Jalapeno and Cheddar Brats with Spicy Chow Chow
There’s a few privileges I’m bringing to this recipe by having a farmer’s market close to me for sourcing both the brats and the chow chow relish. If you have a local market or a butcher near you, I’d highly suggest visiting them and not being afraid to ask dumb questions. They’re almost always not only butchers, but cooks themselves, so I find they come with great advice.
INGREDIENTS YOU WILL NEED:
Spicy chow chow relish
Bunny brat buns (alternative: your favorite brand)
Jalapeno and cheddar brats
Spicy brown or yellow mustard
White onion, diced - 1/2 medium onion
Kosher salt - 1/2 tsp for brats & 1/2 tsp for onions
Black pepper - 1/2 tsp for brats & 1/2 tsp for onions
Garlic powder - 1/2 tsp
Muenster cheese, slices - 1 slice per brat
If you don’t have a chow chow options anywhere local, here’s a recipe I found that uses the same ingredients as the one I buy. You can also cut this recipe in half because it makes a LOT.
Ingredients:
Habanero - 1 pepper, minced (carefully!)
Tip: Highly recc. that you wear gloves when you handle this pepper to protect your eyes and skin.
Zucchini - 8 cups, grated
Large onions - 3, grated
Large carrots - 2, grated
Bell peppers (red and green) - 4, grated
Kosher salt - 1/2 cup
White sugar - 3 cups
Tumeric - 1 tsp
White vinegar - 3 cups
Pickling spices - 2 tbsp
Directions:
Grate all the vegetables, equaling 4 quarts, in a food processor, then place in a large bowl. Add salt and cover with water and allow to stand for 1 hour.
While the vegetables are soaking, in a large pot add the sugar, vinegar, and pickling spice. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer.
Drain and rinse the vegetables well, squeezing out all the liquid. Add to the point and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring frequently.
Pour the relish into hot, sterilized pint jars, cover, and process 15 minutes in a boiling bath.
UTENSILS I’D SUGGEST HAVING:
Grill (outdoor or indoor Foreman) - for grilling brats
Tongs - for turning
Spoon
Saucepan - for cooking down onions
ORDER OF OPERATIONS:
Season brats and diced onions
Cook brats
Cook onions
Tear cheese into slices and warm buns in the microwave
Take brats off the grill and top as you’d like
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat? No
Season your brats with salt and black pepper, pressing into the meat to adhere it as best you can (understanding a good portion of this will fall off in cooking) and grill
Put your roughly diced onions and throw them in a saucepan with olive oil and butter on a high heat, seasoning with garlic powder and black pepper. Cook these hot and fast to get good color on them (like the photo below) until the onions have softened a little; then remove the pan from heat and set aside
Tip: if you have the time and prefer the taste, you can take the onions all the way down to caramelization, but we’re not doing that for this recipe
Place however many buns you will be serving on a napkin in the microwave for about 8 seconds to make them easier to work with.
Tear your cheese slices into long strips, add them to your bun before putting the brat on top to help it melt from the residual heat from the grill
Pull your brats off the grill and serve immediately with the toppings of your choice - I like all of the above.
Enjoy!
