A Pink Center Doesn't Necessarily Mean Your Bratwurst Is Undercooked

Whether you're cooking a classic bratwurst, a veal-heavy Kulmbacher bratwurst, a smoky bierwurst, or another one of the many regional varieties of German bratwurst available, you know you can look forward to a tasty bite of sausage with a delightful snap. Assuming you cooked it correctly, that is, and didn't make one of the many mistakes everyone makes with sausages, or worse, undercook your sausage link. You cut into your freshly cooked brats, only to see a pink center. Uh oh, does that mean that you undercooked your bratwursts? Not necessarily.

We spoke with Christie Vanover, owner and pitmaster of Girls Can Grill, who gave us this expert advice on how to tell if your bratwurst is cooked properly. "The most accurate way to know if your brats are fully cooked is to use a digital meat thermometer," she explains. "Insert it into the end toward the center. The probe should register at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit. If you go too far over that, they will dry out." If your probe shows at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit then your bratwurst has been fully cooked and is safe to eat, even if the center still looks a little pink.

Although undercooked bratwurst is one reason for a pink color, in which case, you shouldn't eat them to avoid the risk of food borne illnesses such as salmonella, E.coli, and listeria, trichinosis, and toxoplasmosis, there are other non-cooking related reasons why your bratwurst can still have a pink hue, even after they have been properly cooked to the correct temperature. It all depends on the type of bratwurst and its ingredients.

Bratwurst can contain salt, spices such as paprika and cayenne pepper, or nitrates, any and all of which can lead to it holding on to a pink or reddish hue. A review of the ingredient list will reveal whether your bratwurst contains one or more of these color-preserving culprits. That said, you can have a bratwurst that looks pink because it has these ingredients but also because it's undercooked. For that reason, it's best to be safe and make sure you cooked your bratwurst to the safe internal temperature. While there are other tricks for checking for doneness, such as making sure the brats are firm and the juices run clear, they're not completely accurate. To be truly safe, use a meat thermometer as Christie Vanover recommends. It's also a good way to ensure that you don't overcook your brats and end up with a rubbery mess instead.