Mistakes are a part of life. There is no such thing as perfectionism. It is only an illusion; you can always strive for it, but it is impossible to achieve. However, taking no heed from those mistakes and not rectifying them is where you will fall flat on your face.
Here is a list of the 10 most common mistakes one makes while grilling Brats.
Cooking a better version of your previous bratwurst dish is what you yearn for when you see a packet of it on a supermarket aisle. We hope to help you to satisfy your quest.
Mistakes to Avoid While Grilling Your Brats
1. Incomplete Defrosting of the Brats
Serving raw meat is as dangerous as inviting the devil itself into your home. However, nobody wants to serve uncooked meat, right? Then why does this happen more often than you can count?
The answer is plain and simple. The convenience of deep freezing is very appealing for us, but at the same time, you need to understand the consequences of it and also know what to do in case if any of them does happen.
Deep freezing often causes the brats to become so cold that at the time of cooking, simply removing it from the freezer and putting it on a pan won’t do.
This may cause uneven cooking on and in the brat, which results in premature cooking, leading to an upset stomach.
To avoid such disastrous episodes, pull out the brats a reasonable time before you start to cook. Run them over with room temperature water on all sides, making sure not to leave any spot dry.
Place them in a clean container. They are now ready for some heat.
2. Burnt Brats: A Product of Very High Flame
This mistake is also in connection to the first one. Not everything that is lightning fast is good. Moderation holds its importance, especially in cooking.
Anything too much or too little is not good. A very high flame to quickly get your hands on the delicious and decadent brats and satisfy your hunger is not how things work in the delicate cooking universe. Everything needs to be patiently handled.
High flame results in a black and charry casing and overcooked insides. Some of the times, the casings burst and result in burns and waste of food. Not what you had in mind for your snack.
The opposite of the spectrum, i.e., a too dim flame, is not good either. This will give uncooked or undercooked brats, which is not very appealing.
Therefore, the best option is a medium to a low-medium flame that cooks the brats evenly throughout its length and gives you a mouth-watering delicacy.
3. Brats on Direct Charcoal: A Big No
If you are cooking brats on a charcoal grill indoors, you must be knowledgeable about the working of the vent systems. You do not want to sniff in the smoke and keep coughing all through your snack time.
Make sure you have proper ventilation. In the case of outdoor charcoal cooking, you do not have to worry about vents.
Now, for cooking brats directly on a charcoal grill, you will have any of the two results – the brats burn due to extreme exposure to heat, or the poor brats burst up unable to handle such high heat in concentration.
Both of these are ‘directly’ opposite of the smoky funkiness you want to achieve.
So, to save your brats from such utter flops, you can use any of the two options mentioned below –
● pile the coals at the center, and place the brats on the outer circle for uniform cooking.
● Use a pan, the advantage being that you can add any sauces or purees or stews to it, making the brats flavor bombs.
4. No Butterfly Cut: Ugly Brats
This is solely for presentation. It does not have any significant part in improving the flavor of the brats. This may sound fancy, but it does not have many theatrics to it. It is a simple lengthwise incision.
The two halves formed can are grated for grill marks on both sides and cooked.
Butterfly cut is only applicable to already smoked brats and not the fresh ones, as the former have firmer insides and do not jumble like the latter.
5. Not Maintaining Proper Brat Distancing
Soggy, uncooked/undercooked, dried out. Yes, these are precisely the adjectives of the type of brats you will get if you make the grave mistake of overcrowding your grill space.
Though the demand for brats may be pressuring, you must not falter. Do not be hasty and chuck all the brats on the grill and then fumble with the mountain of sticky meat before you.
You will lose track of time on each brat, and you will end up with a variety of brats, albeit not a good one.
Plan and space out the number of brats you will place on the grill in each batch. The batching system will save you time and the hassle of overworking yourself.
6. No Piercings: A Lead to Dry Outs
Forks are strictly prohibited, and Prongs are dearly welcomed. No poking, no prodding, and no piercing allowed to the tender and juicy brats.
After the brats have been cooked to their divinity, they hold much fatty juices-the core of brat deliciousness. A simple poke and all the gold is lost. The moisture and fat content oozes out, leaving the brats all rigid and dry.
You want the reward of your hard work to be paid in its entirety, and any bursts in the brats will wash your labor like it was nothing.
You do not want to do that to yourself. Therefore, avoid using any pointy things near the brats for turning them over or transferring them from the grill to plates.
7. No Over Seasoning
If you are under the impression that the more spices you add, the more will be the flavor, then you are wrong. The flavor profile is built not by mixing spices and herbs at random but by adding or subtracting whatever you have added.
The imbalance of seasoning, irrespective of whether you have put in more or less, leads to the sensitive brats being too salty, sour, bitter, or sweet. Therefore, balance is the key.
8. No Reheating of Leftover Brats
It’s a common tradition to eat leftovers from dinner the following day. However, this tradition is not for brats. The cooking of brats is a very delicate and temperature-mediated process.
Once they have been cooked, there is not much that can be changed in their texture and consistency.
When heat is reapplied to the already cooked form of brats, this will disintegrate the firm and moist insides and char the exterior, making it nearly inedible. If this is consumed, well, you are in for many trips to the toilet.
Having said that you can apply unique cooking ways to handle left over brats to bring up another beautiful dish.
9. Fragile Grill Tools: A Brats Disaster
If you want to reap good results, then you will have to invest accordingly. Half-hearted intentions won’t give you the best outcomes.
The care your brats deserve is also the care your grilling equipment is obliged to.
You cannot have tasty brats with a broken spatula, a cracked grill, and melting tongs. You will have to buy better quality tools with warranties, guaranteeing longevity.
High-quality metal and silicon-based tools are the best options today. Also, brushes, spatulas, and spoons having lengthier handles are a better option than the shorter ones.
This will prevent direct heat contact with our hands. Use good quality mittens, if necessary. Do not use plastic or nylon as they are prone to melting and catching fire. Take it from me; melted plastic does not have the best of tastes.
10. Unclean Grills Equal to Unclean Brats
Anything unclean is not good, and when it comes to food, meticulousness is a must. You do not want to be chilling in the backyard, having your favorite brats, and then suddenly realizing that the grill had some stuck pieces of brat from last year’s grilling season. Lots of food poisoned puking then follow this realization.
A deep cleaning session of your grill equipment at the start of each season is mandatory. Heat the grill, and once the grout starts to leave the grill bars, scrub it with a stiff brush. Your grill will be good as new.
Conclusion
Brats are a crowd favorite, and their love for them is contagious. You can never say ‘no’ to someone offering you a hot, freshly out of the grill brat. The juiciness of it mixed with your watering mouth is surely delish.
The next time you think of throwing a Sausage BBQ Party, make sure you have noted all the possible things that can and may go wrong. Correspondingly take the necessary precautions.
Enjoy!