Cooking Drunken Bratwurst

There's little that compares to a night out under the stars. Whether you're on a week-long adventure in Yellowstone or a weekend at a nearby National Forest, it's quality time together and the kind of fresh air that makes day-to-day distractions distant memory.

But somebody has to cook. It can be quite a chore for the uninitiated-moving Dutch ovens around a campfire and keeping the cook stove pressured up, while stirring things enough to avoid disaster. The key is to keep meals simple. After all, getting outdoors shouldn't mean toiling over three square meals a day.

Bratwurst is a tailgating favorite and it's always a hit at backyard barbecues. Toss it on the grill, turn periodically until cooked through and sizzling. It's pretty hard to ruin the oversized sausage, but there are some different ways of preparing it that are ideal for camping, and good enough that you may even prefer it while watching the next round of March Madness.

Drunken bratwurst take minimum effort and cook much longer than their grilled cousins, but many of the condiments are being brewed at the same time, in a single pan. In other words, toss them on the stove at a low setting, turn every 30 minutes or so, and simmer until done.

Start by adding a can of beer to the pan. Turn the heat on low and then punch holes all around the bratwurst to allow them to drink the suds as they're simmering. Drop the bratwurst in and slice a yellow onion. Add the onion. If you want bell peppers slice them, remove the seeds and add to the pan. Red bell peppers make the dish a little more colorful.

Add enough beer to nearly cover all of the ingredients in the pan, cover and allow to slowly cook. Depending on how air tight your covering is, the bratwurst will need to be turned about every 30 minutes to hour to ensure they cook through. When turning, stir the vegetables so they too cook evenly.

The alcohol evaporates away long before any of the other liquid. The beer only adds a subtle flavoring, so you can eat and drive safely with this meal.

If the liquid bath starts to simmer down too low, add more beer. However, stop adding anything if it's nearly time to eat. You want to allow the onion and pepper to get good and tender, nearly caramelized by the time you use them for condiments on the bratwurst. There should be very little liquid left when you serve the food.

Traditionalists may prefer that crunchy, grilled consistency to their bratwurst, though. The request is easy enough to accommodate by simply tossing the cooked sausages, without the vegetables, on the grill for a few seconds for a good searing.

Then serve on a bun and add the prepared vegetables as preferred. The slow simmer makes the casings extremely tender and this approach also works well for those home-bound weekends. Some people prefer to pierce the bratwurst casings the night before and to marinate overnight in beer, claiming they're much more juicy after cooking.

Whether you're overnighting under the stars, or just don't want to miss a tip-off, give this recipe a try the next time bratwurst is on the menu. You'll be glad you did.