You guys, it’s finally cooling off here in San Diego, and I’m so excited to start transitioning to those cozy fall meals.
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Hearty and satisfying, this Beer Brat Chili recipe is so simple to prepare and packed with rich, chile flavor. Imagine a brat sitting in a bun, topped with chili, cheese and sauerkraut. This soup is a similar experience(just without the bun!). Start by cooking onion, garlic and bell pepper in olive oil until tender, then stir in ground pork. The pork adds some good flavor and texture to the soup as it simmers. Next, chile powder and cumin sizzle with the pork and aromatics beforechopped tomatoes, tomato paste, beer, oregano and white beans are added to the mix. Finally, beer-infused brats are grilled until golden, sliced and added to the chili during the last 30 minutes of cooking. The soup is finished with grated cheddar, chopped red onion and a bit of tangy sauerkraut. The kraut helps to balance the richness of the soup, so don’t skip it! I could seriously eat bowl after bowl of this chili. It’s so darn good. Continue reading for the recipe.
I partnered with Johnsonville on this recipe to help spread the word about their new Johnsonville Sizzling Sausage Grill. It’s a table-top grill that cooks brats (and other sausages) to golden perfection. Simply place brats in the sausage-shaped wells straight from the fridge. Close the lid, hit start, and in 15 minutes, you’ve got perfectly cooked brats! In this chili recipe, I am using Johnsonville Beer’n Bratwurst to add another layer of beer flavor to the soup. The brats are cooked first in the grill to get that golden flavor, then finished in the soup, so they can soak up all that chile goodness.
Hot Italian sausages are frequent add-ins to our pot of Sunday tomato sauce, so this grill will definitely get some good use. I love how it evenly cooks the sausage all around without the use of oil! If you want to get one of these grills for yourself, be sure to check out the link above and use the coupon code sizzle2to get $20 off.
Jorge and I are not big football fans; however we LOVE Game Day food. Chili, guac, layered dips, burgers, hot dogs, and so on! We’ve been known to throw Game Day parties in the past just to enjoy the food with friends 😉 This Beer Brat Chili would be a perfect addition to any Game Day party. I would recommend cooking it on the stove top in a cast iron pot, and then transferring it to a slow cooker to keep warm during the party. Set out big bowls of grated cheddar, chopped onions and sauerkraut, so guests can add to taste. The flavor of the chili is even better the next day, so you can totally prepare this in advance and just warm up right before everyone arrives.
Toppings: shredded cheddar, chopped red onion, sauerkraut
Instructions
Warm oil in a large cast iron pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic, and cook until the vegetables are tender but not brown (5 - 6 minutes), stirring occasionally. Add the ground pork, and cook until browned all over. I like to get all the meat in the pan, stir to combine, and then let sit for a few minutes to really get some brown color. If you continuously move the meat around, no caramelization will occur. You won't get that much dark brown color here, but even just a little bit will help with flavor.
Stir in chili powder and cumin, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often. Add tomatoes with juices, beans, tomato paste, beer, oregano,salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer then reduce heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, for an hour.
Meanwhile, cook brats using the Johnsonville Sausage Grill. This takes about 15 minutes. Let the brats rest for 5 minutes, then cut into 3/4-inch slices. Stir in the brats into the chili during the last 30 minutes of cooking. To finish the soup, season to taste with salt.
To serve, spoon chili into soup bowls and top with shredded cheese, chopped red onion and sauerkraut.
Notes
*When making chili, I love using a mixture of chile powders to add depth of flavor. If you don't have access to these types of chile powders (or they are super expensive), you could definitely use the spice labeled "Chili Powder." Just keep in mind that chili powders usually have other things mixed in like garlic and oregano, so the end result might taste a little different.
Tried this recipe?Tag @brandiego on Instagram so I can check it out!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Johnsonville. The opinions and text are all mine.
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Brandon
I’m Brandon: food explorer, recipe curator, co*cktail shaker, dessert lover. Kitchen Konfidence is how I document my time spent in my favorite space, the kitchen. Did you make a recipe? Tag @brandiego on Instagram so I can see the how it went!
