Ingredients
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 bratwursts
1 (12-oz.) can beer
8 large cabbage leaves
Dijon mustard, for serving
1 c. sauerkraut
Preparation
Step 1In a large skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook until slightly tender, 4 minutes. Push onions to edges of skillet and add brats to center of skillet. Sear brats until golden, 2 minutes per side. Add beer and simmer on medium-low until all the liquid has evaporated, 10 to 14 minutes.Step 2Meanwhile, blanch cabbage: In a large pot of boiling water, use tongs to dip cabbage leaves in water for 30 seconds. Place on a paper towel–lined plate to dry. When cool enough to handle, cut a “V” at the base of the leaf to remove the toughest part of the stem.Step 3Build wraps: Overlap 2 cabbage leaves, cut sides in, to create one large oval. Spread mustard in the center of cabbage leaves, then top with caramelized onions, sauerkraut, and brats. Fold the short ends of the cabbage leaves in, then tightly roll from one long end to the other.
First things first—if you’re going to wrap something in a cabbage leaf, it needs to be a little bit pliable, but not so much so that it falls apart. To achieve this, you’re going to want to blanch them for just 30 seconds, so get a timer going. If the head is too tight to peel off intact leaves before blanching, try immersing the entire head in the pot, and use tongs to gently pry off each layer as it’s ready. Don’t worry if some aren’t perfect, you can overlap them when wrapping to cover any tears. Once you’ve got your cabbage leaves ready to go, it’s time for the main event. We love cooking our onions in the same pan as our brats for two reasons—one, less dirty dishes, and two, it creates the most melt-in-your-mouth-delicious caramelized onions EVER. Though bratwurst can explode when cooking, this slower cooking method should keep them from doing so (but keep an eye on them, and if you’re worried, you can always pierce them with a fork to take some pressure off). You might be wondering why we made this big fuss about cutting down on gluten, and then added a very gluten-full beer to these brats. We’re all about moderation (and not eliminating some of the joyful things in life), but if you like, swap in a non-alcoholic beer instead. We haven’t tried it, but we think vegetable broth, cider, or ginger ale could also work. Fun fact: while the carbs will stay the same after cooking, the alcohol will burn off, so these can be enjoyed by anyone in your family (kids and teetotalers alike). Made these? Let us know how it went in the comments below. Editor’s Note: This recipe was updated on August 26, 2022.
