July 28, 2017
I must be swayed by habits more than I think. Last week I posted how I usually grill a tri-tip early in the grilling season. This weekend I made brats with peppers and onions; turns out I made this on Memorial Day Weekend a few years ago. Regardless; it’s good and I thought I’d share again. It comes from 2008 Cook’s Illustrated [pay site] but I’ll share some of the highlights here.
This recipe is perfect for company: it’s easy to prep and you don’t have to sweat over the grill very much until the last few minutes. And the results are terrific. It’s absurdly easy; a couple of large onions. three bell peppers – yellow and red please, no green. Some brats, a bit of salt pepper and a few thyme sprigs and you are set.
Preheat your grill on high.
The onions need some help to cook down. Slice them in rings then microwave them with some salt, pepper, and thyme leaves for 5 or six minutes in a covered microwave safe bowl, turning once.
Here they are at the start.
And after a few minutes in the microwave they are much softer
While the onions are cooking down, quarter the peppers. Layer everything in the pan and cover with aluminum foil. Scrape down the grill and reduce the heat to medium-ish. Place the covered tray in the middle of the grill for 15 minutes.
Let’s talk grill brushes for a moment. Last summer I joined a Kickstarter campaign for the Grillinator Grill Brush (I don’t get a commission or any consideration for this review). I got it late winter and have used it a couple of times the past two weeks. It’s amazing. I’m not sure if it will last longer than others but it does an excellent job cleaning. I ran the brush over the grill a couple of times and all the crud disappeared. Take a look at the bristles on that thing! They had a delay originally because the twisted wires didn’t keep a good enough clamp on the bristles; but they’ve fixed that problem. If you are looking for a grill brush this season; try this one.
You can see the onions have cooked down a bit more helped with the fat from the brats. Can we talk brats for a minute. The ones on the left are from our local New Season’s Market. They used to be the gold standard. Then we found Olympia Provisions; oh, they make good stuff. Their cured meats like salami and sopressata are heavenly. I picked up three of their bratwursts (also sold in New Seasons) along with the standards. No contest; the Olympia Provisions sausages were the hands down champions. They remind me of the street brats I ate in Germany on a trip in 1973. I’ve been trying to find something close to them for years – and now here they are right in my home town. The grind is very fine and the spices are a perfect mixture. They are almost good enough for you to sell your house, quit your job and move to Portland. Almost; I recommend visiting and trying them out first.
Anyway, after 15 minutes remove the aluminum foil cover and put the brats and peppers directly on the grill and let the onions continue to cook down.
I cut the fire under the brats so they wouldn’t flame – they still get a nice color. Flip the brats and peppers and stir the onions every couple of minutes until everything looks done. The brats are probably cooked through, but you might want to use a quick read thermometer to be sure.
Put it all on a platter; serve, and delight your guests. We had no guests to delight; the big family party will be at one of my niece’s homes tomorrow.
And dinner is served. It was so nice out; we sat at the outside table we set up earlier in the day. Traditionally this is served on a bun; but I don’t need the bread. Also, the corn on the cob was cooked in my Instant Pot Pressure Cooker – 3 minutes on high pressure with 2 cups of water followed by quick pressure release.
And here is the random picture of the day.
Rating: ★★★★
As I said above; this is great for company. Here is a copy of the recipe I keep for personal use.