Preheat grill to medium-low.Add sausage.Cook, covered, for 15-20 minutes until sausage is browned and the internal temperature is 160°F, turning links often.
Not only does beer work to cut the heat and spice of a proper bowl of red, but the residual sweetness in most beers nicely complements the caramelized meat. Since it's the perfect thing to drink with chili, plenty of people consider adding beer to their chili recipe, but which beer style should you choose?
Stout is a perfect base ingredient for stew because it combines the flavors of several "secret" chili ingredients into one, easy-to-add package: beer, coffee, and chocolate. An Irish stout like Guinness Draught Stout is particularly well-suited here because of the beer's roasted flavor and creamy texture.
These awesome brats are simmered in beer with onions and spices to make them bursting with flavor before finishing them off on the grill. Place the grilled brats in hot dog rolls, and top them with the tender onions and mustard, or serve them alongside German potato salad.
Boiling brats in beer will ensure that they are cooked through before grilling so that they don't burn and dry out on the grill. This will make them more flavorful and juicy. The boiling time will vary, but the general rule of thumb is that they will be fully cooked with 10 minutes of boiling.
Cook over medium-high heat until browned, about 5 minutes, turning links often. Reduce heat to medium-low. Carefully add ½ cup water to skillet. Cover and simmer for 12 minutes until the internal temperature is 160°F.
Beans and non-vegetable fillers such as rice and pasta are not allowed." If that sounds a bit uptight, the ICS's Homestyle Chili competition defines chili as: "any kind of meat, or combination of meats, and/or vegetables cooked with beans, chili peppers, various spices, and other ingredients.
If you want more of a smoky flavor, add cumin, Spanish paprika, ancho chili powder, or a combination. If you are looking for more heat, add cayenne, crushed red pepper, or Hungarian paprika. If it's too spicy add a little brown sugar and some sweet paprika.
Most Common Chili Spices. Cumin, Chile Powders, and Paprika are the most common spices in chili followed by garlic, onion, coriander, Mexican oregano, and bay leaves. These ingredients can be combined to create a savory and well-balanced pot of top notch comfort food.
Adding a bottle of beer to homemade chili can add some additional flavor and depth to the dish, but whether it makes the chili taste better or not depends on personal preferences. The addition of beer to chili can add some maltiness, bitterness, and sweetness to the flavor profile.
Sweet onions are great for caramelizing due to their higher sugar content. You can cook them into your chili, serve them raw over top, or even elevate your chili with a sophisticated caramelized onion topping! Some of my favorite sweet onions are Walla, Walla, Maui, and Vidalia Onions.
Though it may be an unusual choice, coffee adds an earthy richness to the existing flavors and plays well with spices like cumin and cayenne pepper. Plus, it's a flexible ingredient – while we typically reach for instant espresso powder, you can also add in brewed coffee, making this dish the perfect use for leftovers.
The classic American lager could be the best beer to your taste, but you could be missing out. We suspect the caramel and somewhat sweet flavor profiles of reds, stouts and porters provide a nice complement the fatty, salty bratwurst.
A beer brat is when you boil uncooked brats in a couple of cans of beer to fully cook it on the stovetop. Oftentimes, they are finished off on the grill. We truly believe beer brats are superior to any other kind of brat because they are so dang delicious.
The dominant sentiment among beer soakers, within and beyond Wisconsin, is that the brats should soak in hot beer before going on the grill. There is, however, a small but highly knowledgeable contingent of brat scholars, centered on the shore of Lake Michigan, that puts brats in warm beer after cooking, not before.
For optimal results, brats should be simmered gently not boiled because high heat will leach out the flavors. Fully cooked Johnsonville brats need to be boiled for about 5-10 minutes because the brat casing can split if it is cold and comes into contact with higher temperatures.
Many foods have “beer” in the name, but beer brats are some of the most iconic. These are nothing more than sausages that have been boiled in beer before grilling or roasting. Sometimes, you can find beer brats that are already prepared and ready for the grill.
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