Celebrate grilling season in style with my yummy fusion-style recipe for Beer Brats with Onions & Peppers! My grilled bratwurst are simmered in beer before hitting the grates, then are tucked into crunchy bolillo rolls and topped with a fajita-esque assortment of spicy roasted Hatch green chile strips and sweet sautéed bell peppers and onions. YUM!

hand grabbing a grilled beer brat-stuffed bolillo roll topped with bell peppers, onions, and roasted hatch chiles off an oval blue and white serving platter of several that have been assembled.

This dish honors America’s melting pot and my own mixed heritage. This recipe for beer-soaked brats was first featured in the Fiestas cookbook, but it seemed so perfect for grilling season that I couldn’t wait to share it here. 

Bratwurst—savory German-style link sausages—remind me of my late German uncle, Wolfgang. He used to grill up beer-soaked brats for our 4th of July festivities, the only time I ate them all year. While I used to eat them on a hot dog bun with nothing more than a drizzle of yellow mustard, I discovered a fun Mexican torta-inspired version on a trip to a chile farm in Pueblo, Colorado. 

Swapping out the soft bun for a crusty roll and adding a mountain of fiery chiles, colorful bell peppers, and caramelized onions seemed so natural and delicious, it made me wonder “Why haven’t I thought of this before?!?” This grilled brats recipe has become a favorite in our house—I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe For Beer Brats On The Grill

  • These easy brats with peppers and onions represent fusion cuisine at its finest—a vibrant Mexican twist on a German-American classic! 
  • Despite being packed to the brim with bold flavors, you only need 10 easy-to-source ingredients to make them.
  • Adding the simple beer-soaking step before cooking brats on the grill ensures extraordinarily juicy results.

Ingredients & Substitutions 

The complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions can be found in the printable recipe card below.

  • Raw German Bratwursts – If you have the option to choose, mild white Weisswurst is my favorite. This recipe can also be made with fully-cooked brats for a shortcut. Just grill them until warm and continue with the rest of the recipe.
  • Yellow Onion – Adding a sweet yellow onion to the beer simmering liquid imparts extra flavor. Feel free to swap in any other variety of onion or shallot you have on hand. 
  • Mexican Amber Beer – Dos Equis is brewed in the classic Vienna style, making it an excellent choice. Negra Modelo is also great!
  • Butter – Using butter to sauté the onions and peppers for brats adds richness. I used salted butter, but unsalted butter or olive oil will work too. Just add kosher salt to taste. 
  • White Onion – Between red, yellow, and white onions, white ones tend to hold their shape best when cooked, giving some texture to our beer brat torta. Yellow or red onions may be used, but will be considerably softer. 
  • Bell Peppers – I recommend using a mix of colors (e.g. yellow, orange, and red) for the most vibrant presentation. 
  • Roasted Anaheim or Hatch Chiles – Adding spicy, smoky roasted green chiles to the traditional mix of sweet peppers and onions for brats takes them to a whole new level of deliciousness. 
  • Bolillos – You can find these crusty Mexican rolls at Latin grocery stores or panaderias (Mexican bakeries). Alternatively, swap in French rolls. 
  • Spicy Mustard – Mustard and brats go together, adding a lovely acidity and helping to soften the rolls.  

How to Make the BEST Grilled Brats

This grilled bratwurst recipe comes together in just a few simple steps—perfect for your fiesta!

Step 1: Simmer. In a 4-quart stockpot over medium-high heat, combine the yellow onion, salt, bratwursts, beer, and just enough water to cover the brats and and bring to a low boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer uncovered, turning the brats occasionally, until firm, 30–40 minutes.

Step 2: Sauté peppers & onions. While the brats are simmering, in a separate pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the white onion and bell peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 5–8 minutes. Stir in the chiles and cook until the chiles are well mixed with the onion and peppers and heated through. Remove from the heat and keep warm.

cast iron skillet on a grill with raw slices of multicolored bell peppers and white onions.
cast iron skillet on the grill with beer brats as they brown; the onions and peppers have sauteed enough to be soft and roasted chile strips have been added to the mix.

Step 3: Preheat. Prepare a fire in a charcoal or gas grill for direct grilling over medium-high heat.

Step 4: Charbroil. Remove the sausages from the beer broth and place directly over the fire. Grill, turning as needed, until browned on all sides, 2–4 minutes on each side. Return them to the pot with the beer broth to keep warm until ready to serve.

Blogger Yvette Marquez using a cast iron skillet on a camping stove to saute fajita veggies and grill beer brats in front of a lake.

Step 5: Plate & Serve. To serve, tuck a brat into each warm, crusty bolillo, top with the onion-chile mixture, and swab with a little mustard. Serve at once. 

4 assembled grilled beer brats with peppers, onions, and roasted chiles on crusty bolillo rolls on a blue and white oval serving platter.

Serving & Topping Suggestions 

The flavorful trio of sweet sauteed onions and bell peppers with spicy roasted chiles is plenty to add tons of interest to these grilled beer brats. I also tend to add a squirt of spicy brown mustard for a little tang. Feel free to dollop on some chunky guacamole mexicano or drizzle on some Mexican crema for added richness to tame the heat of the chiles.

Wondering what to serve with brats and peppers? If you’re looking for yummy sides to serve alongside your grilled bratwurst, you can’t go wrong with BBQ favorites like creamy ensalada de coditos (Mexican pasta salad), Mexican street corn, Southern potato salad, spicy cabbage slaw, or smoky frijoles charros.

