That is a good question. I'll have to ask my husband if he pokes them or not. He does the brats while I do the salads and keep the dog from snatching something and hiding under the dining room table.
Another new high for me. I cooked 6 brats on the grill tonite prior to doing the T-bones. I put them in a shallow dish of beer to soak for an hour. Laid them on the upper deck of the grill for 30 minutes and drizzled a little beer and Italian over them, turning periodically until they were browned. My wife and son were pleasantly surprised at how good these things were. Much better than the steamed ones I made earlier with beer and onions. I ate mine whole in a paper towel. They cut theirs up and toothpicked the pieces. Can I be a honorary Ventura Minnisotan?
Boil them first in water, (parboiling?), then "fry" them on a hot grill until they are borderline brown/black. Then soak in beer all afternoon. The cheaper the beer, the better. Get some hard rolls from the store and smother the brats in relish, mustard and onions. Yikes! Make lots, because there's nothing better than brats for breakfast.
Wait Mel, your recipe indicates you eat them cold on hard bread. Yikes! What punishment. And what's that twang in brats that I'm trying to get used to?
Oh Don, the brats are in a pot of beer on the stove all day, simmering. They're warm and delicious! The hard rolls are fresh from the bakery and great. (They're called hard rolls, but they're basically buns that aren't doughy.)
Twang? Kiwi is RIGHT, we can barely watch a Packer game without a kitchen counter full of taco dip and nacho chips, seven layer salad and enough brats to feed our family three times.
Mel, have you ever tailgated at Lambeau? The smell of thousands of home chefs doing their best is just heavenly...and then you get to watch a game, too! Mercy, that's a good weekend.
Yes, I've tailgated at Lambeau! The party before the party! Enjoying brats and beer in the parking lot before a Packer game, surrounded by others in green and gold. Don't tease me, August is a long ways off yet!
Mel, that's the way they eat them in Germany, but with a noticeable difference. They still use hard rolls, but the brats are a foot long. Picture that, will ya'!!
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 06-29-04 AT 02:07PM (CST)[/font][br][br]Brats at a tailgate one week, some porterhouses the next, burgers the next, and then Don, a Jack Daniels deep fried turkey the next. Repeat.
Ouch, saurkraut on a brat doesn't sound real pleasant. Doesn't that cover up the crunchy flavor of the over-cooked brat? I'll save my saurkraut for pork chops and dumplings. Mmmmm.
Oh Don, a meal like that sticks to your bones and you're not hungry for a week. You can either pressure-cook the pork chops with the saurkraut, then open the pressure-cooker and make the dumplings on the top OR bake the pork chops and make the rest on the stove top.
From such a food-expert like yourself, I expected more.
Oh my God, Don D! You've not LIVED until you've had pork, sauerkraut & dumplings!!! My grandmother makes it with pork roast instead of chops & there's nothing better (assuming you like sauerkraut, of course!) Just cook it at someone else's house, lest yours smell like the kraut for a few months!
I submit my testimony for the sauerkraut and pork. What kind of dumplings? I make the drop kind. Mmmm. Gotta' try those spam and brat ideas. Say, what's so funny about the '25% less fat bacon' math? (Bonde, indeed!)
Well, we do chicken 'n' dumplins way down here in the South. But I suppose most anything will taste good with pork chops done right, as long as they aren't cooked dry. I prefer fried pork chops, purple hulled peas, fried okra, mexican cornbread, eggplant caserole, cole slaw and sweet tea. But, what do I know?
I am soooo late getting in on this thread, but actually I'm looking for an okra recipe. My beloved husband planted a bunch in our garden and I have no idea even when to pick it, let alone what to do with it afterwards! Can you help?
I like all kinds of fried okra, but my favorite is with a little less breading than is usually served in restaurants, so here's how I make it at home. Wash and slice the okra, discarding the stem ends but not the tips. Leave a bit of moisture on the okra and shake it in a bag of cornmeal. Fry in a skillet with a shallow amount of oil until golden brown. Fry at high heat so it cooks quickly. A good bit of the cornmeal will stay in the skillet with the oil, but you'll still have just enough of a coating to make your okra crispy without completely disguising the okra taste.
Now, backing up a step, here are some tips about picking okra. Don't let it get too long or it will be tough. Three to four inches is good. MOST IMPORTANT: Do not under any circumstances pick okra with any skin exposed. Wear long pants, a long sleeved shirt, and gloves. The fur on the okra and the okra leaves will eat you alive, as I've learned the hard way.
