Crock Pot Beer Brats

One of my favorite dishes are Beer Brats. I had come across a recipe on Food.com that had them cooking in the crock pot and, although I had my misgivings, I wanted to at least try them. While this recipe is good in a pinch, it wasn't my favorite compared to my Grilled Hot Pads, but would definitely be acceptable in a wintery pinch.

I didn't like the look of the brats coming out of the slow cooker, so I ended up finishing them up in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes to get them browned.

As shown, I serve mine on a plate with the sauerkraut and mashed potatoes. They could just as easily be served on a roll though, if preferred.

So, here we go!:

Ingredients:


1 lb onions, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rings
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 1/2 lbs bratwursts ( 10 sausages)
3 cups beer ( Budweiser or other light Am. lager recommended)
1/4 cup Dijon mustard, plus extra for serving
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 cup sauerkraut 

Directions:


1) Combine onions, soy sauce, and sugar in bowl and microwave until just softened, about 5 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking. 

2) Spread onions and their liquid in bottom of slow cooker. Arrange bratwursts in single layer on top of onions. 

3) Whisk beer, mustard, and caraway seeds together in bowl and add to slow cooker. Cover and cook until bratwursts are tender, 6 to 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high. 

4) Transfer bratwursts to cookie sheet and bake for an additional 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven until browned. Stir sauerkraut into onion mixture in crock pot and let sit until warmed. Strain onion-­sauerkraut mixture through a colander. Discard the liquid and transfer solids to serving bowl. 

5) Serve with sauerkraut/onion mixture either with rolls or with mashed potatoes.