Oktoberfest: All of the Beer, None of the Brawn

One of my favorite stories involving my husband’s family revolves around the beer-drinking, brat-eating celebration that is Oktoberfest and cousin Dave, whom I’ve never met, but am assured is a real person living somewhere in Missouri. When mid-October rolled around, Dave, being of proud German heritage, would pick a Friday to have the whole family over to his house in the country for a party. Guests were asked to abide by two simple rules: No beer fancier than Budweiser and no food fancier than bratwurst. Everyone drank and ate their way into the wee hours, and when Dave woke up late Saturday morning, he’d drag himself to the kitchen and fix the quickest breakfast he could muster: crumbled leftover bratwurst sprinkled over Corn Flakes and moistened with a can of Bud – something he liked to call “the breakfast of champions.” Now, as pleasant a picture as cousin Dave paints, I think we can honor this traditional German sausage a wee bit better – even if it is a pork-less protégé. My first concern when vegetizing this dish was getting the texture right. I knew I’d be using vital wheat gluten, a natural protein that is extracted from wheat and, when added to dishes, creates what can only be called an elastic texture. But that alone isn’t enough to help these brats keep their figure. And as my kitchen lacks a casing machine, I turned to a technique I’d seen several times before in which you roll a portion of the brat mixture in foil to achieve a sausage-like shape, and then steam them into submission. I wondered if there was a similar process that would infuse more flavor into the brats. “Why yes, there is,” the little chef on my shoulder chimed in. “Use some cheesecloth.” Brilliant! Its sieve-like weave would allow the steam to penetrate the brats. And then I remembered Dave’s loyal Budweiser. But for my Oktoberfest feast, I’d go German. A quick chat with the beer expert at Lukas Liquor led me to a hefeweissbier and an eisbock. Each beer lent great flavor to the brats, so choose whichever pleases your palate. Keep in mind that the booze isn’t the only ingredient carrying the weight of flavor in this dish. Its helpers include a tasty bratwurst seasoning that boasts salt, white pepper, yellow mustard, nutmeg and white onion. To the mix, I added marjoram, allspice, cardamom and celery seed, but sub in whichever flavors you like in sausage. For sweet complexity, throw in some fennel seed. Want something sharper? Add a little ginger. For the base of the brat mixture, I used a ground pork substitute that gave the brats a marbled look – a detail that made this meatless mascaraed even more convincing. As far as serving, you can go the traditional route by plating your brats with some sauerkraut and an array of mustards for dipping. But if you like buns, better make sure they’re big. I found some at G&W Sausage that were made by Black Bear Bakery. They certainly held up their end of the meal – one for which even cousin Dave might consider trading in his Corn Flakes.