If you’ve found yourself with some leftover brats after your latest barbecue, you can enjoy them as leftovers tomorrow. If you’ve grilled your brats, then you may be worried about losing that delicious smoky flavor. However, there are a few quick tips to properly reheat brats after they’ve been refrigerated.
When you go to reheat your brats, you have quite a few methods to choose from. You can use the microwave, the oven, the grill, the stove, or you can choose to use hot water. All of these methods are simple and will allow you to enjoy your bratwurst the next day.
How to Reheat Brats in the Oven
The oven allows the bratwurst to reheat evenly, which lowers the risk of them drying out. You can place several bratwursts on the same baking sheet for efficiency.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place the sausages onto a baking sheet.
- Reheat the bratwurst for 10-12 minutes, depending on the number of brats.
- Remove the sheet pan from the oven and check to ensure the brats are heated to the center.
- Allow the brats to cool for a few moments before enjoying them.
If you find that after 12 minutes, your brats still aren’t properly reheated — just leave them in the oven. Another 2-3 minutes should do the trick.
How to Reheat Brats in the Microwave
The microwave isn’t usually a great option for reheating meat, but it works well for brats. It’s a quick and efficient way to reheat your leftovers so you can enjoy them within a minute or two.
- Place the brats on a microwave-safe plate.
- Add a splash of water to the brats, to prevent them from drying out.
- Heat the bratwurst for 30-45 seconds, before checking them.
- Heat for an addiction 10-15 seconds if you find that they need more time.
- Remove the plate from the microwave and give the brats a second to cool down.
You may find that you can only reheat 1-2 brats at a time in this manner. If you have more than that, you may need to do this in a couple of batches.
How to Reheat Brats on the Grill
If you originally grilled your brats, it only makes sense to use the grill to reheat them as well. However, you may not want to heat an entire grill just for some leftovers. If you already have the grill going though, then toss your brats on there.
- Wrap the leftover brats in tinfoil.
- Place the wrapped bratwursts onto a cooler area of the grill.
- Allow the brats 8-10 minutes to warm up before removing.
- Carefully unwrap the hot tinfoil and serve your reheated brats.
You can have a delicious meal with your reheated brats if you grill some sides for them as well. You can try some grilled veggies or grill a bun so you can have a toasted accompaniment for your bratwursts.
How to Reheat Brats with Hot Water
While this method may sound more complicated than the others, it’s not difficult. This is one of the best ways to retain the grilled texture of the bratwursts. It will keep the brats tender and juicy, with no risk of drying them out during the reheating process.
- Fill a medium or a large pot with water and bring it to a simmer.
- Place your bratwursts into a vacuum-sealed plastic bag — ensuring that it is fully sealed.
- Place the bag into the simmering water and allow the brats to heat for 5-7 minutes.
- Remove the bag from the pot and take the brats out.
- Allow the sausages to cool before consuming.
This is a great way to keep your brats delicious even after a couple of days in the fridge. Since they’re sealed in plastic, they don’t have a chance to dry out. They will be just as delicious as they were fresh off the grill.
How to Store Your Leftover Brats
It’s important to store your leftovers properly if you want to maintain the quality of the original dish. You should wait for your bratwursts to cool down completely before sealing them into a container and refrigerating them.
Brats can last for 3-4 days in the fridge. If you choose to freeze them, they can last for up to three months that way. You want to ensure that the bratwursts are wrapped tightly so they don’t become freezer burned.
If you have frozen your brats, then you’ll simply want to thaw them out before reheating. You can do this by placing them in the fridge or by running them under cool water. However, you don’t want to leave them out at room temperature or the meat may become unsafe to eat.
In Conclusion
Brats and sausages, in general, reheat very well if you follow a few simple steps. You simply want to protect them from drying out. How you do this will depend on which method you choose to use.
You have multiple choices when it comes to reheating your brats properly. Whether you opt for the oven, the microwave, the grill, or some simmering water — you can enjoy some incredible leftovers.
Next time you’re grilling brats, feel free to make a few extra now that you know how to reheat them. You’ll thank yourself the next day when you’re digging into your mouthwatering leftovers for lunch.
