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Grilled Beer Bratwurst

Everyone has their own secret perfect bratwurst recipe. Not being from Wisconsin, I can’t tell you if this recipe is perfect or not. What I can tell you is this recipe has produced for me some very delicious bratwurst. I have heard people say the Secret to great bratwurst is to simmer them in beer first (Really? Gee no kidding?), or cook them slow or make sure the fire is the right temp.

In my experience, the secret is simply patience. How long to grill bratwurst depends on how you grill them. You can throw them straight on the grill which will take about 25-30 minutes or boil the brats in beer, wine or water for about 20 minutes. After boiling, then they are grilled for 4-6 minutes. Boiling them first (also called par-poaching) in beer first improves the flavor so dramatically its almost a sin just to throw them straight on the grill. Regardless, brats take a little while to cook thoroughly. If you rush, you could easily end up with a bratwurst that is burnt on the outside and not so done on the inside.

If not handled properly, the long cooking time often burst the brat’s thin skin letting all the glorious juices out, causing a dried up brat.

Bratwurst Tradition

Due to the large German population, Wisconsin is known for their beer and bratwurst. Germans brought their bratwurst sausage recipes as they settled throughout the area in the 1800′s. Bratwurst is traditionally made from pork, although there are bratwurst that are all beef or other meats. In selecting which brand of brat to cook is a personal choice. Johnsonville is a popular national brand and is as good as any, unless you live around Wisconsin, where you can find many delicious alternatives.

Although gas grills are fine to use, bratwurst tastes the best when grilled over charcoal or wood. I have seen some fry bratwurst in a pan, but this reduces the taste to nothing more than a large breakfast sausage. Here’s how to grill perfect bratwurst

What To Grill

6 Brats 6 Good quality rolls (Semmel Rolls if you can find them) 1 whole onion 1 large Green pepper 12 ounces of beer 1 cup of water 2 tablespoons of butter 1 tablespoon salt

How To Grill It

If you have a gas grill, the sideburner is perfect for this.

Cut the onion in half and slice. Slice the green pepper into 1/4 inch wide strips. In a 2 quart saucepan, sauté the sliced onion and green pepper in 2 tablespoons of butter for three to four minutes.

Remove 1/2 of the sautéed onions and green peppers and place in a bowl covered with foil to keep warm. (You can use these on the brats later) Leave the remaining onion and peppers in the pan.

Next add 1 bottle or can of beer and 1 cup of water and bring to a low simmer. Never boil bratwurst –it will break open the skins. A low simmer is when there is steam rising off of the water and no bubbles are coming to the surface.

You can use any beer, but full flavored Mexican beers like Corona or Tecate work great.Light beer is not recommended.

Simmer the brats on low heat for 20 minutes and remove. (Discard the liquid and peppers). Take your simmered brats straight to the grill. Be careful not to break the skin. Grill on a low setting. the key here is low and slow. Brats can be cooked either directly over the fire or indirectly, where the fire is on one side of the grill and the food is grilled over the unlit portion. This allows the bratwurst to cook with little risk of burning from flare ups.

Grill the brats for 4-6 minutes total, turning often until brown. They are now ready to serve.

Use only tongs to turn. Using a fork or anything else that can poke holes in your brats will let all the good juices out and result in a dried out brat. Flare-ups from the dripping fat will cause the outside to burn as well.

Condiments:

Serve on good quality fresh baked rolls (not hot dog buns) and top with the onion and pepper mix that you sauteed, or with brown or deli-style mustard –or all of the above. If you like Sauerkraut on your brats, Use the fresh Sauerkraut from the refrigerated section of the supermarket. I like to use the Bavarian style with caraway seeds. Heat it in a pan with some course cracked black pepper.

Bratwurst and Beer with sauerkraut is one of my favorite grilled foods. It is fun to cook and so delicious.

You may not think about it much but when you go shopping much of what you see is Asian clothes. This is particularly true of the hottest, chicest styles. Of course, it’s no secret that Asia is the manufacturing capital of the world when it comes to fashion. What is not quite so widely known is that many of the designs we see everyday are from Asia as well. This is particularly true of the more popular street designs. Japan, Korea, India, and other Asian countries are all at the forefront of today’s most popular designs.

