The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

It is the first column of August and time for another recipe. This is a summer recipe and is all about cooking the best tasting bratwurst you will ever eat!

First, get four of five large bratwursts. If you can get some that the butcher shop has made specially, those will probably be the best but whatever you get, get some large ones. Larger the better.

For this recipe along with the bratwurst you will need a bottle of good beer or ale, a barbeque, several banana peppers or hot peppers of your choice, some easy melting cheese cut into long, narrow strips and a pound of applewood bacon. Add to that some large hot dog type buns and whatever condiments you like and you are all set.

First, cook the bratwurst in the beer until completely cooked through. Then take the brats out to the barbeque and get a good crusty crust on them. Now let them stay in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day when you want to cook them for a summer dinner, crank up the barbeque. When you are waiting for the barbeque to get rally hot, make a deep slit in each of the cooked and cooled brats. In that slit stuff some banana pepper and a couple lengths of cheese. Now take a couple of slices of your applewood bacon and wind around the bratwurst tightly securing with toothpicks when the bacon ends. It is very important that you keep the bacon tight so the cheese doesn’t leak out. When all stuffed and baconized, put them on your hot grill and cook one side until the bacon is done, then turn over and cook the other side until that part of the bacon is done.

Serve on large buns with mustard, relish and whatever else pleases you. You will probably say this is as good a hot dog as ever has come off your grill.

Keep these warm and serve them to your harvest crew for lunch along with a pasta salad and beans and you will really have a treat!

Bon Appétit!