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flameDinnerPorkAmericanWeeknight30–60 mins
Beer-Braised Brats with Roasted Corn and a Side Salad
Prep10 min
Cook25 min
Total35 min
ServesServes: 2 to 4
It was raining, the grill was out, and I still wanted brats and corn. The good news is you lose almost nothing by moving the whole thing indoors. The brats get browned in butter, simmered in beer until they are cooked through, then crisped back up in the reduced glaze, which is honestly a more reliable result than fighting flare-ups on a grill. The corn roasts on a sheet pan while the brats work the stove, and the salad is your timing buffer. Everything lands together in about half an hour.
Method
Steps
- Heat the oven to 425°F. Toss the shucked corn with the olive oil, salt, and pepper and spread it on a sheet pan. Roast for 20 minutes, rolling the ears once halfway through, until some kernels brown and blister.
- While the corn roasts, melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high. Add the brats and brown them on all sides, 4 to 5 minutes total, just for color. Don't worry about cooking them through yet.
- Scatter the sliced onion around the brats, then pour in enough beer to come halfway up the sausages. Cover, drop to a simmer, and cook 10 to 12 minutes, until the brats hit an internal 160°F and the onions go soft.
- Take the lid off and let the beer cook down to a glaze, 2 to 3 minutes. Roll the brats through it so the skins re-crisp and pick up color. The onions will be jammy and ready for the bun.
- While the brats finish, build the salad: greens plus whatever crunch you've got, dressed simply with oil, acid, salt, and pepper. Toss right before serving.
- Pull the corn, hit it with butter, salt, pepper, and your seasoning while it's hot. Serve the brats on toasted buns with the beer onions and mustard, corn and salad alongside.
Good to know
Notes
- Brown, then braise, then crispBeer-steeping alone leaves the brats pale and a little flabby, and pan-only browns the outside before the center is safe. Doing both in one skillet gets you a cooked-through brat with a crisp, glazed skin. It's the move.
- Beer choice mattersA lager, pilsner, or amber keeps it clean and a little sweet. An IPA reduces into something bitter, so save the hoppy stuff for drinking.
- Corn: shucked beats husk-on hereHusk-on at 400°F for 30 minutes steams the corn tender but gives you no browning. Roasting it bare at 425°F gets actual char on the kernels, which is the whole reason to use the oven instead of a pot of water.
- Make extraSame lesson as the bangers. Leftover brats and beer onions on a toasted hoagie the next day are a genuinely great lunch.
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