Bratwurst substitute

Substitutes for Bratwurst with ratios

1. 2Fresh White Polish Kielbasa (Biala Kielbasa)

   Close match

   Use the same amount

   Arguably closer than Italian sausage, because it is garlicky and marjoram-forward, which lands very near a Thuringian bratwurst.

   What changes

   It is uncooked and unsmoked, so it behaves identically in the pan and takes up a beer braise properly. The extra garlic is the only real difference.

   Best for

   beer-braised brats, grilling, with sauerkraut, roasting with potatoes

   Prep. Poach 15 minutes at a bare simmer, then brown. Or roast at 400F/200C for 25 minutes.

   This is the pale uncooked kind sold in Polish delis around Easter, not the smoked ring kielbasa.

2. 3Plain Fresh Pork Sausage or Country Sausage in Casings

   Different taste

   Use the same amount by weight

   Right meat, right fat, wrong herbs.

   What changes

   American breakfast and country sausage is usually seasoned with sage and black pepper and is often a touch sweeter, so it reads as breakfast rather than beer garden. Links are often thinner too, so they cook noticeably faster and can dry out.

   Best for

   sausage sandwiches, with potatoes, Nurnberger-style small sausages

   Prep. Poach briefly then brown, or pan-fry over medium heat, 12 to 15 minutes total.

   Small thin links are the best swap for Nurnberger bratwurst, which are eaten three at a time in a roll.

3. 4Bockwurst or Weisswurst

   Taste and texture differ

   Use the same amount

   Much finer in texture and far milder, and both are par-cooked or fully cooked, so they only need warming through rather than cooking.

   What changes

   They will not brown the same way and will split if you grill them hard. On a roll with mustard the meal works; on a hot grill it does not.

   Best for

   sausage in a roll, with sweet mustard, gentle poached dishes

   Prep. Warm in water just below a simmer, then colour very briefly in a pan with butter.

   Do not use these where the recipe wants a long braise; they turn mushy.

4. 5Smoked Kielbasa or Polish Smoked Sausage

   Taste and texture differ

   Use the same amount

   Fully cooked, cured and smoked, so it is firmer, snappier, plainly smoky and considerably saltier.

   What changes

   For beer-braised brats it will not absorb the beer and onions the way raw sausage does, so simmer it only 10 minutes rather than 25 or it goes rubbery. The dish becomes a smoked sausage supper, which is good, just different.

   Best for

   beer and onion braises, with sauerkraut, sheet-pan dinners, soups

   Prep. Slice or leave whole, simmer 10 minutes in the beer and onions, then brown.

   Cut the salt everywhere else in the dish; smoked sausage typically carries far more sodium than fresh.

5. 6Chicken or Turkey Sausage

   Taste and texture differ

   Use the same amount

   The leanest option and the most fragile.

   What changes

   With roughly a third of the fat, it dries out and splits over direct heat before it colours, and it will not enrich a braise the way pork does. Poach or braise rather than grill hard, and add a tablespoon of butter to the pan to make up for the missing fat.

   Best for

   lighter versions, braises, when pork is not an option

   Prep. Braise in beer and onions 12 minutes, then colour gently in butter.

   Look for a chicken bratwurst specifically if your shop has one; the seasoning will at least be right.

6. 7Plain Ground Pork with Bratwurst Seasoning

   Different texture

   Use 1 lb ground pork plus seasoning for every 4 brats

   The honest answer when only plain ground pork is available, and it tastes genuinely right because the seasoning is what makes a brat a brat.

   What changes

   Per pound of ground pork use 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp dried marjoram, 1/2 tsp white pepper, 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ground ginger and 1/4 tsp ground caraway. Without casings you make patties, which is unorthodox but eats well on a roll.

   Best for

   brat patties on a roll, brat and onion skillet, sausage crumble for casseroles

   Prep. Mix, rest 30 minutes in the fridge, form into thick patties or logs, and pan-fry 4 minutes a side to 160F/71C.

   Ask for coarse-ground pork shoulder if you can. Very fine ground pork gives a pasty texture.