Brat fry set for Saturday

The Heart o' Wisconsin Genealogical Society will host a brat fray from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Wisconsin Rapids. Proceeds will go to the McMillan Memorial Library to help purchase genealogical research materials. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans will provide 50 cents for every dollar raised to help the fund.

What is a "brat fry?" I suspect those with German ancestry already know. For the rest of us, here is a recipe:

Wisconsin Brat Fry

Ingredients:

1. 6 uncooked pork bratwursts
2. 1 Large onion (half will be used for topping)
3. 1 clove garlic (smashed with the side of a knife)
4. 1/4 stick of butter (margarine is okay but doesn’t taste as good)
5. Fresh ground pepper
6. 3 cans of beer. Use cheap beer, drink the good stuff yourself. Depending on the size of the pot you use, you may need more beer. Make sure the brats are completely covered.
7. 6 hoagie rolls (don’t use hotdog buns as they are too small for all the toppings)
8. 1 can sauerkraut (warmed)
9. Brown mustard.
10. Fresh or prepared horseradish

Prep Work:

1. Cut 1/2 of the onion into thick slices and dump into a stockpot. The other half is chopped for topping
2. Add the smashed garlic, brats, beer, butter and pepper (to taste) into the pot.
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to “gently” simmer for 1-hour.

Grilling:

1. After 1-hour of simmering, take the brats and put them on the grill, cooking them until they are a deep brown. Turn as needed
2. Return the brats to the stockpot and bring to a simmer for 1 minute. After that, reduce heat to "very low" and simmer for an additional 20-minutes.

Serving:

1. Serve brats from the pot. Don’t let them sit out.
2. Open the hoagie bun and apply a layer of brown mustard to one side and a layer of horseradish to the other.
3. Put brat in bun
4. Cover with sauerkraut
5. Sprinkle with finely chopped onions
6. Serve with German potato salad and beer.