"Ted:
I know people who boil brats in beer first before putting them on the grill...I, on the other hand, soak my brats in water for about an hour before grilling. While they soak, I take a few cans of beer, diced onions and a healthy gob of butter and boil it up on the stove. Grill said brats on a not-too-hot fire, letting them brown and taking them off as the skins are tight to the touch--yes, that means using your fingers to turn them, not tongs.
Don't overcook them! That's why you immerse them in the beer and onions afterward--to finish them off and keep them moist. Nothing is worse than a scorched, dry brat."
This, of course, triggers the oft-heard debate between those who BOIL first, then FRY and we who SOAK, FRY AND BOIL.
Enter a woman named Christine:
"Tell Gene he has the ingredients for cooked brats right but the order is wrong. Precook the brats in beer and chopped onions, grill and return to beer mixture to keep warm. This actually reduces the time you need to grill therefore avoiding a lot of the “gook”. Having said that, if you don’t want the slight taste of beer in your brats, his order is correct. I prefer the slight taste of beer in my brats."
Funny, I like my beer on the side, served in sweaty 12 ounce cans or longnecks.
No one's right and no one's wrong in this age-old --I think it's just a matter of tradition, habit and preference.
But I still think my way's the best.
