I inherited many nasty traits from my father, such as my love of photography, people watching and railfanning. See my railfan section on our other web site for more on the "love" for watching trains in action...  However, probably the worst habit that I inherited from him was his love of football, particuarly the San Francisco 49'ers. Yes, I'm an N.F.L. junkie, but I differ from my dad, in that I have several teams that I love, not just one. One of my favorite teams is the Green Bay Packers, and if you've ever tailgated at a Packers game, you know what the meal of Packers fans is:  Grilled bratwurst.  Oh baby!  Grilled bratwurst sausage, served on a toasted hot dog bun is a slice of heaven!   I'll give you my recipe...

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Special tools:  Grill, indoor or outdoor, see text
Preparation time:  About 5 minutes
Cooking time:  About 5 minutes
Yield:  1 serving

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Required Ingredients:
2 pre-cooked bratwurst sausage links; about 6-oz total
2 hot dog buns
1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced
1/4 white onion, finely diced; any variety of onion can be substituted
1/2 cup cabbage, finely diced; I use pre-packaged cabbage mix
Mustard and mayonnaise to taste
Olive oil; see text

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You'd have kick an extra field goal to mess up this recipe, as this recipe is as easy as it gets...

Fire up your grill to high heat, about 400 f.  If you're tailgating at the ball park, your little-bitty charcoal grill will work just fine, or even your mom's uncle's hibachi will work.  If your at home, fire up your propane grill.  You really don't need to add any wood for flavor, as the bratwurst is already smoked, and the cooking time is only about 5 minutes, which isn't enough time to implant a smoked flavor.  As for me, when I'm at home, I cook my bratwurst on my George Foreman grill, which is one of the most treasured cooking appliances that I own.

Left:  Shredded cabbage, diced jalapeno peppers and diced white onions cook on the George Foreman grill. Right:  Bratwurst, cooking on the grill and just about ready to serve.  Note the attractive grill marks.

Regardless of your preference of grill, mix together diced onion, pepper and cabbage.  If you're using an indoor grill, such as a George Foreman, it will behoove you to swab the grill plates with olive oil, as it will make the cleanup chore much easier.

Place mixed onion, pepper and cabbage on grill and grill on high heat for about 3 minutes, until vegetables are translucent and slightly browned.  Remove from grill and reserve.

Place bratwurst on grill.  Grill for about 3 minutes, or until grill marks appear.  Turn over once and grill for another 2 minutes, until grill marks appear.  Remove from grill and reserve.

Open buns and place, open side down, on grill, and toast for about 30 seconds, until grill marks appear.  Remove from grill.

Left:  Bratwurst sausage, laid on a bed of cooked and shredded cabbage, diced jalapeno peppers and white onions, and garnished with mustard and mayonnaise.  Note the grill marks on the bratwurst and the buns. Right: Squeezed together and ready to eat, oh boy!  Bratwurst makes a meal to die for...

To serve, place buns on plate, grilled side up.  Add grilled vegetable mix, spoon over buns until buns are covered. Refer to photos.  Place bratwurst over bun and add mustard and mayonnaise.  Enjoy!

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You can't tailgate at a Green Bay Packers game without enjoying grilled bratwurst.  However, this delicious sausage isn't just a football pre-game treat, as it makes a delicious meal that's appropriate for any occasion. What is the appropriate beverage for a meal of bratwurst?  Beer, our course, but any soft drink will do.  

If you use an indoor grill, such as the George Foreman grill that I use, be sure to make the necessary cooking adjustments, which deviate from this recipe, which is catered to the outdoor, charcoal grill-using, tailgating crowd.

Don't forget to bring the beer!