bratxotic - adjective - of foreign or unusual character for a bratwurst, of uniquely new or experimental nature.
The thing that I learned from that was to be creative and use bratwursts in ways other than just link sausage. Dice it, slice it, or use it as bulk sausage. Brats - they aren't just for buns anymore! With that in mind, I tried something bratxotic this weekend.
Fire Roasted Bratwurst Stuffed Bell Peppers
source: www.nibblemethis.com
Ingredients
- 4 links Johnsonville Original Brats
- 4 ea green bell peppers
- 1 cup pearl couscous, cooked according to directions*
- 1/4 cup onion, peeled and diced
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 cup marinara sauce
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
Instructions
- Preheat a charcoal grill set up for indirect heat to 350f.
- Cut the top off of the bell peppers, remove the core and blanch the peppers for 3 minutes. (Drop in boiling water and then remove them to ice water.)
- Remove the brats from their casing, break up into small pieces and brown in a saute pan over medium high heat. As the bratwurst just starts to brown, add the onions and garlic. Finish cooking until the sausage has browned.
- Stir in 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce and Italian seasoning, cooking for another minute. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup of the cheese.
- Stuff the meat and couscous mixture into the bell peppers. Top the stuffed peppers with the remaining 1/2 cup of marinara sauce.
- Place in a grill safe dish (we like stoneware) and roast on the grill for 45 minutes total. Top with the remaining cheese in the last 10 minutes.
Notes:
- Couscous measurement given is the precooked amount.
Using the bratwurst as bulk sausage was excellent. I can't believe I've never tried it like that before. It cooks like Italian sausage but brings a different taste profile that we really enjoyed.
Brat Days - Entertainment
When Johnsonville invited Alexis and me to attend Brat Days, I knew that the food was going to be good. What I didn't know is how entertaining it was going to be. The Sheboygan Jaycees packed some fun stuff for this festival.
Saturday started off with the Brat Days parade. It starts off in picturesque downtown and ends three miles later at the festival.
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Where does a 13 foot tall Bratmeister grill his brats? Anywhere he wants to! |
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When we finished the 3 mile parade route, the tail end of the parade was still just starting, so it was a LONG parade. I got to keep the two door signs so I now possess the world's largest refrigerator magnets :)
Then there was the Brat Eating Contest. Contestants had 10 minutes to eat as many brats (no buns or condiments) as they could in an attempt to split a $1,000 prize with the local charity of their choice.
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On your mark.....get set....... |
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EAT!!! |
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The big crowd cheered them on as they chowed down. |
The rules is that whatever is in your mouth at 10 minutes AND you swallow, counts. The state Wing Eating champ Andrew Contois was 1 brat behind the leader and crammed 3 brats into his mouth to get to 15. After 5 suspenseful minutes, there was an "incident" and he did NOT win. When the smoke cleared, the magic number was....
Wally Jacoby (2010 Champion) was the 2012 Brat Eating Champ! He ate about 3 1/4 lbs of bratwursts in 10 minutes.
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Yes, Wally shows off his iron stomach by chowing down another brat during his radio interview. |
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The midway rides provided fun for all ages. |
The park has a nice skateboard & bmx park. The local kids kept it busy all weekend.
The event had three entertainment stages and there was always a band playing somewhere.
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The Storm is a band of four 12 year olds and they did really well, playing a mix of older alternative songs and current hits. |
Two bands that I had never heard of but really impressed us were...
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Daphni - they did some fun 80's covers but their original stuff rocked even more. |
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Shaker and the Egg - a funk band that .... well....played that funky music, white boy. |
Their tagline is "A bombastic celebration of arena rock". They do cover rock classics but do it in the most entertaining way I have ever seen. They swap out lead singers and each one is dressed in full costume for whatever band they are covering every other song. So their performance is a rapid fire, revolving door of artists punctuated with arena style special effects like explosions, smoke, and fire. One second Van Halen is up there performing, the next Prince, then Alice Cooper, then......I lost count of how many "bands" we saw that night.
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KISS |
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Is that a pledge pin on your uniform? Twisted Sister |
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Guns N Roses |
At the end of the event, there was more entertainment than you could shake a brat-on-a-stick at.
Great idea for the stuffed peppers Chris and the festival looks like lots of fun.
ReplyDeleteWow! What a fun event!
ReplyDeleteThe funny thing is, at this very minute as I'm reading your post, my Steve is in the backyard putting brats on the grill.
Have a great day, Connie :)
The stuffed peppers look great and the brats seem like a great idea. I love small town mid west celebrations. And the "bands" sound like a hoot.
ReplyDeleteWow, what a great event. Looks like they went all out. Thanks for posting all the photos and taking us along.
ReplyDeleteSounds like an awesome time was had!! Wow that guy ate over 3lbs of Brats...that's a chunk of meat.
ReplyDeleteOMG, as though the stuffed peppers weren't seductive enough, this looks like SUCH a blast! I'll have to add this to Fairy Mary's Wish List, right after MIM ... :)
ReplyDeleteLooks like an incredibly fun time was had by all!!
ReplyDeleteAnd the peppers... well, had my mom made that when I was a kid, I probably would have eaten more stuffed peppers!
How fun and what a yummy day too!! :)
ReplyDeletethat sounds like such a fun event. i love what you did with that brat!
ReplyDeleteUse brats as bulk sausage? I'm all in. Always look for new ways to use brats. Thanks, Chris.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to see more pics of the band "The Storm." As a bass player from way back, (since I was 13), I'm interested.
Was never a fan of stuffed bell peppers, but I would make this.
Is bratxotic going to appear in webster's any time soon? I sure hope so!
ReplyDeleteI found this post useful.I was trying to find this. Really refreshing take on the information. Thanks a lot
ReplyDeletehttp://www.religionstube.com/categories/7/Music-Videos
The peppers look delicious! It sounds like you are having a blast at the festival!
ReplyDeleteKim in MD
What a fun festival,Chris!Thanks for sharing those pictures!
ReplyDeleteI am totally using that word, bratxotic! Thanks for a great recipe, can't wait to try it.
ReplyDeleteFun, fun, what a cool event to be the GM at! Those peppers look mighty tasty and it reminds me that I haven't made them this summer. Like the sausage and mozzarella cheese on yours! Guess you didn't enter the brat eating contest.
ReplyDeleteYum! Doesn't look like stuffed peppers could be any more delicious.
ReplyDeleteI love that huge German inflatable guy!
ReplyDeleteSo how many brats IS 3 1/4 lbs, anyway??
DeleteLooks like a WAY fun event...wish I didn't live so far.
RicklessssssS in Oregon
Wow - Grand Marshall...doesn't get any better than that! A kick-butt recipe (which I will make soon - thanks!), parade, eating contest, concert - a whirlwind of brattabulousness!
ReplyDeleteIf only you were still in school, you could have written the best "What I Did On My Summer Vacation" essay! xo, Nan
P.S. I curtsied before I wrote this.
Two posts full of fun. Brat eating contest alone is a hoot. Plus you are truly bratxotic. GREG
ReplyDeleteIt looks like such a GREAT time! I haven't had stuffed peppers in way too long - these look fabulous.
ReplyDelete