You’ll need a package of fresh bratwursts (not the fully-cooked sausages near the hot dogs–look in the fresh meats near the Italian sausage), a sweet onion, some murky, dark apple cider vinegar (the stuff with “the mother”), brown mustard, a pinch of caraway seeds, celery seeds, and freshly ground black pepper.
You’ll also need your liquid of choice–you can use beer, non-alcoholic beer (like O’Douls), or sparkling apple cider (if you can find Apple Beer, that’s a great non-alcoholic option). In a large skillet that has a lid, melt butter over medium heat. Add sausages in a single layer and brown 3-4 minutes on one side. Flip the sausages and add the sliced onions and allow the sausages to brown an other 3-4 minutes. Stir the sausages and onions and cook another 3-4 minutes or until the sausages are browned on all sides and the onions are beginning to reduce and caramelize. Mix in the celery seed, caraway seed, pepper, and brown sugar and continue cooking until the onions are golden and tender. Add the apple cider vinegar and mustard and stir to combine, then add the liquid of choice, bring heat to high until the mixture boils, then cover and reduce heat to low for 10 minutes. Increase heat to medium, remove cover, and simmer uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until the mixture is reduced and syrupy. Remove the sausages and keep warm (if you’d like, you can finish them off on the grill for a few minutes–this is a very tasty option.) Add the sauerkraut to the pan and heat thoroughly. Serve the sausages on buns with caramelized onions and sauerkraut.
