The Cranberry Brat Burger Conception
The Cranberry Brat Burger is just straight up Wisconsin in a hand-held, edible creation of awesomeness. First off, when I was creating this recipe I thought about all of the flavors that would work together specifically from Wisconsin. A lot of food from Wisconsin can be VERY heavy with no relief. With brat meat, it is no different. Add cheese to the top of it and put it on a pretzel bun, you have that exact same heaviness. The more I thought about how I wanted to make this a well rounded sandwich, I landed on the usual to cut down the heaviness: sweetness and some acid. Enter: homemade cranberry sauce and sauerkraut.
The Stack
Even though this is a slider, this small package is packed with SO much flavor. It is also very complex with a great mix of flavor profiles. The stack is as follows:
– Pretzel Bun: A fantastic way to add flavor and even better texture. Make sure to put it on the grill for a bit to warm it up!
– Cranberry Sauce: Subtly sweet with some tartness to really help round off the flavors.
– Cranberry Beer Brat Patty: A classic Wisconsin Beer Brat with Craisins mixed in!
-Swiss Cheese: Some added creaminess. You need something with a little zing to it, though!
– Sauerkraut: Speaking of funk! Throw on some kraut for a nice kick of acid!
– Other Pretzel Bun: This isn’t an open faced sandwich…
The Sauce That Completes It All!
Let’s talk about the sauce! This sauce is a crazy concoction to make sense of this “Wisco” slider! What a lot of people don’t know about Wisconsin is it’s huge connection to the red fruit we call Cranberries. I know Wisconsin has a festival for pretty much anything, and you guessed correctly, it has a Cran Fest.
The best part about this is the fact that it is healthy! It has fruits and veggies! Don’t worry about the brown sugar and molasses…they’re both natural and organic…HEALTHY!
Check out where we had these over the weekend, here!
Cranberry Brat Burger
A complex little slider the sums up what it is to be a Wisconsinite! Some tart, some acid, and A LOT of savory all with that classic char you love and enjoy at a tailgate.
Ingredients
For Burgers:
- 2 lbs. Beer Brat Meat
- 1/4 c. Craisins
For Sauce:
- 1/4 c. Red Onion (minced)
- 3 Garlic Cloves (minced)
- 1 lb. Cranberries (fresh or frozen)
- 1/2 c. Water
- 1/4 c. Rice Wine Vinegar
- 3/4 c. Brown Sugar
- 3 tbsp. Light Molasses
- 2 tbsp. Dijon Mustard
- 1/2 tsp. Thyme
- 1/2 tsp. Salt
Other Ingredients:
- 8 Pretzel Buns (slider size)
- Sauerkraut
- 1 tbsp. Butter (unsalted)
- 8 Baby Swiss Slices
Instructions
For Burger:
- Mix all Brat Meat and Craisins together until evenly mixed.
- Seperated into 1/4 lb patties.
For Sauce:
- Place medium sized sauce pan on burner turned to medium heat. Place Butter in pan.
- Once Butter is melted, place Onion into pan.
- Once Onions are translucent, add Garlic.
- Once Garlic is fragrant, add Cranberries.
- Upon adding Cranberries, add rest of ingredients (Water, Rice Wine Vinegar, Brown Sugar, Molasses, Dijon, Thyme and Salt).
- Simmer for 10 minutes or until Cranberries are soft.
- Mash while simmering.
- Pull and place into container.
- Place in fridge.
For The Stack:
- Preheat grill to medium.
- Once preheated, place Burgers onto grill. Once marks are created on initial side, flip. Instantly, place slice of cheese on top. Cook until done.
- While Burgers are cooking, place Buns on to grill. Inside of bun face down.
- Pull when warmed.
- Add Cranberry Sauce on bottom bun. Top with Burger. Top burger with Sauerkraut.
- munch, Munch, MUNCH!
Notes
If someone in your group doesn\’t like Sauerkraut, whip up some Caramelized Onions for the the top!
Easily make these sliders into a Main Meal by using regular size Pretzel Buns and 1/3 lbs of Brat Meat.
