Cheesy Brats With Celery-Pickle Relish
There are hundreds of weeknights in a year. That’s a lot of dinner! Test kitchen editor Kendra Vaculin is here to help. In her series Speedy Does It, she shares whoa-worthy meals you can get on the table like *snaps fingers* that.
I come from a hot-dog-loving family and jump at any opportunity to throw a few on the grill. While I’m more than happy to stick to a classic all-beef-with-just-mustard situation, sometimes the occasion calls for a bun stuffed with a bit more flair. That’s where these gussied-up sausages come in. They are butterflied (i.e., cut down the length and split open like a book) to create two flat sides for even cooking and maximized char. One side gets topped with cheese—which, when tucked into a bun, encases the sausage in meltiness—and the other side forms a perfect crevice for stuffing with a bright and crunchy celery relish. If you’re not into butterflying the sausages, feel free to grill them whole and melt the cheese directly onto the buns.
Hot-dog-style sausages—that is, those that have “fully cooked” on their label—work best here. Fresh sausages, meaning the style made from raw ground meat stuffed inside a casing, don’t slice and split as neatly, and make the butterflying and grilling method much more difficult. Compare these fully cooked beer brats with these fresh bratwurst from the same brand; for this recipe, you’ll want to seek out the former variety.
Recipe information
Total Time
20 minutes
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Prepare a grill for medium-high heat; oil grate with vegetable oil. Remove any leaves from 3 celery stalks and set aside for serving. Cut stalks lengthwise into quarters, then thinly slice crosswise. Transfer to a medium bowl and add ¼ cup finely chopped pickles, 2 Tbsp. spicy brown mustard, 2 tsp. white wine vinegar, and 1 tsp. honey; mix well. Season relish with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
Step 2
Working one at a time, slice down the length of 4 hot-dog-style bratwurst, hot dogs, or other cooked sausages, taking care not to cut all the way through. Open up bratwurst like a book and flatten.
Step 3
Grill 4 hot dog buns, split, cut side down, to lightly toast, about 2 minutes. Transfer to plates. Grill bratwurst, cut side up, until lightly charred, about 2 minutes. Turn over and top with 4 oz. sharp white cheddar, thinly sliced, dividing evenly. Cover and cook until grill marks appear on cut side and cheese is melted, about 2 minutes.
Step 4
Spread spicy brown mustard on inside of buns. Nestle bratwurst into buns so cheese creates a layer between buns and sausages. Fill split between sides of sausages with relish. Garnish with reserved celery leaves if using.