Asian clothes have always been a part of the ready to wear lines that we turn to for our daily attire. From time to time high end designs have also come to forefront. Normally, however we think of this region of the world as key primarily as a manufacturer. Part of this is due to the fact that local designers have historically relied mostly on their home markets as the target for Asian clothes. Advances in communications, shipping, and the whole globalization of the world economy have lead to a new broader focus. Designers in places such as Korea are just now beginning to discover worldwide markets.

So how do you go about shopping for Asian clothes? Well, you can certainly turn to traditional department and discount shops but your selection will be limited. If you live in a metropolitan area you are likely to have an Asian community with stores that stock a good supply of Asian clothes. For most of us, however, the Internet is the tool of choice when it comes to shopping for Asian clothes. You’ll not only have access to a variety of good portal sites that link you to Asian clothes manufacturers from a variety of countries, but you’ll find specialty providers of all sorts.

One of the key advantages of Internet shopping is the ability to compare prices and shipping options. Most Asian clothes web sellers have extremely competitive prices and provide a variety of worldwide shipping options. You’ll know exactly what you will pay before placing your order. Asia’s key role as a manufacturer means that you’ll find exceptional pricing on Asian clothing. Since you will in many cases be ordering directly from the manufacturer you will also avoid the cost of an importer.

Combine the fact that online shopping for Asian clothes gives you access to some of the best pricing with the fact that you can shop from the comfort of your own home and you have the recipe for an exceptional shopping experience. So whether you are looking for chic street wear such at that worn in Japan and Korea, or higher end styles from places such as Hong Kong, you are certain to be able to find everything you want and more on the Internet. Just a few simple clicks of the mouse and you’ll be browsing all the latest styles. Place your order and within the next few weeks you’ll have your new wardrobe delivered right to your door. What could be better than that?

Picnics can be a tricky event to plan. On one particular day the food could be perfect, the location glorious and the activities fun. The next time you go the location could be more crowded, the food could take longer to cook and suddenly the activities become boring. In order to make your picnic a success time and time again, a few steps should be taken while preparing for this spring or summer event.
Location is of prime importance when it comes to planning a picnic. There are a wide variety of potential locales for outdoor eating, but they all come with certain limitations. One popular option is a city park or town park. This can be very effective as they often have amenities such as snack vendors that can replenish supplies, tables that will help you avoid ants and some will even have grills that will allow you to prepare fresh delicacies. There are also extra people around that could fill the ranks for activities such as soft ball or badminton that your party is not large enough to sustain on its own.

However, while extra people can be beneficial to activities, crowds can also get tiresome. If you are planning a romantic picnic you will probably want some seclusion. If that is the case then perhaps a state or national park, or some other “great outdoor” location might meet your needs. These parks are open to the public, but tend to be much larger then those found in towns. They therefore can offer more opportunity for seclusion. You may lose some of the amenities of a city park or town park by going out into the wilderness, but if you are looking for your own space one of those locations could work well.
Once the location for your picnic is decided the real challenges begin. The perfect picnic can be had just about anywhere, but deciding on a menu is not as easy. You can stick to the classic sandwich options, or go the grilling route if the facilities are available. When planning a menu, it is a good idea to begin with the entrée. After that course is decided there is a great deal of wiggle room. Fruit and vegetables are great to have around. Try a melon or two, or maybe some strawberries for your sweet-tooth. Most times, potato chips alone will not suffice. Instead of buying one large bag with only one flavor, try a few smaller bags to give variety. Include a few dips, perhaps a homemade recipe or two, and you are well on the way to a perfect meal.

Also, don’t forget the potato, macaroni and other salads as well. While choosing the entrée is simple, if you forget to complement it properly the meal could suffer. Having burgers or sandwiches can be good, but be certain to remember the condiments. Try using a specialty bread or bun to accentuate the meal’s flavor. These simple additions will enhance your entrée, and elevate your picnic towards perfection.
Now it’s time for dessert, which can be difficult to manage. Many popular summer-time delights require cold storage. Bring along a cooler or an Igloo with ice packs. If you do not have these items, cookies and other baked goods are an easy alternative to ice cream or popsicles. Try packing some whipped cream, while it needs to stay cold, it will not go bad as easily as ice cream. Put the whipped cream on fresh fruit, cookies, brownies or other sweet delicacies to make them stand apart from average picnic fare. All desserts are possible if storage is done well. Storage is important when planning the perfect picnic.

