Sausagefest

Had to cook up the sausages last night that I picked up @ Wisconsin River Meats in Mauston on Thursday.

Coconut shell charcoal, and the Weber Kettle, tossed a almost full can of High Life Light to sit over the coals to get some steam and moisture in the kettle.

Sausages were brats, jalapeno brats, polish & kilbasa. Jalapeno brats were the favorite, as good as anything I have gotten @ Ream's. Others were great, but not on that level at all. Plus these sausages were $2.60/lb. Brilliant....!

From top left to bottom right(brats, jalapeno brats, polish, kilbasa):




on the kettle:




done:



polish kraut I used:



how I like my brats(onion, kraut, ketchup pickles) & how I have had them @ Brat Days:




cream of broccoli side(farmers market broccoli and the only thing I use a crock pot for(or think its good for).... keeping things warm):



topped with some 5 year aged cheddar from Wisc.:



slainte


Wisconsin River Meats
N5340 Hyw HH
Mauston, WI.

http://www.wisconsinrivermeats.com

I thought you were going to tell us about a party you went to that had a skewed dude-to-chick ratio

Good timing as today (Aug 16) is National Bratwurst Day! I'll break out some Stiglmeier Nurnberger brats for the occasion.

I've found Cracovia to have a line of decent Polish specialties.

figured id do a little play on words khaopaat.

Thanks for the heads up little500, I may have to have some of the leftover sausages tonight.

The Cracovia kraut was pretty nice, defintely better than the Frank's I usually use. A tip of the hat to Caputo's for that.

My "secret" to good kraut is a thorough rinsing (and nothing packed in metal or plastic to begin with), some good quality bacon, diced apple, and caraway.

i sometimes make a big pot of the aforementioned kraut and throw in a pork loin and some potatoes (whole). Put on slow heat at the back of the stove and forget it for a couple of hours.

I like to drain the kraut, then saute it in a little butter and/or bacon fat until it starts to brown up a bit.
and caraway seeds are a nice addition, if you like them.

ill have to try some of those kraut preps.

I eat it right out of the jar cold, heated up in the microwave, or tossed on the griddle.

little500 wrote:i sometimes make a big pot of the aforementioned kraut and throw in a pork loin and some potatoes (whole). Put on slow heat at the back of the stove and forget it for a couple of hours.

We do a variation on this with sausage, usually a good brat but no potatoes. The caraway is a must too. Will have to try with the potatoes.

LikestoEatout wrote:

little500 wrote:i sometimes make a big pot of the aforementioned kraut and throw in a pork loin and some potatoes (whole). Put on slow heat at the back of the stove and forget it for a couple of hours.

We do a variation on this with sausage, usually a good brat but no potatoes. The caraway is a must too. Will have to try with the potatoes.

I hadn't thought of using brats in the kraut, probably because I like grilled German-style brats so much. I would certainly go for kielbasa in the kraut (think wedding reception fare). There are a huge number of sausages called bratwurst, from skinny little six-inch links favored for breakfast (pan-fried), to the fat 6-oz made-with-beer Sheybogan styles.

My slow-cooked sausage meals usually involve rice (think jambalaya) and Cajun smoked sausage. A good way to make jambalaya is to bake it rather than cook on top of the stove.

Been sampling a few diffrent brats this summer from various sources around God's Country.

Best brats of the Summer off my Weber kettles:

1) Garlic and onion brat - Johnnies Meat Market, Davenport, IA.
2) Weisswurst - Ream's, Elburn, IL.
3) Uber Garlic Brat - Wurst Kitchen, Aurora, IL.
4) Grand Champion Brat - Ream's, Elburn, IL.

When I can get a good knack—which doesn't happen often in Kansas City, but does (oddly enough) in Montréal—*that's* what I simmer for the longest time with rinsed kraut, chopped apples, and caraway, sautéed briefly in bacon fat. Oh yum!

Geo