A quick recipe for you, folks. I've been making brats on the grill like this for a little while, but wait until you read what we did with the corn the other day!
Ingredients
Your favorite bratwurst (5 or 6 for this recipe)
12-16 oz of your favorite dark beer
1 small onion, sliced
6 garlic cloves, minced
Ears of whole corn with husks (clean out the silk and season to taste)
Fire up your grill. Bank the coals to one side and let it all get nice and hot. (If you are using a propane grill, just light up half of your elements, or do what you need to create a "cool" spot.) While you wait, put the brats, beer, onion, and garlic into a grill-safe pan such as a loaf pan. Make sure it's tall enough to cover the sausages. Top it all off with a bit of water or stock until all the brats are just covered.
When the coals are ready, set the pan on the "cool" side of your grill. Take the brats out of the marinade with tongs and put them over the fire; don't poke them with a fork as you will let all the juices out as they cook! Cook them for 3-5 minutes on each side, or until they are browned, crispy, and ready to split. By this time, the marinate may be starting to boil just a bit from the radiant heat; this is fine. Put all the brats back into the pan and leave them to stew.
Meanwhile, toss the ears of corn over the fire to roast, turning occasionally. It is fine of the husk starts to char and blacken; it will keep the corn inside from doing the same, but you'll probably get some char near the tip of the ear. Cut it off later if you want, but it won't kill you. Once the corn is good and cooked, remove it from the fire. The pan of brats should be bubbling nicely; take it off the grill as well.
-<Caution!>-
That loaf pan will be hot, so use mitts or pot-holders, and put it on a heat-safe surface, but leave the brats in there.
Clean the husks off of the corn, cut them down to serving size, and serve immediately. The marinade that you cooked the brats in will stay nice and hot. I usually put this straight on the table and serve them right out of there.
Here's the kicker to the plate. Carefully dip your ear of corn in the marinade as well! You have a nice flavorful bath of beer, onions, garlic, and juice from the bratwurst. This makes an excellent back-yard au-jus that compliments the sweetness of the roasted corn! You can use this as a dip or drizzle over other grilled vegetables as well.
Quick note about the beer.
I recommend using more flavorful beers like dark ales or stout, just nothing too bitter. Avoid using domestic pilsners or "lite" beers; these just won't add anything to the flavor of the juice. I personally like to use a home-brewed milk stout or brown ale.
We have also taken left-over au-jus and used it as a stock in soups, and I recommend stir fry, casseroles, or steamed vegetables. Anything that can use a kick of hearty flavor!
Give it a try and let me now what you cooked up, and what you did with the leftovers!
(I plan to do this again early this week, so I'll follow up with some delicious photos!)
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