Yesterday was semi-literal sausage fest at the house yesterday. It wasn’t a visit from the husband’s friends, it was a weenie-off of the vegan/vegetarian kind. I had some LightLife Smart Dogs veggie protein links, aka HOT DOGS in the fridge waiting for some time on the grill. Husband also wanted to try the Tofurky Beer Brats so during a rare couples trip to the grocery store yesterday, we picked up a package of those, plus some buns to accommodate the dogs n brats.
I was so excited and hungry to try them that while he was getting the grill ready, I caramelized onions for the brats, got the ketchup and mustards out, and arranged the buns and cold links on a plate to take outside.
The brats are an unappetizing gray in the packing, but do not fear- they turn browner once exposed to some heat. Being as I wasn’t being supervised by the grill master, I am not sure if this is the optimal grilling arrangement, but it seemed to do the trick. Don’t put them directly over the flame or they’ll overcook, which is always a death knell for faux meats. The buns are also getting a little toasting. Being that I am an enthusiastic knife-wielder, the buns got hacked in half. OOPS.
I closed the lid and let them bask in the coals for about three minutes, then flipped them over. The buns got removed at this point. They hung out on the grill a few more minutes until grill marks appeared.
Because it was too hot to survive outside, my brat came inside and got the caramelized onions and spicy mustard treatment.
Full disclosure, I’ve never had a “real meat” beer brat, so I have nothing to compare it too, but this was pretty good. I wouldn’t rave to anyone about the spectacular flavors or anything, but with the bun, and the onion and mustard treatment, it’s a great way to enjoy some tubular shaped foods at a cookout. This way you can feel like everyone else, not like the freak vegetarian in the corner trying to eat a bun filled with potato chips and ketchup just to get some food on your belly. Not that that’s an anecdote to which I can relate, no sir…
Then it was on to the regular baseball game weenies. I took this puppy American-style: with mustard and ketchup.
It was a bit of a letdown after eating the brat, with the spiciness and the delicious tang of the onions. Just like the brat, I wouldn’t go raving to anyone about these, but I would take them to a cookout so I could be a person with a “real” meal too. Let me just say, don’t eat it bun-less, because the texture isn’t super pleasant without the bread to accompany it in your mouth.
I still have an entire pack of weenies left, so I am planning to try one with pimento cheese, and perhaps take the rest to a cookout soon. I don’t know that I’d eat them all before they went bad otherwise unless I shared them. I would like to say that I ended the meal with a big, fat pickle and a nice cigar to really complete my particularly shaped meal theme, but there’s always next time!