Whirlwind - I'm going to try that recipe. I get my okra from Acme but I have a question. If you can't get the okra on yourself (any exposed skin) how do you go about fixing it? Do you run a sink full of water and wash the 'fur' off? The okra in Acme does not have fur.
Maybe "fur" is the wrong word; don't know what to call it but it's definitely textured or nappy in some way that's itchy -- the leaves more so than the actual pods. Walking through the plants and reaching through the leaves in bare arms and legs is the main problem. So once you've picked the okra in proper attire, bring it inside and rinse it off and you'll be okay.
I'm not exactly a country gal myself, but my dad used to grow okra every year in our suburban back yard.
Dumplings made from Bisquik are great when time is tight, they're perfectly dry, just begging for gravy.
Potato dumplings are the best when you have all day to make them. You can almost feel your heart stop pumping for a few seconds when you eat these high-carb high-cholesterol fried-in-bacon treats.
My mom is Croatian, and an old family recipe is dumpling soup. The dumplings are made with eggs, flour, a little bit of baking powder, salt and that's it. You have to get the texture right or you have nothing but a floury mess. Drop them by teaspoons into boiling chicken broth, add some kluski noodles, a few sliced carrots, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Great for a sicky or a cool fall day (so I go with anything below 80 in AZ). It's one of the things all three of my boys requested to be taught to make.
My mom also makes spare ribs with sauerkraut and a homemade barbeque (for lack of a better word) sauce - lots of onions. Make mashed potatoes and the sauce goes over everything. It's wonderful.
Also for a tailgate in cold weather:
1 lb kielbasa 1 lb pork ribs 1 can sauerkraut, or equal amount packaged or bottled 1 can light kidney beans Potatoes
Parboil ribs. When tender add potatoes and kielbasa. When almost tender, add the rest. Salt and pepper to taste. Grab the pot and go.
In a crunch, don't overlook the fact that you can crank open a can of biscuits and pinch them into four pieces, dropping them into the hot broth for 'passable' dumplins'. I'm comin' to Leslie's momma's place.
The Total Package: The Secret History and Hidden Meanings of Boxes, Bottles, Cans, and Other Persuasive Containers by Thomas Hine
Don: Saw this book ad moments after reading your post. See, nothing to do with being "a blonde" you just needed to read the book :-) or between the lines..or something. All I know is, obviously, the package was "persuasive" !! Happy frying...
Comments
The smell of brats drew me to this thread.
Boil them first in water, (parboiling?), then "fry" them on a hot grill until they are borderline brown/black. Then soak in beer all afternoon. The cheaper the beer, the better. Get some hard rolls from the store and smother the brats in relish, mustard and onions. Yikes! Make lots, because there's nothing better than brats for breakfast.
Twang? Kiwi is RIGHT, we can barely watch a Packer game without a kitchen counter full of taco dip and nacho chips, seven layer salad and enough brats to feed our family three times.
Nothing like brats in our lunch on a Monday.
mcmel, relish and no sauerkraut? Never say so!
My mouth is watering . . .
From such a food-expert like yourself, I expected more.
Now, backing up a step, here are some tips about picking okra. Don't let it get too long or it will be tough. Three to four inches is good. MOST IMPORTANT: Do not under any circumstances pick okra with any skin exposed. Wear long pants, a long sleeved shirt, and gloves. The fur on the okra and the okra leaves will eat you alive, as I've learned the hard way.
Let us know how your okra turns out!
Okay, Okay - I'm from the city.
I'm not exactly a country gal myself, but my dad used to grow okra every year in our suburban back yard.
Potato dumplings are the best when you have all day to make them. You can almost feel your heart stop pumping for a few seconds when you eat these high-carb high-cholesterol fried-in-bacon treats.
My mom also makes spare ribs with sauerkraut and a homemade barbeque (for lack of a better word) sauce - lots of onions. Make mashed potatoes and the sauce goes over everything. It's wonderful.
Also for a tailgate in cold weather:
1 lb kielbasa
1 lb pork ribs
1 can sauerkraut, or equal amount packaged or bottled
1 can light kidney beans
Potatoes
Parboil ribs. When tender add potatoes and kielbasa. When almost tender, add the rest. Salt and pepper to taste. Grab the pot and go.
by Thomas Hine
Don: Saw this book ad moments after reading your post. See, nothing to do with being "a blonde" you just needed to read the book :-) or between the lines..or something. All I know is, obviously, the package was "persuasive" !! Happy frying...