Many times, simply filling a cooler with ice and throwing in your food will not get the job done. Try packing either the ice or your food in sealed freezer bags. This will prevent the melted ice from making your meal soggy. Pack your items into the cooler in the opposite order of how they will be eaten. Pack the dessert first, entrée second and so on. This way the item you need will be right at the top when you go into the cooler, allowing you to leave it open for a smaller amount of time, keeping the inside colder.

Another way to keep things cold is to take a few water bottles, fill them almost to the top (leaving room for the water when it freezes), freeze them and put the bottles into the cooler. They will serve both to keep everything cold, and to provide extra water in case you run out of beverages. As always during the summer months, hydration will be extremely important.
Having the perfect picnic boils down to proper preparation. Make sure you know what you are getting into before you leave the house. If it has been raining recently bring a tarp to put under your blanket so that you can stay dry. If you know there is not enough shade where you are going, be ready with lots of water and ample sunscreen. Do not forget that activities are an important part of any picnic, especially one that includes children. Bring a soccer or volleyball; maybe a wiffle ball and bat. Frisbees are great too. Plan out your day, and have a backup plan for everything as well. All of this will ensure that you have a perfect picnic this summer.

Do you like seafood? If you do, do you like pasta salads? If you don’t like seafood but like pasta salads or if you dislike salads but like seafoods – I think it does not matter. Give this recipe the chance to turn you around. Actually, let us rephrase that – give experimentation the chance to turn you around.

What do I mean by this? I mean that, there are – literally, without an ounce of exaggeration – endless opportunities of variation when it comes to food. You can use any ingredient you want to use – and not only that, but you can use any amount of any ingredient, and you can use any amount of that ingredient with any amount of another and another and another. In other words – there are a billion possible ways of cooking something. Yes, you might have to develop your tastebuds to really notice the difference but if you want to that is entirely possible.

Let us go into a simple seafood pasta salad. Actually, let us begin with the ingredients for the salad:
8 Oz. pasta
Sliced olives – 1 small can
Clove of garlic – 1 small
Fresh ginger root
Parmesan cheese
1 340 gram (or similar bags; in case there are none simply measure that amount). bag of frozen mixed seafood

For the dressing you will need: If you have, sesame oil (and if you don’t, don’t worry).
Lemon juice
if you want, mayonnaise
Olive oil (if you lack it, use other salad oil)

This is how to do this dish:
Cook pasta, al dente – meaning not very soft; more firm than soft. The time needed depends, on the pasta, but – a rule of thumb is – look at the package and subtract one minute or two from what is specified on it as a good time to cook the pasta. Now do what you usually do with pasta (letting it cool etc).

Chop, then put into a large bowl, the vegetables. The garlic you peel and mince on a grater. Mince a little ginger root, too. Add both to bowl.

Drain olives of water and add to bowl. Add pasta to bowl – mixing it in. Remove seafood from freezer, put in a colander – then rinse with cold water (really cold water).

Take a large pan. Pour, into it, oil – olive, or other – enough that the cooking surface is covered.
If you have it, add some sesame oil – and an equal amount of wine/sushi vinegar.

Put a cover on the pan – put heat on medium temp. until the oil has been heated.

When oil is hot, put into the pan seafood – then cover it. Raise the temperature a little.

While the seafood is cooking, every once in a while stir it. This should not take more than 5 minutes.

Use a spatula to set the seafood on top of the salad. Now, let cool and mix into the salad.

Add a couple tablespoons of lemon juice, salt and pepper and parmesan to taste off.

Cover, refrigerate, then eat your salad!

Have you tried eating ramen noodles? If not, do you know what it is..? It is a thinner version of regular noodles (as far as I know; there more be more differences between ramen and “usual”). I went to japan, and tried ramen noodles, and fell in love with them. It is, simply put, very cheap and very tasty and very simple-to-make food. What more could you ask for..? In my opinion, not much.

