A special recipe from Megan Day, Barbecue champion and co-owner of Burnt Finger BBQ
Megan Day of Burnt Finger BBQ has always been a taste maker around the BBQ Capitol of Kansas City. But you may have noticed her in some extra special appearances on TV lately. She’s been a guest on NBC’s The Today Show a few times, even for Super Bowl Sunday when her Smoked Ribs went head to head with the classic Cubano Sandwich with Hoda and Jenna as the judges!
What she has in store for us today is a Burnt Finger BBQ original, but is actually easy to make, even for the newest grill enthusiast. So grab that cast iron skillet and meet us outside for this cheesy crowd-pleaser!
Ingredients
- Coil of Bratwurst sausage
(2- 2 1/2 lbs) or individual brat links - 2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 12 oz cherry tomatoes on the vine
- 7 oz Gouda cheese, grated
- Baguette
Tools
- Basting brush
- Cast iron skillet
- Serrated knife
- Cutting Board
- Grilling basket or tin foil
- Tongs
Instructions
- Create a two-zone fire and preheat grill to 325 degrees F.
- Set cast iron skillet over indirect heat for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Slice baguette on the bias to create long 1/4 inch slivers of bread. Brush both sides with remaining oil and set aside.
- Place tomatoes in a grill basket or create a foil boat to hold the tomatoes. Set basket over direct heat. Roast for 10 minutes then move to indirect heat.
- While your cast iron is heating up and your tomatoes are roasting, start to grill your bread. Place oiled bread slivers over direct heat and flip until toasted golden brown or desired grill marks appear.
- Once your cast iron has heated up, lightly brush with oil and place coil of bratwurst sausage in skillet and leave over indirect heat.
- Continue to toast your bread and watch your tomatoes for splitting. Once the sausage has reached an internal temperature of 130-135 degrees F., use tongs to flip sausage coil over.
- Move cast iron skillet over direct heat and sprinkle sausage with the grated Gouda cheese. Once sausage reaches an internal temperature of 155-160 degrees F., remove from direct heat and garnish with the blistered tomatoes. Slice and serve with the grilled Baguette slivers.
Tips:
- If you plan to serve your sausage out of the skillet, remove skillet from the heat when the sausage reaches 155 degrees F. since the heat from the pan will continue to cook the meat.
- If your butcher does not have sausage in a coil, no problem! Just lay your links in a circle around the inside of your skillet.
- When your tomatoes are blistering and splitting, remove them from the heat and set aside. You don’t want to lose those beautiful juices too early!
- Use a good melting cheese like gouda, gruyere, or raclette.
- When grilling the bread, work in small batches of 4 or 5 at a time. They will crisp up quickly, so turn them often to keep them from burning.
- Working over the direct fire may be hot. Use a pair of leather or heat resistant gloves to protect your hands and forearms. And use heat resistant tongs, the longer the better.
- The cast iron skillet will be very hot. Always use a hot pad to grab the handle.
Tips on the Grill:
- Charcoal grill – create a two-zone fire.
- Propane grill – turn up the heat on one side and keep the other side at a lower temperature.
- Pellet grill – set your temperature to 325 degrees F.
- If you are unsure of your grill’s ambient temperature, cut a potato in half and stick a thermometer probe threw the potato so the tip comes out on the other side. Place the cut side of the potato on the indirect side of the grill and see what the tip is reading for the temperature inside your grill.
