The Easy Appetizer I Make Every Game Day

I'm originally from Sheboygan, Wisconsin, the bratwurst capital of the world, so what I'm about to say may be considered heresy: brat sliders are better than bratwurst sausages if you’re cooking for a crowd.  

I love a good grilled brat, but they take careful minding and must be cooked slowly for a long time. If you take your eye off the grill to watch the game, say hi to a newly-arriving guest, or try to hurry them along over higher heat, you’ll wind up with sausages that are raw in the middle or burnt…or both. That's why I've switched to serving brat sliders when I host on game days. 

Lose the Casings for an Easy Win

While casings on bratwurst give you a great snap when you bite into them, they make the sausages prone to bursting and drying out. Plus, you need to hover over the grill, turning and moving them carefully for at least 20 minutes to cook them through and manage any flare-ups.  When I’m cooking for a big group of friends, I find it nearly impossible to get the brats cooked perfectly and still manage to socialize, watch the game, and juggle all the side dishes at the same time. 

That’s why I’ve switched to bratwurst patties as the game day brat of choice. Thin patties of sausage cook much more quickly than whole sausages, never burst, and taste nearly identical. To make them more fun, I make diminutive sliders so guests with varying appetites can have as many or as few as they want with no wasted half-eaten brats. I plan on two to three sliders per person as part of a meal with side dishes.  

To make the patties, I remove the casings from my favorite bratwurst, form the meat into little pucks, and stash them in the fridge. When everyone is ready to eat, I fry up the patties in hot skillets (it takes just 3 1/2 minutes to cook them through!) and I’m back in the game. You can also grill the patties over indirect medium heat.  

I serve the sliders with a squirt of grainy mustard and a little sauerkraut, but you can invite your friends to DIY their own toppings, too. 

Hold Them in a Slow Cooker, AKA “Sheboygan Hot Tub”

While the sliders are at their crisp-and-juicy best right out of the pan, I usually make enough for everyone to have seconds or thirds. To keep the patties warm, I set up my slow cooker with a thin puddle of beer and a few onion slices in the bottom—what some Wisconsinites call the “brat hot tub.” 

The cooked patties soak up the beer and onion flavors and will stay warm in the slow cooker for up to an hour.

Set up the “hot tub” (optional): 

If you’d like to hold any of the cooked brat patties before serving, pour enough beer into a slow cooker to achieve a depth of about half an inch (about half a bottle of beer for a small 3-quart slow cooker) and add the onion slices. Cover and cook on high until the beer is hot to the touch, about 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to “keep warm.”

Form the patties: 

Use a paring knife, cut down the length of each bratwurst, then peel off the casings and discard. Divide the meat into 18 equal portions (a little more than 1/2 sausage each) and form into thin patties that are about 3 1/4 inches wide. Season with freshly ground pepper. Store in the fridge until ready to cook.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Toast the slider buns:

While the oven preheats, separate the tops and bottoms of the slider buns and arrange the halves on a baking sheet, cut-side down. Bake until they are golden brown and lightly toasted, about 5 minutes.

Spread the bottoms of the toasted buns with a scant tablespoon of mustard each. Set aside in a warm place.

Cook the brat patties: 

Heat 2 large cast iron skillets or sauté pans over medium heat until they are hot, about 5 minutes. (If you only have one large pan, cook in batches.) Add 1 tablespoon of oil to each pan and swirl to coat.

Add the brat patties and cook without moving them until browned on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook on the second side until the meat is no longer pink in the center and an instant-read thermometer registers 160°F, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.

Build the sliders and serve: 

If holding the cooked patties, transfer them to the prepared slow cooker (it’s fine to stack them), cover, and hold on “keep warm” for up to 1 hour. 

When ready to serve, put the brat patties on the prepared bottom buns and top with sauerkraut and the top buns. Serve immediately. 

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