeside picnic area. Our middle son volunteered to grill the brats and hot dogs while we got the rest of the lunch spread out on a table. Our grandsons had filled their plates and were eagerly awaiting hot dogs. But, as their uncle forked one onto each bun, the elder brother pulled back his plate and said, “I don’t want grill marks on mine! I want one just plain!”
His uncle asked him if he wanted a hot dog cold, right out of the cooler, but he declined that offer, too. After his uncle explained that you can’t heat hot dogs or brats on the barbecue without getting grill marks on them, the two youngsters opted for plain cold ones. Nowadays, the brothers conveniently have no recollection of that ordeal.
I have since found a good alternative if you come across finicky eaters or if you can’t grill because of rain or excessive heat. A few years ago, I ran across this recipe online that offers a different twist on brats. Also, you can make the brats in a crockpot or on the stove in a Dutch oven if you don’t want to wait three hours for the slow cooker.
When I made the recipe, I used a Dutch oven. And, I wasn’t cooking for a big crowd, so I also cut down the recipe to use just a one-pound package of brats, instead of the three-pound package that would have served 12. Also, the original recipe called for sliced apples, but I was out of them so used applesauce instead. Despite those changes, the dish turned out well. And the best part . . . there were no grill marks!
DUTCH OVEN BRATS
1-pound package brats
2 small to medium apples, peeled, cored and sliced (or 1 cup applesauce)
1 medium Vidalia onion, sliced into rings
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water
Place brats in bottom of Dutch oven and brown for about 10 minutes over low heat. (Some may pop open or split, and that’s OK.) Layer sliced apples (or applesauce) and onions over brats and sprinkle evenly with brown sugar. Pour water over all.
Cover Dutch oven with lid and continue to simmer for another 20 minutes or until the onion/apple mixture gets dark and takes on a candied texture. If mixture seems too thick, just add a few tablespoons of water to allow it to “caramelize.”
Be sure to spoon some of the mixture over brats when putting them on buns because it gives them a very different taste. I added a little mustard on the bun to balance out the caramelized flavor.
Brotherton offers website readers one stellar recipe a week in the “My Leader Yummy” feature.
Looking for a recipe you can’t find? Email me at kbrotherton42@gmail.com and I’ll see if I have it.
