Bratwurst is a fresh (meaning raw, uncooked) sausage made of pork or veal. While there’s no standard recipe for what goes into bratwurst, this delicious German sausage is usually seasoned with coriander, ginger, nutmeg or caraway. You’ll find that the flavor of bratwurst differs depending on where you get them, whether that be from different regions in Germany or different parts of the United States, but they all have one thing in common – they are plump, bursting with flavor and go perfectly with beer!
This recipe for bratwurst with beer enhances the flavor of the sausage even more by marinating the links in lager, honey, molasses and Worcestershire sauce. Piercing the bratwurst before marinating really lets that flavor penetrate the sausage. Use your favorite pale lager for this recipe, but don’t abandon the project if you don’t have a lager kicking around the house – an ale will work as well. I would just avoid anything that is too bitter.
You can get away with marinating for just an hour, but the flavor will be even more pronounced after several hours and even overnight in the refrigerator. Make sure you turn the bag over a couple of times so that the sausages are evenly marinated.
You’ll find the sausages brown really easily after being marinated because the sugar in the honey and molasses darkens quickly. Remember to save some of the marinade. Then, start browning the onions, add the apples and thyme and return the sausages to the pan with that remaining marinade.
Cover and let the sausages finish cooking through by braising in the delicious mixture for 15 minutes or so. Just enough time to ponder how you want to serve these delicious links.
If you’ve planned ahead and are planning a serious rib-sticking meal, serving this over mashed potatoes are one idea. You could alternatively pop a link into a hoagie roll and make this a meal for eight people with some coleslaw on the side. Or, just enjoy all the fall flavors with a green salad. No matter what you decide, the spicy brown mustard is a must!
This recipe was delicious! We have a German restaurant & butcher in town and bought their bratwursts for the recipe. I wanted the best for the recipe and wasn’t disappointed. The combination of flavors between the marinade, apples, thyme and bratwurst was so tasty. We served it over mashed potatoes and enjoyed every bite. We also made the Guinness beef stew but we’re letting the ingredients marry and saving it for later in the week. But from what we’re tasting from making it, this also tastes delicious. Thank you Meredith.
Made this tonight! My husband said it was delicious!! Thanks for the recipe!
Oh my goodness! This was delicious!!! I only marinated this for about an hour. Didn’t have molasses so I substituted maple syrup. At the very end I added small pieces of yellow Yukon potatoes I had cooked up in the air fryer. Let me tell you – the potatoes thrown in at the every end to simmer- wow! The flavors married the potatoes! Now I know what that means!! Lol
Best recipe for bratwurst ever 🤩👍Best tasting bratwurst and the o my way I will make it from now on 😋🤩😍
Made this for dinner last night and loved it! This morning we had sliced sausage, and apples with eggs for breakfast. Will definitely make this again 😋😋 thank you for all your great recipes.
Absolutely delicious! The flavor was the perfect mix of savory and sweet. My family loved it. I followed the recipe to a T. This recipe is a keeper. It would be a fun dish to make for an Octoberfest gathering.
Just a question: When you brown the bratwurst, do you put any oil in pan first?
Thanks!
Hi Laurie. No, in this case, I did not put oil in the pan first. There’s enough fat in the bratwurst to prevent sticking and the marinade is so wet that the oil would just pool anyway.