Barbecued Beer Bratwurst

I do most of the cooking around here, but there are a few things that fall squarely in the husband's territory. During the summer months, I thank my lucky stars that I'm married to a grill master. Not to brag, but let me brag for just a second. The man I'm married to can grill a perfectly medium-rare steak, a juicy chicken breast, and never loses kabob cubes between the grates. And since we moved to Milwaukee, he picked up on a local specialty and learned to make Barbecued Beer Bratwurst (a.k.a. "Brats.")

Usually he makes traditional pork bratwurst, but sometimes it's nice to lighten things up a bit. When the good folks at Gold'n Plump asked if we wanted to try out their chicken bratwurst, I almost jumped out of my skin with excitement. I absolutely wanted to try them! So, in today's post the husband's grilling Gold'n Plump Parmesan Italian Chicken Sausages. They are absolutely delicious.*

Whether you're making chicken sausages or traditional bratwurst, you can use the same technique described below. Just make sure you're starting with raw meat. I imagine things would get pretty overdone if you used pre-cooked sausages. And no one wants that.

Now, go forth and get grillin'!

Barbecued Beer Bratwurst

2-3 bottles of beer (Whatever's languishing in the back of the fridge.)
2 tablespoons butter
Half an onion, sliced
Raw chicken sausages or bratwurst (We used five here, but the husband has used the same technique to make dozens of bratwurst at once. Just use more beer and a big enough pot to cook them all in.)
Buns (We like to use "brat buns." They might call them sausage buns in your neck of the woods.)
Toppings (grainy mustard, barbecue sauce, ketchup, etc.)

Pour the beer into a large saucepan or pot. Add butter, onion, and sausages. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes. (The sausages will not be fully cooked at this point, so don't eat them yet!)

Meanwhile, preheat your grill to medium. Grill par-boiled sausages for about 10 minutes, turning once or twice, until they are cooked through and charred to your liking. Serve sausages on buns with your favorite toppings, including the onions from the cooking liquid if you're so inclined.

*While Gold'n Plump was kind enough to let us try their chicken sausages on the house, these opinions are all mine. And the husband's. And Kelly and Cristoph's, for that matter. We all agreed that these suckers are mighty tasty.

Also...if you're looking for more chicken sausage recipe, my pal, Stef, over at Haute Apple Pie made some fine lookin' Southwestern Chicken Brats a few weeks ago. Check them out here.