Beer Brats

[WeekendWarrior]

Having brats for dinner tonight, and decided to smoke some of them.  Planning on 1 oz hickory and 1 oz cherry.  225 for 2 hours, water pan with water in the bottom.  Does this sound about right.

Should I finish them on the grill?  Any other advice.

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[Walt]

Your plan is sound. I smoke sausage & boudin for 2 to 3 hours @ 225.  It always good.  Finishing off on the grill is nice but not necessary.  Try a small piece after smoking & then decide.

[Pork Belly]

Bruce I have even thrown them in the smoker frozen, straight from the freezer. It adds to the cook time but the smoke flavor is great.

[WeekendWarrior]

Well I did the brats just as planned and they were done at 2 hours.  I ate one as is, and the rest I kept warm on the grill on the upper rack while I cooked the other food.  The ones finished on the grill were maybe a tiny bit better though I would be hard pressed to tell much of a difference.  Both were excellent, and I'll definitely do these again.

Next time I would probably just go with straight cherry wood vs the cherry/hickory mix. 

[DivotMaker]

Bruce I have even thrown them in the smoker frozen, straight from the freezer. It adds to the cook time but the smoke flavor is great.

How long does it take them when you start frozen?  I bet that is a great way to get good smoke!

[tbcop-is-smokin]

Great job Bruce..Get us some pic's next time
Tony

[Pork Belly]

I checked them at 3.5 hours likely they were done a little sooner but non damage. It was a no fuss meal on a night nothing was planned.

[gmbrown]

Having brats for dinner tonight, and decided to smoke some of them.  Planning on 1 oz hickory and 1 oz cherry.  225 for 2 hours, water pan with water in the bottom.  Does this sound about right.

Should I finish them on the grill?  Any other advice.

I actually prefer to do sausages now *without* the water pan. I have had better results with them that way so far. Might be a preference thing, or a "your mileage may vary" thing, but I have never felt like I had to even consider finishing sausages on a grill after they come out when I skip the pan. Of course, I've never done it when I've used the pan, either, but it seemed to take longer to get them to cook completely. I think there's enough moisture in the smoker from how tightly sealed and insulated it is for sausage, IMHO.

[WeekendWarrior]

I don't think the water pan really did much for such a short smoke.  It had pretty much the same amount of water as when I started it.

[DivotMaker]

I agree, Bruce - no pan needed for sausage or poultry, for that matter.  Beef and pork benefit, but not sausage or poultry.