The Ice Bath Trick For “Snappier” Brats!

Fall in Minnesota and Western Wisconsin is definitely brat season. Any given weekend, you don’t have to go far to smell the classic aromas of brats smoking away. And the methods for cooking brats are almost as numerous as the flavors of brats available. (At Hagberg’s, we always have at least 18 flavors in our rotation.)

Since fall is prime smoking season, we thought it would be fun to share a video of an interesting way to cook brats from our friend Todd Seigel, aka The Lost Canuck, from just across the river in Hudson.

Todd chose Hagberg’s Korean Style and Bacon Cheddar brats for his demonstration.

This “ice bath” method results in tender, juicy brats with a nice, tight casing that gives you a firm, satisfying brat bite. In a nutshell, this is how it works. Pre-smoke the brats until they’re just about up to temp, then drop ‘em into an ice bath. The ice bath immediately stops the cooking, tightens the casing, and helps preserve the juiciness. After they’re dried off and given a long rest (usually overnight), they’re ready for the final smoke. The result is a juicy brat with just the right amount of snap. Check out the video for details.

With Hagberg’s brats, you can’t go wrong no matter how you cook ‘em. But if you truly savor your brats, this might be a good method to try!

Watch the video for details. Big thanks again to The Lost Canuck (aka Todd Seigel) for again sharing his love of meat! 

Have an interesting meal or meat method? Please feel free to share here!