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!
Stout is a perfect base ingredient for stew, so it's also a natural ingredient for chili. Hey, chili is a kind of stew, right? And we know that beef goes well with stouts. You can go for the rich malts of a time-honored favorite like Guinness, but imagine the possibilities.
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?
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.
Any beer will do, but pale lagers work best. Boil in the beer bath for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the brats turn white. Once your brats are cooked through, you'll want to sear them to achieve the crispy skin and grill marks we all love.
The chili made with beer didn't seem to have any hoppy or bitter flavors, seemingly having been completely eradicated in the cooking process. The chili made with only chicken stock, rather than beer, had a creamier, mellower flavor, which was overwhelmingly chicken-y, despite its beef content.
Cocoa powder, bacon, cinnamon, ground coffee and tomato paste will all add a rich sweet & salty flavors that are sure to surprise and delight. Warming spice blends, like Garam Masala, Ras el Hanout or Baharat are another simple and delicious way to add layered flavors to this simple one-pot meal.
Onions would help with this, but also if available, root vegetables such as carrot or parsnip. Although these may not be what you would have initially chosen for the dish, they would have the additional benefit of bulking out the chilli allowing you to add a little more liquid to dilute the beer taste.
Pils added just enough flavor to let you know that the bratwurst had been boiled in beer versus simply tossed on the grill. Much like you would expect, the added flavors were very subtle when compared to the rest of the field.
What to Serve With Beer Brats. A succulent beer brat shouldn't stand alone. Pair this juicy sausage with classic toppings like sauerkraut, homemade mustard, and of course, the beer-soaked sliced onions. Reach for sides like German potato salad or sweet corn if you're feeding a crowd.
Less time on the grill makes the brat less likely to dry out, and some pre-soakers believe the brat soaks up enough beer to influence the flavor and juiciness. The beer also makes the sausage casings more pliable and less likely to split.
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.
The first secret for making the most flavorful beer brats is soaking them in beer (and sliced onions) before they even hit the grill! This step infuses the brats with extra flavor while also adding moisture to help keep them from getting dried out on the grill. A win-win!
For the beer, use a lager, which has a clean, crisp, not-too-bitter taste. Lager is a family of beers that includes bright lagers, amber lagers, dark lagers, Oktoberfests, and pilsners. I use Sam Adams Oktoberfest, but Budweiser, Bud Light, Coors Light, and Miller Lite are all good options.
Tripels, blondes, saisons and golden strong Belgian beers are usually golden colored and slightly more bitter. For cooking, Belgian witbier, golden strong, saison and tripel tend to work best. You can use them in a wide variety of recipes, from hearty meats to stews to baking.
Use beef broth, chicken broth, mushroom stock, apple juice, apple cider, root beer, or co*ke instead of dark beer. With all of these ingredients, you want to be sure to replace the beer measure for measure to keep the liquid volume the same in your recipe.
As of April 2021, the official Twitter profile of Cerveza Corona in Chile was the country's most followed beer brand on this social network, with nearly 73 thousand followers. Meanwhile, Cerveza Cristal ranked second with a total of 33.3 thousand followers.
Adding a hoppy-style (Pale, IPA, APA) will add undertones of bitterness that pair well with spicier chilies. A darker beer (Stouts, Porters, Browns) will add more body and make for a more savory chili. That said, save your lagers and pilsners for drinking.
Introduction: My name is Tyson Zemlak, I am a excited, light, sparkling, super, open, fair, magnificent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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