Expert Tips & Tricks

  • If you purchase brats or sausages that are fully cooked they do not need to be simmered beforehand.
  • If you’re hosting a party, grab your trusty crockpot. Keep the cooked sausages warm by nestling them into the slow cooker with the beer poaching liquid and setting it to low.
  • Feel free to work ahead—the sautéed bell peppers and onions and roasted green chiles can be made up to 3 days in advance and kept refrigerated. To serve, simply warm them up in a skillet on the stovetop.

Storage & Heating Instructions 

  • As with most grilled meats, these brats are best right off the grates. If needed, you can store them in the fridge for up to 5 days, though I’d recommend waiting to grill them until you’re ready to serve.
  • Get a jump on your preparations by simmering the brats in advance. Store leftover simmered beer brats in an airtight container with their beer poaching liquid to keep them nice and juicy until you’re ready to grill them. They should keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze them for up to 2 months.
  • Roasted green chile rajas will keep in the fridge for up to 7 days total, or can be frozen for up to 6 months.
  • Fajita-style peppers and onions will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days, or can be frozen for up to 6 months.
  • To serve, allow any frozen items to defrost, then warm on the stovetop or in the microwave. Assemble as directed and enjoy!

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes brats taste better? Should you boil brats in beer before grilling?

Simmering, not boiling, the raw brats in beer with an onion imparts a ton of delicious flavor and also helps to maximize juiciness. Just make sure to not cook them too hard or too long, as they can become tough. 

What toppings to put on brats?

In this Mexican-inspired twist, we add roasted green chiles, fajita-style peppers and onions, and spicy mustard. For a more traditional spin, diced raw onions, sauerkraut, and brown mustard were my uncle Wolfgang’s favorites. 

What side dishes go well with grilled brats?

Whatever sides you’d serve at a BBQ will go great here. This cool and crunchy avocado jicama salad, SPAM and dill macaroni salad, or esquites are all great options. 

blogger Yvette Marquez on a gingham picnic blanket in front of a lake enjoying a glass bottle of topo chico next to a camping grill, a platter of grilled beer brats, and a bowl of cut fruit wedges.

More Delicious Recipes For The Grill

oval white and blue serving platter with 4 grilled beer brats topped with fajita veggies and roasted chile strips in crusty bolillo rolls.

Grilled Beer Brats with Onions, Bell Peppers & Roasted Green Chile

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Juicy Grilled Beer Brats with onions, peppers, and roasted green chiles. A perfect, spicy twist for your BBQ!
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Yield: 6
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

  • 1 large yellow onion, quartered
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 6 raw German bratwursts (preferably Weisswurst)
  • 1 bottle (12 fl oz/350 ml) Mexican amber beer
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 large white onion, sliced
  • 3 bell peppers, preferably a mix of colors, seeded and cut lengthwise into strips
  • 3 Anaheim or Hatch chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded, and cut lengthwise into strips
  • 6 bolillos, split and toasted
  • spicy mustard, for serving 

Instructions 

  • In a 4-quart (3.8-l) stockpot over medium-high heat, combine the yellow onion, salt, bratwursts, beer, and just enough water to cover the brats and and bring to a low boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer uncovered, turning the brats occasionally, until firm, 30–40 minutes.
  • While the brats are simmering, in a seperate pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the white onion and bell peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 5–8 minutes. Stir in the chiles and cook until the chiles are well mixed with the onion and peppers and heated through. Remove from the heat and keep warm.
  • Prepare a fire in a charcoal or gas grill for direct grilling over medium-high heat.
  • Remove the sausages from the beer broth and place directly over the fire. Grill, turning as needed, until browned on all sides, 2–4 minutes on each side. Return them to the pot with the beer broth to keep warm until ready to serve.
  • To serve, tuck a brat into each warm, crusty bolillo, top with the onion-chile mixture, and swab with a little mustard. Serve at once. 

Notes

  • If you purchase brats or sausages that are fully cooked they do not need to be simmered beforehand.
  • If you’re hosting a party, grab your trusty crockpot. Keep the cooked sausages warm by nestling them into the slow cooker with the beer poaching liquid and setting it to low.
  • Feel free to work ahead—the sautéed bell peppers and onions and roasted green chiles can be made up to 3 days in advance and kept refrigerated. To serve, simply warm them up in a skillet on the stovetop.
Storage & Heating Instructions 
  • As with most grilled meats, these brats are best right off the grates. If needed, you can store them in the fridge for up to 5 days, though I’d recommend waiting to grill them until you’re ready to serve.
  • Get a jump on your preparations by simmering the brats in advance. Store leftover simmered beer brats in an airtight container with their beer poaching liquid to keep them nice and juicy until you’re ready to grill them. They should keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze them for up to 2 months.
  • Roasted green chile rajas will keep in the fridge for up to 7 days total, or can be frozen for up to 6 months.
  • Fajita-style peppers and onions will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days, or can be frozen for up to 6 months.
  • To serve, allow any frozen items to defrost, then warm on the stovetop or in the microwave. Assemble as directed and enjoy!
Calories: 481kcal, Carbohydrates: 43g, Protein: 15g, Fat: 27g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 11g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 64mg, Sodium: 1187mg, Potassium: 410mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 2043IU, Vitamin C: 82mg, Calcium: 39mg, Iron: 11mg
Author: Yvette Marquez
Course: 4th of July, Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: American, German, Mexican