Bratwurst Burger AKA “Brat Burger”

I love bratwurst, but sometimes I don’t have a hot dog bun lying around when I want to enjoy it.  So I figured out a way to make bratwurst into patties.  I know what you are thinking, but you can’t just use a standard bratwurst recipe as it will dry out and fall apart.  With a little extra fat, some bread crumbs and a little Bud Light you can make it happen.

I served these over my homemade hamburger buns.  Super proud of them.  Check out the hamburger bun recipe here.

Bratwurst Burgers – (Makes 4-6)

• 1 1/2 pounds lean pork
• 1 pound veal
• 1/2 pound pork fat
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp caraway
• 1/2 tsp marjoram
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp mace
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• Beer – I like Bud light

The first step is to grind the ingredients.  You want to grind the ingredients as you want to make sure that there is enough fat in the recipe.  You want a nice and juicy burger, so fat is key.  Grind the fat first to lubricate the grinder and then grind the pork and veal.

Once you have the meat all ground, then you want to season with the salt, caraway, marjoram, allspice and mace.  Mix well with you hands.  When mixing you will notice that the meat is not binding together too well.

Next add the bread crumbs.  Mix again.  Now add enough beer to moisten the mixture.  I used about 1/4 of the can. Thus leaving 3/4 of the can to drink.  Score!

Next portion the meat and form patties.  I like to form the burger patties on a piece of wax paper.  That way I can individually wrap each one and keep them from sticking.

Grill over high heat.

Grill until golden and fully cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit.  This burger is one that you might want to use a meat thermometer with.  It can easily be overcooked and when overcooked it can be a bit dry and chewy just like a brat.

This was an awesome recipe.

I wish I had some onions and sauerkraut, but I was lacking that.  However, the burgers had great flavor and were a pleasant change from basic boring beef hamburgers.