The Sweet And Tangy Condiment You Should Glaze Brats With For Robust Flavor

It's grilling season, and there are plenty of condiments ready to take center stage for all of your grilled (or braised, parboiled, baked, or pan-seared) meat. Whether you're showcasing your tried-and-true favorites, or checking out some trending sauces, dressings, or relishes, there are just certain flavor profiles that scream their choice of meat pairing. For bratwurst, that pairing is mustard. It's a marriage made in heaven, and to elevate your brats game, try glazing them with honey mustard dressing. The beauty of honey mustard as a glaze is not only the combination of flavors it brings to the party, but also the fact that even in its simplest form, honey mustard has the perfect composition for clinging to the meat.

The flavor of honey mustard glaze can be tailored to suit your taste, or even to match the type of brats you're cooking. Because bratwurst is a hefty sausage, it holds up well to a grainy mustard, and it loves robust flavors such as spicy brown or German mustard. Since this glaze requires only a few ingredients that are probably already in your pantry, it's a breeze to put together, and the possibility for add-ins is exciting. While there are multiple store-bought brands of honey mustard, you can also whip up your own for a quick brat glaze that will not only bring its own distinctive flavor, but will also allow you to control the amount of sugar in the recipe, which is essential for creating the perfect coating.

You may already have your favorite honey mustard dressing, but if you want to amp things up for your brats, try preparing your own. The ratio is key: For a good glaze that will hold onto your brats, you'll want to have a stronger sugar component than mustard. Try starting with a 2:1 ratio of sugars to mustard. You'll obviously need honey, but the secret ingredient that will hold your honey mustard glaze together is brown sugar. For a basic glaze recipe, combine ½ cup of brown sugar, ½ cup of honey, and ½ cup of mustard. From there, you can experiment with the flavors by adding herbs and spices. Alternatively, you can use your favorite honey mustard brand and incorporate some brown sugar.

To glaze your brats, you'll want to start with pre-cooked sausage. The idea here is to focus on getting a nice glaze on the bratwurst, so make sure it's already reached a good internal temperature (160 degrees Fahrenheit). If you're grilling fresh brats, cook them first before applying the honey mustard. For a delicious, hassle-free combination of flavors, you can also start with this slow cooker beer brats recipe, then transfer the brats to the stovetop or grill and hit them with the honey mustard. Glaze the brats liberally with the honey mustard and rotate them as they cook, basting as needed, for about 5 minutes, or until the glaze starts to develop a deep, golden brown color.