I thought, in this article, I would present a slightly different – at least I think it is – way of making a ramen noodles dish. This way of doing it involves cooking the noodles for 1 to 1.5 minutes less than usually; in other words 1.5 or 2 minutes rather than the usual three.

I do this because I like my noodles to be a little al dente; meaning not too soft. The taste might not change too much but when it comes to something you have in your salad it is good to have it not being too soft.

It is a good idea to break the noodles up into smaller pieces before you add them to the boiling water.

The ingredients for this recipe are as follows:
one package, with the size of 8oz, coleslaw mix
2 chopped green onions
1 sliced celery stick
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup shelled sunflower seeds
1/2 chopped ell pepper
1 grated carrot
1 package ramen noodles

For the dressing, these are the ingredients:
Vinegar – 1/4 cup
salt – 1/2 teaspoon
Pepper – 1/2 teaspoon
Salad oil – 1/2 cup
Sugar – 1 teaspoon
Ramen noodle flavouring from the package, which is optional – 1-2 pinches

You do the ramen noodles salad the following way: Mix together everything but the dressing and noodles into a large bowl. After that, add all dressing ingredients into another bowl and whisk enough to make them blended. Put the dressing into the salad.

Last, but definitely not least, it is time to cook the noodles. You crumble the dry noodles and put them into water for 2 minutes or so. When done, put them in a colander to be drained – and then rinse with cold water. Last, but not least, mix everything together – then cover and refrigerate.

A skill that we seem to be losing in our society is cooking. Proper homemade cooking, the type grandma used to do. Homemade cooking should be taught to all kids, and it’s up to you as a parent to do so. And start your kids with homemade candy.

If you start teaching your kids to cook something they don’t like they probably won’t develop a love of cooking. But if you start the kids out cooking homemade cakes or homemade candy you can just about guarantee that the kids will love it, and want to do more.

Last night I was cooking a chocolate candy with my kids, 8 and 11. They loved it and I can still see the look on their face as they licked out the bowl. The enjoyment that kids get from cooking is directly related to how yummy the result is, and if you cook homemade candy the result is always yummy.

And if they learn to love cooking they’ll have a skill they’ll appreciate for the rest of their lives. And they graduate from cooking candy pretty fast.

There’s a few simple things to remember, whether they’re cooking homemade candy or anything else. Allow plenty of time, expect mess, start with a simple recipe and get them started on the simple tasks.

And always remember to keep them away from heat. Many homemade candy recipes require that you make a syrup from water and sugar, and a syrup is extremely hot, hotter than simply boiling water. So watch out, a syrup burn is nasty.

There’s some wonderful simple homemade candy recipes to begin with. I already mentioned syrup. I’ve suggest keeping away from making any candy that starts with a syrup to begin with. Many candies need a syrup, and getting the temperature right can be tricky, and a little boring for kids. So start with some simple candy recipes first. Pralines and truffles would be a good start.

But once you’re all up to skill there’s no end to the homemade candy recipes you can try. Truffles, nougats, chocolate anythings, toffees, the list goes on and on. Oh and if you try toffee make sure you do chewy toffee, it’s absolutely the best toffee ever.

There you go I’m hungry now.

But seriously, homemade candy making is a fine way to get the kids to learn, and enjoy, the art of cooking. They’re making something they will be guaranteed to love to eat, and they’re learning one of life’s essential skills.

So find yourself some simple homemade candy recipes, there’s some on my website, and get the kids into the kitchen. As well as getting lots of homemade candy to eat, they’ll thank you for it in later years, just like I thank my mom for the same thing.

www.howdini.com Burger recipes for the BBQ grill – Perfect grilled hamburgers What’s better than a thick, juicy burger fresh off a charcoal grill? Elias Iglesias, executive chef of Mortons, The Steakhouse, shares one of his delicious burger recipes and tips for grilling on a charcoal grill. Keywords: burger recipes burger recipe grilled burgers grilled hamburgers grilling burgers

These delicious old fashion recipes are suitable for picnics, potlucks, your own dinner table, or many other meals you can imagine.  Sweet Corn Succotash combines a tasty variety of vegetables with chicken broth, heavy cream and is garnished with bacon.  Crispy Country Chicken, an all time favorite and Old Fashion Pumpkin Bars round out our offerings.

