I Tried And Ranked 7 Bratwurst Brands, And This Is The One I'd Buy Again

A German beer hall staple brought to America by immigrants, the bratwurst has become a favorite far beyond its old-world roots. That's especially true in my home state of Wisconsin, where the brat holds its own next to beer and cheese as one of our unofficial food groups. We may never agree on how bratwurst should be grilled, but most of us can appreciate that a good brat is hard to beat.

Bratwurst is typically made with pork (and sometimes veal or beef), seasoned with spices such as coriander and nutmeg, then stuffed into a casing. You don't need to know much about the process to shop for a good brat, though. What matters most once it hits your plate is the flavor and texture.

To find out which grocery store brands are worth buying, I tried seven original bratwurst products and ranked them from worst to best. I prepared each one traditionally, focusing on taste and texture to determine which brands I'd buy again.

Earning the lowest ranking on my list without question, Target's Good & Gather brand bratwurst rubbed me the wrong way before I even took a bite. At odds with its cheerful, summer-holiday label and sunshine-yellow styrofoam tray, Good & Gather's raw brat was gray and dull, with a less-than-fresh appearance. It contrasted sharply with the other brands, which were livelier in hue with the bright pink and white marbling you look for in a high-quality sausage.

Like all of the brats in my trial, I cooked Good & Gather's product low and slow on the gas grill. I followed Chowhound's advice and did not prick the sausage before cooking or boil it in beer first. I took it straight out of the refrigerator, set the grill to medium-low, placed it over indirect heat, and rotated it every few minutes until it cooked through. But careful cooking was not enough to make this brat taste good.

The casing was oily at the start, lacked snap, and ripped like paper when I sliced the sausage in half with a sharp knife. The bite was even worse, tearing off between my teeth in an awkward way. Inside, the pork was dry and grainy, with an off-putting dark gray color and almost no flavor or juice. A synthetic aftertaste also lingered way longer than I'd like. I did not take another bite and made a mental note to never buy this bratwurst brand again.

I'd kind of assumed Aldi, a German grocery chain, would know a thing or two about making a good sausage, but Aldi's original bratwurst left me unimpressed and a little confused. Though it was much fresher-looking off the shelf than Target's offering, this brat landed second-to-last on my list in part because it really didn't taste like bratwurst. It was distinctly missing the seasoning and flavor of a traditional sausage in this category.

After being grilled, the skin had good color and texture, but it was chewy and a little tough. It also had a sweet, almost maple taste that made me think of breakfast sausage. Looking at the ingredients, I suspect it was a heavy-handed use of sugar and corn syrup that gave it this profile, but I can't be sure. It was also really, really salty — like it had been soaked in water for too long — and the saltiness was all I could taste.

Inside, the texture was good, and the pork was moist, but that wasn't enough to bump this brat up on my list. If there had been any nutmeg, coriander, caraway, or even pepper in the mix, I would have liked it more. As it was, I would not buy this brat again unless I was making a breakfast casserole.

I could see flecks of black pepper in Meijer's house-brand bratwurst, but this sausage fell short on seasoning. Though this Midwest grocery chain is known for great seafood, Meijer's meat selection is hit or miss, in my opinion. And this one was mostly a miss.

Its casing was mildly sweet, and the exterior had a nice color after grilling. It also grilled more evenly than some of the other brats in my trial and did not split open before reaching a final internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. That means the juices stayed inside and kept the meat moist. Unfortunately, the pork mix was fatty, the texture was chewy in spots, and it had no spice or defining flavor. If I'd topped this one with some caramelized onions and a squirt of grainy mustard, I might have enjoyed it more. But on its own, Meijer's original bratwurst isn't a brand I'd buy again.

If you're cooking brats for a party, tailgate, or picnic and are looking to feed a lot of people without breaking the bank, Walmart's Marketside bratwurst might do the trick. At $2.97 for a five-pack at my local Walmart, this was by far the most economical brat in my trial. But it didn't have a whole lot of flavor.

