How Do You Bake Bratwurst In The Oven?

Last Updated on 17th December 2021 by

You’re probably used to cooking bratwurst on the stovetop or the grill. That gives it a really nice charred look, but can you get the same effect and cook them properly in the oven? You can, and it’s a simple and easy way to cook your bratwurst.

The advantage to using the oven for cooking this meat is that you don’t have to go outside during cold winter months or rainy days to cook on the grill. You also don’t have to bother with the mess that comes from working on the stove top and the spattered grease that you have to clean up later.

I like cooking bratwurst in the oven because of how easy the cleanup process is and how simple it is to season and prepare them for oven cooking. You also don’t need to move the bratwurst around too much while cooking in the oven.

They cook evenly there, especially when compared to the grill or stovetop where you need to move them around and flip them over every now and then.

If you want to keep things simple and just throw them into the oven and forget about them until the timer goes off while you prepare other food, then this is a great way to cook bratwurst.

This meat is so packed with flavor and incredibly juicy. It’s just oozing fat, which gives it tons of great flavor. It’s certainly not the healthiest meat, but it’s one of the more flavorful ones.

You can add bratwurst to dishes like a breakfast scramble with some eggs and cheese and potatoes, or it can be used as a side for your dinner. You can make sandwiches with bratwurst and use it to make soup more flavorful and filling.

How to Cook Bratwurst in the Oven

You’ll typically find brats sold raw in the grocery, and they may be stored frozen or refrigerated in the store. You can store them at home either way, and if they are refrigerated, you have to use them within a few days.

The raw brats will need to be cooked to reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit. In order to hit that internal temperature, you should start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you change the temperature setting, you’ll have to change the amount of time they spend cooking in the oven.

There’s no need to grease a baking pan for cooking brats, though you can use nonstick spray if you like. Because these are already fatty and oily meats, you probably want to stick with parchment paper. That means less cleanup for you and a healthier dish. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper before adding the meat.

Lay the brats onto the parchment paper without stacking them or overlapping them in any way. They shouldn’t be touching each other either. Using either parchment paper or nonstick cooking spray keeps the brats from sticking to the pan.

If you’re cooking these sausages at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, they only need to bake for 15 minutes on one side. Then, flip with them over and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

They may need as long as 15 additional minutes on the second side. You can check to see if they’re done by poking them with a food thermometer. If they reached 160 degrees Fahrenheit internally, they are ready to eat.

Bratwurst can cook all the way through without you needing to flip them over, but flipping them ensures that they look browned on both sides.

When cooking your bratwurst, give them a little space between each other. If they touch, they probably won’t cook evenly and thoroughly. About 1/2 inch space between each of them is adequate.

If you’ve never cooked Bratwurst before and you are not sure what they look like when they’re done, you can use the kitchen thermometer to determine that. Look for an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

Some Bratwursts are flavored and others aren’t. Pay attention to that if you want a particular flavor from yours.

If you have no cooking spray or parchment paper, what can you use instead? You could brush a layer of oil onto the baking sheet, or you can use aluminum foil.

How to Cook Frozen Bratwurst

What if you want to take Bratwurst right from the freezer and put them in the oven? Is that possible or do they need to thaw out before you bake them?

The good news about baking frozen bratwurst is that you don’t need to let them thaw out. They can go into the oven frozen, but you will need to cook them for an extra 15 to 20 minutes.

Use the same cooking instructions I gave you above, but give them an extra flip or two while cooking to make sure they brown all over.

If you want them to cook faster and you prefer that they thaw out first, just transfer them from the freezer to the fridge the night before you plan to cook them. By morning, they should be completely thawed.

What to do with Leftover Bratwurst

If you have any leftovers, you can store them in the fridge for a few days before using them. You can also store them in the freezer for up to three months.

There are tons of different ways bratwurst sausages can be used and added to other dishes. Add them to pasta, soup, stir fries, potatoes, noodles, burritos, hash browns, and more.

They work very well in conjunction with carbohydrates, and their sweet, flavorful taste makes them a good partner with bland dishes.

If you’ve chosen bratwurst that don’t have a lot of flavor, you can spice them up with chili powder, parsley, teriyaki sauce, and more. Just about any ingredients you would use to season other types of meat can be used with brats as well.

When you’re ready to reheat your leftover brats, you can do that in the microwave, or you can throw them into a stir fry on the grill or the stovetop. They can also be warmed in the oven. Pretty much any heating method works well for warming them up again.

Because bratwursts contain lots of juicy fat, you can cook them up with other foods to help add flavor to those foods. Try microwaving them with bread to permeate the bread with the brat juice.

Cook them up in a pan on the stove with noodles, rice, another bland carbs to give those foods some added flavor.

If you want to make your meal healthier and less fattening, you can drain off the excess oil after cooking breads or reheating them. You can also dab them with a paper towel to remove oil on the skin. There still be plenty of fat inside the bratwurst, but at least you’ll be getting rid of some of the excess.

If you want to warm them up in a pan without using fatty oil, you can put a little water into the bottom of the pan or simply use a nonstick pan.

There are so many great ways to use bratwurst, and there’s no reason to let your leftovers go bad. Look up a few recipes to get some creative ideas, and you’ll find plenty of ways to make good use of what’s left.

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Pauline

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I'm Pauline, a mother of four grown children, my passion for cooking stemmed from the joy i get cooking for my family. I love to try new dishes, especially when dining out but creating and sharing my own recipes is my favourite thing to do!