Late-Summer Grilled Bratwurst with Peppers & Onions

There’s still plenty of grilling season left! As summer winds down and Labor Day approaches, homemade bratwurst is a great addition to backyard cookouts, family gatherings, and late-summer weekends around the grill.

This recipe pairs homemade pork bratwurst with grilled peppers and onions for a simple summer meal. The bratwurst recipe is adapted from a University of Wisconsin's Extension Direct Marketing Meat Publication sausage formulation and uses natural hog casings to give the finished links their traditional appearance and satisfying bite.

For this recipe, we recommend our 32/35 Natural Hog Casings.

Homemade Bratwurst

Yield: Approximately 5 lbs.
Recommended Casing: 32/35 Natural Hog Casings

Ingredients

For approximately 5 lbs. of bratwurst:

  • Pork shoulder or pork trimmings

  • Salt

  • Sugar

  • Crushed ice

  • Nonfat dry milk

  • Fresh onion

  • White pepper

  • Lemon juice

  • Allspice

  • Celery seed

  • 32/35 Natural Hog Casings

Prepare the Hog Casings

Before stuffing, prepare your natural hog casings according to the instructions provided with your casings.

Remove the amount you'll need from the package and rinse away excess salt with fresh water. Flush fresh water through the inside of the casings and soak until they are pliable and ready for stuffing.

Keeping the casings well hydrated will make them easier to load onto your stuffing horn and work with during the stuffing process.

Prepare the Bratwurst

1. Keep Everything Cold

Before grinding, cut the pork into pieces appropriate for your grinder and thoroughly chill the meat.

Keeping the meat, fat, grinder components, and mixing equipment cold throughout the process helps maintain the proper sausage texture.

2. Grind the Pork

Grind the chilled pork through your preferred grinding plate.

Return the ground meat to the refrigerator while preparing the remaining ingredients.

3. Add the Seasonings

Combine the salt, sugar, nonfat dry milk, fresh onion, white pepper, lemon juice, allspice, and celery seed with the ground pork.

Add the crushed ice and mix thoroughly until the ingredients are evenly distributed and the sausage mixture develops a tacky consistency.

4. Test the Flavor

Before stuffing the entire batch, cook a small portion of the sausage mixture in a skillet.

Taste and make any desired adjustments before moving on to stuffing.

Never taste the raw sausage mixture.

Stuff the Bratwurst

Load your prepared 32/35 Natural Hog Casing onto the stuffing horn.

Begin feeding the sausage mixture through the stuffer, filling the casing evenly without packing it excessively tight. Leaving a little flexibility in the casing makes forming individual links easier and reduces the chance of splitting.

Once stuffed, twist the casing into bratwurst-sized links.

Grilled Peppers & Onions

While the bratwurst rests in the refrigerator, prepare a simple late-summer topping.

Ingredients

  • 1 large yellow onion, sliced

  • 1 red bell pepper, sliced

  • 1 green bell pepper, sliced

  • 1 tablespoon cooking oil or butter

  • Salt and black pepper to taste

Heat a cast-iron skillet on the grill or stovetop over medium heat.

Add the butter or oil followed by the peppers and onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften and develop some color.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

For additional flavor, a splash of your favorite beer can be added to the skillet while the vegetables finish cooking.

Grill the Bratwurst

Preheat your grill to medium heat.

Place the fresh bratwurst on the grill and cook gradually, turning regularly to encourage even browning.

Avoid excessively high heat. A more moderate cooking temperature allows the sausage to cook through while giving the natural casing time to brown without splitting.

Fresh sausage made with ground pork should reach an internal temperature of 160°F. Always check the center of the sausage with a food thermometer before serving.

Once fully cooked, remove the bratwurst from the grill and allow them to rest briefly.

Serve Your Homemade Bratwurst

Place each bratwurst into a toasted brat or sausage bun and pile on the grilled peppers and onions.

Finish with your favorite toppings, such as:

  • Coarse or stone-ground mustard

  • Sauerkraut

  • Pickles

  • Grilled onions

  • Spicy mustard

Pair them with grilled corn, potato salad, fresh summer vegetables, or your favorite cookout sides for an easy late-summer meal.

Why Use 32/35 Hog Casings for Bratwurst?

Natural hog casings are a traditional choice for bratwurst and other fresh sausages.

For this recipe, 32/35 hog casings produce a substantial bratwurst that's well suited for grilling. Natural hog casings provide the traditional appearance and characteristic bite sausage makers expect from natural casings.

Want an even larger sausage? Moving up to a 35/38 hog casing will produce a thicker link like a polish sausage.

Remember that casing sizes such as 32/35 and 35/38 refer to the approximate diameter of the natural casing in millimeters.

Shop Our Sale!

If you're planning your next batch of bratwurst, select Hog Casings by the Barrel are currently available through our Sale.

Recommended for This Recipe

32/35 Vac Pack Whiskered 8 Hank Case
Our recommended Seasonal Sale casing for this bratwurst recipe.

35/38 Vac Pack Whiskered 8 Hank Case
A larger alternative for producing a polish sausage or thicker heartier sausage

Take advantage of our current Sale pricing while available and get ready for your next sausage-making project.

Fire up the grill and enjoy the final weeks of summer. Happy sausage making!

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