The skin had a touch of sweetness, which I don't love in a brat, but it was nothing compared to the breakfast sausage taste of Aldi's offering. And honestly, it was the only flavor the Marketside brat had. The casing was tough enough to hold some snap and keep the interior moist, and the chew was about right. But the inside was very porky and a little greasy.

If you simmer these wieners in beer, onions, and butter before cooking (the staples of Wisconsin-style beer brat preparation but not the authentic German grilling process), they'll be good enough. But for slightly more discerning palates, Walmart's brat might not cut the mustard.

Before cooking, my Kroger brat looked freshly made and appetizing, with a reddish-pink coloring and balanced white marbling throughout. But it was kind of an odd shape. It was wide and straight like an Italian sausage or hot dog, rather than curved like a typical brat. And the casing looked rather thin, so I was a little concerned about this one holding its own on the grill.

If I'd been cooking for my family or a small party, I may have wrapped the brats in bacon to prevent the skin from splitting, but since the grilling process had to be the same for each brat in my trial, I didn't give this one any special treatment. And to my surprise, it cooked up like a champ.

Outside, the skin had a nice caramelized color and snapped appropriately when I took a bite. Inside, the meat had just the right amount of salt and an evenly dispersed, light-gray color that hit the right visual notes. It was also really moist. But aside from some pepper in the aftertaste, it had almost no flavor, and I couldn't detect any nutmeg or coriander. For a mild brat at a reasonable price ($3.99 in my market), Kroger's offering would fit the bill, and I'd consider buying it again.

Long considered the gold standard for sausage products, especially here in Wisconsin, where the company was founded, Johnsonville cranks out a darn good bratwurst. Brightly colored and traditionally shaped with a slight curve, a Johnsonville brat is made with premium pork and a secret spice blend that comes together well. And it has a good reputation for being plump and juicy. At least in my dive-bar, lakehouse social circles. So I wasn't surprised it landed near the top of my ranking.

Ideal on the tooth, with a snappy exterior that held up even after the external temperature cooled, my Johnsonville brat also retained most of its juices without leaking or splitting. And it did not shrink up like some of the lower-ranking wieners. Inside, the meat had great texture and some lemon zing. It also had a clean, appealing gray/pink color after cooking. But despite having way more spice than the brats that preceded it on my ranking, Johnsonville wasn't as flavorful as the brand that earned top honors.

A go-to sausage for concession stands, tailgates, and summer cookouts, bratwurst smells great on the grill, pleases the masses, goes with everything, and gets people in the hot-weather party mood. But if you're buying for a large crowd, prices can add up quickly. That's why many of us shop at Costco, where discounted food items are a big part of the draw. And lucky for us, the best-tasting bratwurst in my trial can be picked up at this beloved discount warehouse for a pretty good price.

Kirkland's signature original bratwurst comes in a pack of 14, which can be off-putting when you're feeding your family and not throwing a rager. But in my experience, brats freeze and defrost well both before and after cooking. So don't let the quantity deter you from buying this one. You'll be glad you did.

Crisp on the outside, juicy on the inside, and loaded with flavor, my Kirkland brat was zesty, vinegary, and spicy in perfect proportions. Its casing had a hint of sweetness that didn't dominate the experience but caramelized nicely on the grill. I enjoyed this sample so much that I put the rest on a bun and ate it for lunch. In the end, my Kirkland brat eked out Johnsonville for the win — and it's definitely a brand I'll buy again.

Fancy brats with creative ingredients like fruit, cheese, and peppers are definitely having a moment in grocery stores. So are chicken-, plant-, and turkey-based brats. Many are really good, but I didn't want to compare apples and oranges in this ranking. I focused exclusively on original brat products with a pork base and traditional ingredients. I also tried only bratwurst products our readers could buy at major grocery chains.

I did not parboil them in beer before grilling, hold them in hot beer after grilling, or dress them with sauerkraut, onions, or mustard as I ordinarily would. I cooked each one the same way over indirect heat with frequent rotation, and I sliced each brat in half to evaluate its texture, juice, color, and flavor without confusion. I didn't consider price as a ranking criterion, but I mentioned it when necessary to make a comparison.