they are not cooked.. they look pink and very soft.
I sliced an onion and sweated it until it was almost transluscent. Then I threw in 6 brats for 10 min., flipped them over, 10 more min.
Next, I threw two beer soaked hickory chunks into my BGE and grilled the brats (indirectly w/plate setter) at 350 degrees until my polder read 165.
At 165 internal, I removed the plate setter and finished the brats on direct heat until the podler read 175.
smokey goodness
After resting, I cut a link in half and saw the beautiful outter pink ring, with grey meat in the middle. The pink ring on the outside is the smoke penetrating the meat. Tastes really gooooooooood. and juicy too:)
Also, someone here gave me this tip, but I'll repeat it: take some sauerkraut and toss it in the reduced pan sauce after you take the brats out. I usually do onions too, so you end up with an awesome onion/kraut/reduced beer mash. Makes a good topping, and goes well with potatoes.
Local brats rule. I get mine from a local shop named Colosimo's. I typically get the Hot Brats, but the Garlic & Onion ones are pretty good too.
Johnsonville is probably the best grocery store brand I've tried, but I only use them in a pinch.
As far as simmering goes, I'm done wasting my time trying to get flavor that way. Last time I made brats I simmered them in beer, onion, garlic, and bell peppers. They didn't taste any different than when I just simmer them in water. I always finish on the grill.
How did the casings come out when you smoked them? I've only tried it once, and didn't like 'em. The sausage itself tasted great, but the casings came out tough. If yours weren't tough, I'd like to know what temp your smoker was running at.
BTW, here's a tip: When I simmer in beer, onions, garlic and peppers, I do so on the side-burner of my gas grill OUTSIDE. That shit will stink up your house for days.
If you're interested in really getting the beer flavor into your brats, slice em up and make a stew with em. I did one a while back and it turned out awesome. Basically the same ingrediants, just turned into soup.