Grilled bratwurst goes south of the border in this creative twist.

Bratwurst Tacos

by Sue Lau | Palatable Pastime

I’d first heard about these type of tacos years ago reading a food festival cookbook. Apparently they had been quite a hit at Tejanos Mexican-American restaurant in Sheboygan Wisconsin that has since closed. I think they sold these at street fairs. Such a shame that they closed. To have a Mexican restaurant be this creative really was a blessing to our culture, but increasingly, in an effort to control costs and streamline operations, most restaurants stick to a menu of “plain vanilla” items to help their restaurant succeed. But in fact I relish the eatery with creativity and ingenuity. And while I never got the chance to visit up there in Wisconsin,  I feel their legacy lives on. For who had heard of a bratwurst taco? And now, they are part of my everyday American life.

Start with fresh bratwurst

My husband is from Milwaukee, so we are not strangers to bratwurst at all. In fact, before I visited his home there, the only kind of bratwurst I had ever seen was the whitish kind, already precooked. Those are more like hot dogs actually, while the fresh ones are a bit meatier. I tried fresh Polish sausage as well, which is similar. Over the years, this kind of thing has risen in popularity and now you can find them on most grocery store shelves. I think you can feel free to experiment as well. We have a butcher down in the Findlay Market here in Cincinnati who specializes in sausages and I can think of a number of those which would be fantastic in this. I have had variations on a theme of many kinds of smoked sausage, Italian salsiccia, Portuguese sausages, Cajun sausages, mettwursts (big here in Cincinnati) and even lamb Merguez sausage which I really really love grilled and piled in a pita.

Get brats grilling

The tortillas in this I use fresh-pack which they sell at Kroger (premade fresh dough) which I griddle for a few minutes and they are done. I had pics, but that part of my set accidentally overexposed (apologies!). But just as well, you can use any fresh flour tortilla warmed up, the smaller the better. I have had nice ones sized for fajitas which would be just right. But even if they are a little big, don’t worry about it. It only is an issue if you are taking pics and need to show off the filling (in my photo the brat is actually BIGGER than it seems). I used a variety of typical taco toppings with the brat. Cheese, tomato, fresh jalapeno, freshly made salsa, and lettuce. I was out of sour cream or may have used that as well. But toppings are easy and you may have a few ideas of your own.

Brats are almost done!

I have made this recipe this week for Meals to be Enjoyed Outside which are being featured all month long (Monday through Friday) as part of the Sunday Supper movement, which does Weekday Suppers as well, with a different blogger showcasing a recipe each day of the week. If you want to see the other Weekday Supper recipes for this week, I have them listed here (although they will not be live until their individual post dates, so if you are reading this early, just remember to check back, or better still, subscribe via RSS to the blog you are interested in). Please do visit them and let them know you appreciate their hard work working up these delicious creations for you. Also, if you are interested in joining the Sunday Supper Movement,  please visit the website for more information.

Monday May 18th-Friday May 22nd

MONDAY: Strawberry and Avocado Salad by Take A Bite Out of Boca

TUESDAY: Bratwurst Tacos by Palatable Pastime

WEDNESDAY: Lemon Sugar Grilled Chicken by Feed Me, Seymour

THURSDAY: Mayo-Free Curried Chicken Salad by eating in instead

FRIDAY: Italian Chicken Avocado Burgers by Momma’s Meals

You might also like:

Sheboygan Hot Tub (Wisconsin Style Bratwurst)

Mexican Restaurant Table Salsa

Taqueria Style Tacos

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