Beer Brats with Sautéed Peppers (2024)

These easy-to-make brats are cooked in beer and finished on the grill. When topped with sautéed peppers made with butter and a bit more beer, the combination is unbeatable! This is the perfect recipe for a cookout and can’t be called anything other than summer in a bite!

Are you ready for the best beer brats?

Cooking brats may seem like a pretty easy thing to do. Simply throw them on the grill and let them cook, turning them a few times while on the heat. But this traditional method can lead to uneven cooking, with the outside charred and the inside barely warmed. The remedy for this is to pre-cook the brats in some beer. This cuts out the guesswork that can sometimes take place when grilling. Instead of providing the main cooking source, the grill purely functions as a last-minute char, which adds texture and additional flavor.

Everything you’ll need to make this recipe.

Since this recipe is simple, the ingredients for this recipe are pretty minimal. In fact, if you only want to make the brats, you’ll simply need the meat, buns, and beer. But, to turn it up a notch, the sautéed peppers and onions add just a few more components. Here are the ingredients you’ll need:

• Brats are a summertime staple. Traditionally, they’re made from pork and are pretty sizeable. The large size of the brats is why this recipe pre-cooks the brats in beer before grilling. Brats tend to cook unevenly on the grill and simmering them in the beer first creates a perfectly cooked brat every time.
• Bell peppers become sweet when sautéed. Slow cooking them brings out their natural sugars and adds even more flavor by browning the edges. I opt for yellow, green, and red bell peppers, but use any color you can find.
• Beer provides flavor to the brats while cooking. Instead of worrying about what beer works best, choose a light beer. And if the idea of adding beer turns your stomach, don’t worry. The beer flavor left in the brats once they’re cooked is subtle. If you’re an avid beer drinker, choose the one you already enjoy and it will be perfect.
• Butter, instead of oil, lends flavor when added to the onion and peppers. The result is a rich, buttery flavor that pairs so well with the sautéed vegetables.

Here’s how to make this recipe.

1. Prepare the brats. In a shallow pan on the stove, place the brats in an even layer. Pour the beer on top of the brats, making sure that there is enough beer to cover them fully. Let the mixture come to a simmer and cook the brats fully. Once cooked, the brats will be gray in color. Remove them from the pot, reserving the beer for the peppers, and take them to the grill.
2. Sauté the bell peppers and onions. On the stove, melt butter in a skillet. Slice the bell peppers and onion and add them to the skillet. Top with salt and pepper and let the peppers and onion become soft.

3. Add some of the beer to the peppers and onion. Once the brats are done cooking in the beer, add a ladle full of beer to the cooking peppers and onion. Cook until most of the liquid in the pan has been cooked off and only the softened peppers and onion remain.

4. Place the brats on the grill and allow them to get charred. Make sure to turn the brats at least once during the grilling to ensure they receive a nice amount of char on all sides. Once grilled to desired darkness, remove them from the grill.

5. Serve the brats in buns with peppers and other condiments. Personally, I love a brat served with mustard and peppers, but so many other toppings work: ketchup, pickle relish, raw chopped onion, spicy dill pickles, a sprinkling of cheese, Dijon mustard, honey mustard, sauerkraut. The list is endless.

Pro tips that will make this recipe a success.

• When preparing the bell peppers and onion, make sure to slice them into similarly-sized planks. This way, when they’re cooked on the stove, they’ll all cook at the same rate without certain pieces getting too done while others remain crunchy.
• Don’t overcook the brats in the beer because they will be finished on the grill. Cook the brats to 150°F in the beer. When they’re finished on the grill, the internal temperature should be 160°F.
• If you’re not a beer drinker and are concerned about the taste but still want to use beer, opt for a light beer. This will, naturally, impart less of a beer flavor to the cooked brats. If you’re an avid beer drinker, simply choose a beer that you like to drink.

Frequently asked questions about this recipe

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• Fresh herb pasta salad
• Fresh green bean and tomato salad
• Family favorite potato salad
• Grandma’s truly homemade baked beans
• Easy macaroni salad
• Vanilla bean ice cream (for a dessert option, of course!)

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