Grill Up Polish Sausage and Sauerkraut Recipe, A Classic Summer Standby (2024)

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Sauerkraut

Here’s how to cook great grilled Polish sausage with sauerkraut and onions! Grill, then simmer with beer and caraway seeds for more flavor. It’s a perfect summer BBQ staple.

Elise Bauer

Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.

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Updated November 28, 2022

Polish Sausage with Sauerkraut, A Summer Standby

Sauerkraut and sausage are great summer grilling party food because you can keep those polish sausages simmering for a couple of hours on the grill, ensuring you have hot food ready throughout the party.

From what I understand, this dish is a summer standby in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Dad thinks it's pretty common in Nebraska too.

I'm just happy it made its way to Northern California. My patio, to be specific. Enjoy!

Perfect Sides for Sauerkraut and Sausage

Pickle Slaw
Hot Reuben Dip
Homemade Rye Bread
Oven-Fried Potato Chips
German Potato Salad

From the Editors Of Simply Recipes

Grilled Polish Sausage and Sauerkraut

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time60 mins

Total Time65 mins

Servings4to 6 servings

We recommend jarred fresh sauerkraut (like Bubbies), which you can find in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. If you don't have a grill, or this isn't grilling season, you can also put all ingredients into a casserole dish and bake in a 350°F oven for 1 1/2 hours.

Ingredients

2 to 3 pounds sausage, either kielbasa or bratwurst
1 to 2 (12-ounce) cans light (not dark) beer
See Also
Apple Cinnamon Bread Recipe
2 to 3 cups sauerkraut
2 medium yellow onions, thickly sliced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1 tablespoon caraway seed
Mustard, for serving

Method

Prepare the grill:
Heat the grill to medium heat.
Grill the sausages:
Place sausages on the heated grill and allow them to brown well. Be patient; do not be tempted to grill the links over high heat or they will break open and the juices and fat will drain into the grill. (They may break open anyway, but they'll break less if you cook them slowly.)
Heat the beer with celery seed, caraway seeds, and salt:
While the sausages are cooking, put an aluminum grilling pan on a cooler part of the grill and pour in the beer. Stir in the celery and caraway seeds and salt. Bring to a simmer. (This may require covering the grill.)
Add the sausages and sauerkraut:
Once the sausages are browned add the sausages, sauerkraut, and sauerkraut juices to the pan with the beer.
Grill the onions:
Paint the sliced onion with the vegetable oil and grill on direct heat. If your grates are too wide, and you think you will lose too much onion through the grates, you can either skip the grilling part and put the onions directly into the beer bath.
Or, you can cut the onions in halves or quarters and grill them that way. Then slice them and add them to the beer.
Cover the grill and simmer:
Simmer (not boil) for 30 minutes to 2 hours before serving. Cut the sausages into serving sized pieces before serving.
Serve as is in a bowl or on a plate, or in a sandwich roll. Serve with mustard on the side.

Comfort Food
Sauerkraut
Kielbasas

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
854	Calories
70g	Fat
21g	Carbs
30g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4to 6
Amount per serving
Calories	854
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 70g	90%
Saturated Fat 23g	113%
Cholesterol 165mg	55%
Sodium 3390mg	147%
Total Carbohydrate 21g	8%
Dietary Fiber 4g	13%
Total Sugars 9g
Protein 30g
Vitamin C 49mg	245%
Calcium 146mg	11%
Iron 4mg	22%
Potassium 948mg	20%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.