Try this Cabbage Wrap Brats recipe, or contribute your own.
- Carbohydrate 5.3925000625 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0.961616875361835 g
- Fiber 2.69735815886855 g
- Protein 1.1753384375 g
- Saturated Fat 0.151669675049962 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (103g)
- Sodium 284.370900000007 mg
- Sugar 2.69514190363145 g
- Trans Fat 0.0532983250097986 g
- Calories 31 calories
Step-by-step
- In a large skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add onions, season with salt and pepper, and cook until slightly tender, 4 minutes. Push onions to edges of skillet and add brats to center of skillet. Prick each gently with a fork to release fat. Sear brats until golden, 2 minutes a side. Add beer and simmer until all the liquid has evaporated, 10 to 12 minutes.
- Meanwhile, blanch cabbage: In a large pot of boiling water, use tongs to dip cabbage leaves in water for 30 seconds to blanch. Place on a paper-towel lined plate to dry. When cool enough to handle, cut a V at the base of the leaf to remove the toughest part of the stem.
- Build wraps: overlap 2 cabbage leaves, cut sides in, to create one large oval. Spread dijon mustard in the center of cabbage leaves, then top with caramelized onions and brats. Fold the short ends of the cabbage leaves in, the tightly roll from one long end to the other.
Beer acts as the primary driver in this dish, functioning simultaneously as a cooking medium and a flavor extractor. Simmering bratwursts directly in a twelve-ounce can of beer creates a moist heat environment that cooks the interior meat gently while rendering internal fat. As the liquid reduces over ten to twelve minutes, the remaining sugars and proteins from the beer concentrate, glazing the exterior of the casings. Skipping this braising step results in split casings because dry heat causes internal steam to expand faster than the pork skin can stretch.
Cabbage leaves provide a sturdy, low-carbohydrate casing alternative, but raw leaves lack the flexibility required for rolling. Blanching the leaves in boiling water for exactly thirty seconds softens the structural pectin without rupturing the cellular walls completely. Plunging the leaves into boiling water too long turns the vegetable translucent and mushy, destroying the tensile strength needed to hold heavy fillings. Cutting a V-shaped notch at the base of each cooled leaf removes the fibrous midrib, eliminating the thickest point of resistance that would otherwise cause the wrap to crack during assembly.
Substitutions alter the structural integrity of the final wrap significantly. Savoy cabbage works as a direct replacement for green cabbage, offering crinkled leaves that trap mustard and sauerkraut more effectively due to their textured surface. Napa cabbage, however, contains too much water and possesses a delicate leaf structure that tears easily under the weight of a heavy sausage. Standard yellow onions can substitute for other varieties, provided they are sliced uniformly to four millimeters thickness so they soften evenly in the olive oil within four minutes.
