pfriem japanese lager brats, two ways

Had some friends over last weekend and put brats on the menu. Nothing fancy.

The move: brown them first. A knob of butter, a glug of olive oil, medium-high heat until the casings get some color. Then crack open a whole can of Pfriem Japanese Lager and pour it straight into the pan. The lager is crisp and lightly malty, not heavy, which means it doesn't overpower the pork. It just lifts everything. Let them braise low and slow until cooked through, basting as the liquid reduces.

Guests were effusive. A couple of them said it was some of the best bratwurst they'd ever had, which felt like a big claim but I'll take it.

That would have been a perfectly good story. Then the leftovers happened.

The next day I put the same pan back on the heat — still carrying the drippings, butter, and lager residue from the night before — and caramelized a full batch of onions in it from scratch, slow and patient, until they were jammy and deep brown. Once those were where I wanted them, I added the brats back in and poured in some Martinelli's sparkling apple juice, enough to come up about halfway. Let it braise down until the juice reduced into something almost saucy, coating the onions and the brats in this sweet, savory, slightly caramelized glaze.

It was better than the first night.

If you've got leftover brats, this is what you do. The apple-onion pan is genuinely worth planning ahead for.