Archive | June, 2016

This 4th of July, take your Brats to the next level with this delicious topping of caramelized onions and crispy bacon!

The chutney actually tastes great as a topping for any of our sausages, but we highly recommend it on our new Bratwurst with Beecher’s Flagship Cheddar.  If you haven’t tried it yet, be sure to look for this new sausage in the butcher block at Fred Meyer stores.  This savory bratwurst is laced with generous shreds of Beecher’s Handmade Flagship Cheddar for pretty much the ultimate cheese/sausage experience, if we do say so ourselves.

We used Hempler’s Center Cut Bacon in this recipe – not only is Hempler’s our sister company, but their bacon is hands-down the best of the best.  Crafted in the Northwest from a time-honored family recipe, using all-natural pork raised with no antibiotics on a vegetarian diet, you won’t find a leaner or more flavorful bacon anywhere.

Thinly sliced onions are combined with crispy bacon pieces and cooked down to a sweet and savory chutney that pairs perfectly with grilled sausage on a bun….there’s no resisting all that flavor!

Give this recipe a try and let us know what you think:

Bratwurst with Bacon Onion Chutney
(Adapted from Michael Symon’s Beer Brats with Bacon Onion Chutney)

Ingredients:
8 Isernio’s Bratwurst with Beecher’s Flagship Cheddar (or 8 of your favorite Isernio’s Sausage link variety)
1 Tb. Olive Oil
1/2 pound Hempler’s Bacon
2 Yellow Onions, sliced thinly
3 cloves Garlic, minced
2 sprigs Thyme (leaves only)
1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
2 Tb. Brown Sugar
1 Tb. Mustard Seeds
Salt & Pepper
1/4 cup Beer or Water
8 of your favorite buns
Your favorite mustard for serving, if desired

Method:

For the Chutney:
Slice the bacon into 1/2″ pieces, and fry in a skillet over medium heat, until crisp.  Remove bacon, leaving the fat in the skillet.  Add sliced onions and cook until transparent, about 10 minutes.

Add the bacon back into the skillet, folding into the onions.  Turn heat down to low and cook, stirring frequently, for an additional 15 minutes.  Add garlic and thyme leaves and cook 2 more minutes.  Then add the vinegar, brown sugar, mustard seed and salt & pepper to taste.  Cook 3-4 minutes, and add the beer or water, and then cook an additional 4 minutes.

For the Sausages:
Bring a skillet of water large enough to immerse your sausages, to a boil.  Lower uncooked sausages into boiling water, place the lid on and immediately turn heat off.  Let sausages sit in the hot water for approximately 7 minutes.

Remove the sausages from the water, and place on an oiled grill pre-heated to medium heat.  Grill sausages, turning every 2-3 minutes, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Sausages should reach an internal temperature of 155°F for pork and 165°F for chicken.

Lightly toast buns if desired.  When sausages and chutney are ready, serve a sausage on a bun topped with a generous amount of chutney and your favorite mustard if desired.

Top these Brats with the Bacon Onion Chutney and your favorite mustard and enjoy!

Whether Dad wants to sit back and let someone else do the cooking, or if he prefers to man the grill himself, these Grilled Sausage Skewers make the perfect (and EASY) Father’s Day meal.

The secret to great grilled sausage is to par-cook the sausages in hot water, and then finish them off on the grill.
So, start with your favorite Isernio’s sausage link varieties – you can use any combination of pork or chicken links – whatever suits your taste.  Bring a pot of water to boil.  Once it’s boiling, drop the sausages in the water and turn off the heat.  Cover the pot and let it sit for 7 minutes.  

Take the sausages out and drain on paper towels (at this point, if you wanted to prep this meal ahead of time, you could put them in an ice bath to cool them down quickly, and then refrigerate).  Cut each sausage diagonally into 4 pieces.  The sausages will be almost, but not quite, fully cooked at this point.  You’ll be finishing them off on the grill.

Then, cut your favorite vegetables into bite size pieces.  You can use a variety of brightly colored bell peppers, onion, zucchini, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes…whatever sounds good!  In a bowl, drizzle the vegetables with olive oil, salt and pepper and toss to coat.

Soak your wooden skewers in water for about 20 minutes before grilling, to prevent them from burning.  Skewer the sausage slices and veggies on to the skewers.

Heat your grill to medium heat.  Place the skewers on the grill and brush with olive oil.  Grill the skewers about 5 minutes per side, until the sausage is completely cooked (reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit) and the veggies are nice and tender.

Serve with a side of crusty bread, and of course Dad’s favorite beverage!

Full Recipe:

Ingredients:
4 Isernio’s Sausage Links – your favorite variety
2 Bell Peppers – Red, Yellow, Green or Orange
1 Red Onion
1 Zucchini
(or any other of your favorite vegetables – e.g. mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, etc.)
3 Tb. Olive Oil, plus extra for brushing on skewers during grilling
Salt & Pepper

Wooden skewers – pre-soaked in water for 20 minutes.

Method:
First pre-cook the sausages.  Bring a pot of water to boil.  Immerse the sausages in water, cover the pot and turn off the heat.  Let the sausages sit for 7 minutes, covered in the hot water.

Remove sausages from water and slice each link diagonally into 4 pieces.  (Sausages will not be completely cooked through at this point.)

Cut peppers, onion and zucchini into bite size chunks and place into a bowl.  Drizzle vegetables with 3 Tb. olive oil and season with salt & pepper.  Toss to coat.

Thread sausage and vegetables onto wooden skewers.

Heat grill to medium heat.  Brush skewers with olive oil and grill over medium heat for about 5 minutes per side, until sausage reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit and vegetables are tender.

Makes: 4 skewers