Slow Cooker Brats
July 13, 2025 • 0 comments
Brats, onions, and beer are slow cooked to juicy perfection and ready to pile high on a bun with your favorite toppings. This hands-off recipe is full of flavor and perfect for weeknights, meal prep, or feeding a crowd!
Ingredients
- (1 or 2 pkgs (4 brats/pkg)) Any pkg of TF's no-weird-stuff brats
- (1-2 Tbsp) Butter (try a flavored butter!)
- (1) Onion, large, thinly sliced
- (2-3 (use your heart)) Garlic cloves, peeled & lightly crushed
- (8-10 oz) Beer
- (1 tsp) Worcestershire (optional)
- (1) Bell pepper, sliced (optional)
- (to taste) Salt & black pepper
- Buns & condiments for serving
Directions
- Layer onions, garlic, and peppers (if using) in slow cooker. Dot with butter. (Want the maximum amount of flavor? Sauté the onions and garlic in the butter for 2-3 minutes before adding to the slow cooker.)
- Add brats, being careful to not puncture the casings. Season with salt & pepper. Pour beer and Worcestershire over.
- Cook on Low for 6 hours or on High for 3-4 hours.
- Optional: Sear before serving by patting the cooked brats dry and then pan-searing or grilling for 2-3 min per side to brown and enhance the flavor.
- Serve on buns (pretzel buns are best!) with onions, peppers and optional-to-some sauerkraut. German potato salad is a perfect pairing.
No beer? No problem! Sub with Âľ cup beef broth + ÂĽ cup apple cider vinegar. Or, use apple cider or apple juice with a splash of cider vinegar or mustard. Or, dissolve an onion soup mix packet in a cup of water. Goal: 8-10 oz liquid.
We prefer to add our kraut afterwards to keep as many probiotics alive as possible but if you want to add the kraut on top of the onion and the brats on top of that, you sure can! We are LOVING our new ferments from Wise Goat (available for on-farm or local delivery only).
Big family or have a company coming (or doing meal prep and want to be ready for the week?): To make 2 packages (8 brats), double everything except the beer - just use the full 12 oz bottle or can.
