Friday, June 15, 2012

Grilled Brats with BBQ Fries

"It's Friday night and I just got paid,
Nothing on tomorrow, man I got it made!"
~Party Machine by Hoodoo Gurus

Yeah, it is Friday night and I have a weekend of grilling planned.  But after a long week, I wanted tonight's meal to be quick and easy but full of uproarious flavor.   For that I turned to grilled brats!


This is what we came up with.  Grilled brats, oven roasted BBQ fries, and a super easy dipping sauce.


Okay, let's get the elephant out of the room.  Many barbecue enthusiasts HATE when ANYONE calls something BBQ that isn't "smoked".  Trevor even called me out on that and said that these potatoes aren't "fries" or "BBQ".  Technically these are "oven roasted potato strips with a BBQ rub infused smear all over them" but that is too **** long of a title.  Live with it :)

BBQ Fries
source:  www.nibblemethis.com

Ingredients
  • 4 large russet potatoes
  • 3 Tbsp oil
  • 1 Tbsp BBQ dry rub*
  • few pinches of Kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup mayo
  • 3 Tbsp smoky BBQ sauce*
Instructions
  1. Put a cookie sheet into an oven and preheat the oven to 475f.
  2. Whisk the bbq sauce and mayo together thoroughly and refrigerate until ready to serve
  3. Cut your potatoes (unpeeled if you like a rustic touch like me) into 1/4" fries.  To do this, slice a thin piece off of a side to give you a firm base.  Cut the potato lengthwise into 1/4" (or a little bigger) slices.  You should get about 4 slices.  Take each of these planks and cut them in 4 slices lengthwise.  (see picture below for examples).  
  4. Soak the fries in cold water for 10 minutes.  Remove and thoroughly dry.
  5. Mix the oil and BBQ rub together.  
  6. Place the fries on the cookies sheet, pour the oil/rub mixture over them and toss lightly to coat.
  7. Place the sheet in the middle of the oven and cook for 30-40 minutes.  Flip the fries every 8-10 minutes, until golden.
Notes
While the "BBQ Fries" were oven roasting, I put my Johnsonville brats in a brat tub and then grilled them.

Brat Tub Party
inspired by just about any recipe on Johnsonville's site

Ingredients
  • 5 Johnsonville bratwursts
  • 1 Vidalia onion, cut into wedges
  • 4-6 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
  • 2 Tbsp BBQ rub
  • 12 oz beer
  • 12 oz water
Instructions
  1. Preheat a charcoal grill to 350f.  (For a standard sized grill, this should be about 3 quarts of Kingsford briquettes.)
  2. Put all of the ingredients except the brats into a half steam pan on the grill and preheat for about 5 minutes, until simmering. 
  3. Place the brats in the brat tub and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the brats reach an internal temp of 150f.
  4. Remove the brats from the brat tub and grill them direct for a few minutes a side
  5. Serve with your favorite toppings.  Mine are the onions from the brat tub and some hot chow chow.
I like leaving the skins on.  Not only is it easier, they add flavor and nutrients. 

Use a tea towel to dry the potatoes after the soak.

Rubbed and ready to go into the oven.

Friday Night Lights! 

While I grilled, Trevor tried out his new deck.  I love summer evening grilling while the whole family is out.

It's a brat tub party on a Friday night.

Sizzle sizzle


This was a big hit with the family.  The bratwursts were amazing as always. The fries were fought over when there was just a few left.  What a great way to start the weekend!