Scales & Calculators

I often get asked: "Hey, BratFry Ferg! How many brats do I need for a Brat Fry?"

That's a good question! Our very own Brat Calculator eliminates all the guess work. (Tip! The table doesn't show too well on a mobile phone, so check it out on your laptop someday. Right-click the table, save it, print it and put it in your wallet!)

"Hey, Brat Fry Ferg! How long should I cook brats?

Another great question!

First of all, we don't "cook" brats, we fry 'em. Hence the term "Brat Fry" (as opposed to "Brat Cook" which is not used because it doesn't exist). OK, now that that's settled, let's move on.

If you ever look at the manufacturer's instructions (I did that once), they say you should cook brats to an internal temperature of 160 degrees -- that's Fahrenheit, not Celsius. Some manufacturers say 180 degrees. I'd go with 160 because they'll keep on getting hotter inside after you take 'em off the grill.

How do you know when they reach 160 degrees inside? I suppose you could use a meat thermometer to find out how hot it is at the epicentre of the brat, but this would 1) ensure a disaster brat flare-up, and 2) make you look pretty stupid. Better to just trust your watch, because the worst thing you can do in life is overcook a brat.

Now, some manufacturers say you should cook brats for about 30 minutes. Personally, I think they write that stuff to cover their . . . buns, so to speak. After 30 minutes you would probably only use those brats as stakes for your camping tent.

I usually figure on 20 minutes absolute max., or 15 minutes and then drop 'em in some Brat au Jus for a bit.

"Hey, Brat Fry Ferg! What's that DIAL scale you mentioned when discussing The Works?"

There's a DOY Factor associated with every good Brat Fry, and this is extrapolated from the official Brat Fry DIAL scale. (oh - DOY stands for Drip on You, and DIAL is just faster to say than Drip Incident Alert Level)