Grilled Bratwurst with Onions Braised in Beer and Mustard

Sausage has the capacity to blend well with a variety of herbs, spices, fruits and vegetables. Different ingredient combinations also yield ethnic sausage varieties, including Andouille (French/Cajun), Bratwurst (German) and Chorizo (Mexican and Spanish).

Sausage is a highly versatile type of ground pork. Supermarkets offer a variety of pre-seasoned and ready-to-cook options that are perfect for breakfast or the grill. Adventurous home cooks also may choose to prepare homemade sausage by combining ground pork with their choice of seasonings.

Sausage is seasoned ground pork that is often enclosed in a casing. The ground pork used for sausage can come from a variety of cuts of pork including the shoulder butt and the loin. Sausage may be fresh, smoked or cured.

There are two ways to grill pork based on the size of the cut:

• Direct heat, where food is placed directly over the heat source, is ideal for small cuts like kabobs, tenderloin, burgers and chops.
• Indirect heat, where food is placed on the grill rack away from the coals or gas burners, is good for large cuts like loin roasts, ribs, shoulder and fresh ham.

COOKING BASICS:
Direct Heat

Arrange hot coals evenly on the fire grate of the grill or use all gas burners. Place pork directly above the heat source. Follow suggested cooking times, turning once during cooking.

Indirect Heat

Bank hot coals on both sides of the fire grate, on one side of the grill or in a ring around the perimeter. For gas grills, pre-heat and then turn off any burners directly below where the food will go. Place pork on the grill so it is not directly over any coals or gas burners and close grill hood. Follow suggested cooking times until pork is done. The heat circulates inside the grill, so turning the pork is not necessary.