Beer-braised brats. Now say that five times fast (and after drinking beer). It's time yet again for another installment of "cooking with booze," and today's we're cooking with beer. Because beer. And because beer is like the duct tape of alcohol. It makes everything taste better, right? Okay, maybe everything but beer-can chicken, since that myth has been debunked. This recipe is a by-product of a Memorial Day barbecue I had a couple weeks ago. I frequently grill bratwursts, but I had become a little bored. I wanted something a different that packed more flavor then the bratwursts I typically grilled. So I did an adaptation of a Bobby Flay recipe that boils and simmers bratwursts in beer with butter and onions. But just bratwursts, butter and onions is boring, right?

I largely followed the method of Bobby Flay's recipe, but I made some additions, including garlic powder, peppers, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, Worcestershire Sauce, and brown sugar. Now we're talking. I used a couple lagers, in this case Tecate, and then added the brats, butter, garlic powder, peppers, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, Worcestershire Sauce, and brown sugar. I brought it all to a boil and then let it simmer for 30-45 minutes. Then they were ready for the grill. I grilled them for 5-10 minutes, turning a time or two and voila.

At this point, Bobby Flay's beer bratwurst recipe returns the brats to the beer mixture until ready to serve. I disregarded this step as I really wanted them to crack when you bit into them, which they did. However, you can use the onions and peppers as toppings. What you get is a really juicy, flavorful bratwurst. Now how easy is that? You probably already have all of these ingredients in your refrigerator and cabinet.

Generally speaking, this is a recipe you can adapt and modify to your liking. If you don't want a sweeter bratwurst, then leave out the brown sugar. If you want more sugar, less spice, then leave out the peppers and red pepper flakes. Needless to say, however, I'll never make bratwursts any other way then this way.

Ingredients

• 10-12 bratwursts
• 2-4 cans of beer
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 tsp. salt and pepper
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 2 tsp. brown sugar
• Peppers (red, green, or my preference, jalapeno), sliced
• 4 oz. butter
• 2 tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce

Instructions

Bring all ingredients to a boil. Lower temperature and simmer for 30-45 minutes. Put bratwursts onto grill and cook for 5-10 minutes, turning at least once. Serve on a warm roll with toppings from beer mixture.