Grilled Sausages with Souped-Up Sauerkraut

Name: Grilled Sausages with Souped-Up Sauerkraut
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil; 4 strips thick-cut bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces; ¼ small head cabbage, thinly sliced, about 2 cups; 1 large onion, peeled and chopped, about 1 ½ cup; ¼ cup white wine; 1 large apple, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced, about 1 cup; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; ½ teaspoon coarse black pepper; 1 (16-ounce) package sauerkraut; 1 cup chicken stock; 6 bratwurst sausages; stone-ground mustard

Estate Dinners

Grilled Sausages with Souped-Up Sauerkraut

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The Strategy:

There are few things as profoundly satisfying on a cool evening as a sizzling, deeply savory platter of grilled sausages. The absolute secret to elevating this rustic classic is our souped-up sauerkraut, which trades a harsh vinegar bite for the mellow, sweet complexity of thick-cut bacon, soft caramelized onions, and tender braised apples simmered in white wine. It's an incredibly hearty, comforting dish that beautifully bridges the gap between simple outdoor grilling and elegant, thoughtful home cooking.

Serves: 6 | Total Time: 30 minutes till it’s ready

Ingredients

Sauerkraut Base and Seasonings

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 strips thick-cut bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces
¼ small head cabbage, thinly sliced, about 2 cups
1 large onion, peeled and chopped, about 1 ½ cup
¼ cup white wine
1 large apple, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced, about 1 cup
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon coarse black pepper

Sausages and Finishing

1 (16-ounce) package sauerkraut
1 cup chicken stock
6 bratwurst sausages
stone-ground mustard

Overhead prep shot of fresh ingredients for gourmet Grilled Sausages and Souped-Up Sauerkraut, including bratwurst links, thick-cut bacon, sliced apples, cabbage, onions, white wine, and stone-ground mustard arranged around a heavy cast-iron skillet

Instructions

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat.
Add the bacon and cook until it is crispy, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain.
Add the cabbage and onion to the skillet and cook until the veggies are soft, about 20 minutes.
Add the wine and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the apple. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the sauerkraut and chicken stock.
Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the apple is very tender, about 2 minutes.
Coat a grill pan with vegetable oil spray and heat over medium-high heat. Poke the sausages several times with a fork. Place them onto the grill pan and grill, turning often until they are crisp on the outside and cooked through, about 8 minutes.
Spoon the sauerkraut and all the juices into a large shallow bowl. Lay the sausages on top and garnish with crumbles of bacon. Serve with a bowl of mustard on the side.

Extreme close-up action shot using silver metal tongs to gently place a thick, juicy bratwurst sausage onto a smoking hot, oiled cast-iron grill pan, with the sausage searing and forming beautiful dark grill marks.

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The Heart of the Table

Serving a meal that is both deeply familiar and surprisingly elevated is a wonderful way to disarm your guests and create an atmosphere of profound comfort. When you take the time to build layers of flavor into a humble side dish like sauerkraut, you are telling your loved ones that they are worth that extra effort. It encourages everyone to relax, lean into the conversation, and enjoy a deeply nourishing moment of connection around the fire.

A formal evening outdoor dinner table setting featuring a dark ceramic platter of beautiful, golden Grilled Sausages on top of apple-bacon sauerkraut, with an autumn patio gathering in the background.

Neighborly Grace

THE PRESENTATION: Serve the sausages whole on a large, heavy wooden board or a shallow rustic bowl, nestled securely into a generous, steaming bed of the sweet and savory apple-bacon sauerkraut. Offer a variety of coarse, stone-ground mustards in small ceramic ramekins on the side.
THE POUR: A malty, rich Oktoberfest beer or a crisp, dry Gewürztraminer. The slight sweetness of the beer or the aromatic acidity of the wine perfectly complements the rich pork and the tangy, fruity complexity of the sauerkraut.
THE VIBE: Cozy, relaxed, and incredibly warm. This is the ideal centerpiece for a crisp autumn gathering, inviting guests to bundle up, gather around the patio table, and dig into something deeply satisfying.

Chef’s Recommendations

Beans Beside the Brats: Souped-Up Baked Beans
The German Side: White Asparagus in Cream
The Berliner After: Raspberry Jelly Donuts
The Glass for a Kraut Plate: Apple Cider Harvest Spritz

The Estate Table

Build tonight’s menu around this dish.

✦ Set the Table

Grilled Sausages with Souped-Up Sauerkraut

Grilled Sausages with Souped-Up Sauerkraut

The full recipe lives in the Vault

The Heart of the Table

Neighborly Grace

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