SWEET CORN SUCCOTASH

2 slices bacon, diced
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 1/2 cups whole-kernel corn (about 5 ears cut from cob)
1 pkg (10-oz) frozen lima beans
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp paprika

In a large saucepan, over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp; drain on paper towels. Add the onion to the drippings in the pan and saute until translucent. Add the chicken broth, corn, and lima beans. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, cream, salt, and paprika; replace cover and cook 10 minutes more, stirring once. Just before serving, sprinkle with bacon.

Yield: 4 servings

CRISPY COUNTRY CHICKEN

1/2 cup mayo type salad dressing
1 tsp dried oregano
1 broiler-fryer (3 to 3 1/2 lbs), cut-up
1 cup crushed corn flakes cereal
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Mix salad dressing and oregano is a small bowl; brush the chicken with the mixture.

Mix the corn flake crumbs, cheese, garlic salt and pepper. Coat the chicken with the cereal mixture. Place chicken in a very lightly greased 9 x 13-inch baking pan or dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until the chicken is cooked through.

Modern version: Substitute about 2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts halves for the broiler-fryer. Bake only about 30 to 35 minutes.

Old Fashion Pumpkin Bars

1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
2 cups pumpkin
4 eggs
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat oil, sugar, pumpkin and eggs together until well blended. Combine flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and cinnamon together in a sifter. Sift mixture into the pumpkin mixture. Blend well. Grease a jelly roll pan and pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Frost with a powdered sugar frosting or a cream cheese frosting, if desired.  Or dust top with powdered sugar.

Enjoy!

With summer already half gone and autumn fast approaching, students from elementary to college are now preparing for school.  But before the term starts, there is football season that runs from August until December.  And during this particular time of year, it has been a custom of football fans everywhere to hop in their car, SUV or truck and drive to their local sports stadium, park their vehicle in the parking lot, pop up the back hatch and have lively and festive tailgate parties.

Indeed, tailgating parties have been a regular social event during football season as people normally consume alcoholic drinks as well as grilled foods.  These parties have become so popular that they have become part of the pre-game activities for other sports such as soccer and baseball too. In fact, there are even people who hold these parties even if their cars do not have tailgates.

During a tailgating party, the foods that are usually served are those that you often see in picnics – hamburgers, hotdogs, baked beans and potato salad.  And to wash them all down, beers and other drinks are a constant fixture in tailgating parties.

Although hamburgers, hotdogs, baked beans and other picnic foods are always delicious and are as American as you can get in this particularly American-invented gathering, why not make it more different by serving you own homemade salsa recipe?  With the spicy kick that a great homemade salsa can offer, it will warm your body, make your senses more alive and help you to be ready and raring to go and cheer for your favorite sports team.

If you want to spice up your next tailgating party, then here are a couple of salsa recipes that you can use to prepare your own concoction for partnering with your other foods and to share with your friends.

Cabbage Salsa

Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients:

2 cups (about 8 ounces) shredded savoy cabbage
8 red radishes, diced
6 scallions, white and pale green parts only, cut into thin rounds
1 serrano or jalapeno chile, minced
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Black pepper in a mill
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves

Directions:

In a medium bowl, toss together the cabbage, carrots, radishes, scallions, and serrano (or jalapeno). Pour the lime juice, vinegar, and olive oil over the vegetables, toss gently but thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper, add the cilantro, and toss again.

Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour before serving.

Chili Daddy Salsa

Ingredients:

4 to 5 cups diced tomatoes
1 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup diced white onion
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 each of red, yello, gold, and orange bell peppers, diced
4 to 5 jalapenos, diced
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
juice of 1/2 lime
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1 to 2 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce (optional)
salt

Directions:

In a bowl, combine all ingredients. Serve.

Adding the optional tomato sauce tightens the consistency of the salsa — Decide for yourself if that’s the way you prefer it.

Visit www.harvesteating.com to get the written recipe for this video. Chef Keith Snow creates the perfectly-cooked Thanksgiving turkey.