Want to know how to smoke brats on your Traeger? This simple recipe delivers perfectly smoky bratwurst that’s ideal for cookouts, game days, Fourth of July celebrations, or easy weeknight dinners. Don’t forget to stock up on all the condiments and toppings your family and guests love.
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Table of contents
Easy Traeger Smoked Bratwurst
Smoked bratwurst offers several delicious advantages over traditional grilling methods. This recipe has become one of our favorite cookout and holiday smoker recipes because both kids and adults enjoy customizing their brats with various toppings.
The smoking process infuses the bratwurst with an irresistible smoky flavor that you simply can’t achieve with regular grilling. With minimal prep work and cooking time under an hour, you’ll have more time to spend with family and friends instead of standing over a hot grill.
The slow cooking method over low heat ensures tender, juicy sausages rather than the dried-out results that often come from high-heat grilling.
What You Need for Smoked Brat
Brats
Buns
Olive Oil
Grain mustard
Yellow mustard
Melted butter
What You Need for Sauerkraut – Optional
Green cabbage
Kosher salt
Water
How to Cook Bratwurst on Traeger
Step 1: Make the Sauerkraut & Prepare the Bratwursts
– Make the sauerkraut (you need to allow a few weeks for it to ferment if you are not that organized, make sure you pick some up from the store)
– Remove the brats from the packaging, and make even holes in each brat with your fork. This will stop the skin from tightening and shrinking during cooking.
Step 2: Smoking the Brats
– Load the pellets, set the grill temperature to 225°F, switch on the “super smoke” mode, and wait until the cooking temperature is reached.
– Thinly roll each brat in olive oil to give a light coating.
– Insert your temperature probe into the thickest point of the largest brat.
– Place your brats directly on the cooking grate. Cook for an hour, then increase the temperature to 400°F.
Set the grill temperature to 400°F when the brats have an internal temp of 140°F.
Step 3: Preparing the Toppings
– Use this point in the smoking process to prepare any topping ingredients.
Step 4: Grilling the Brats & Toasting the Buns
– Turn the brats over to ensure even grill marks on each side.
– When the brats are at 160°F, rub melted butter on the inside of the brat buns.
– Place on the grill grates for 2 minutes.
– Remove the buns & brats from your Traeger Smoker.
Step 5: Build Your Smoked Brats & Enjoy!
– Take the hot buns and add your mustards to the inside.
– Make the bratwurst by adding the brat into the bun and mustard mixture.
– Top with your desired toppings.
How to Make Home-Made Sauerkraut
Fermenting is a fun and rewarding hobby and skill to master. Plus, it will always taste better than the manufactured store variety! Bear in mind that this will take at least four weeks to be ready!
- Chop the cabbage down into even pieces.
- Sterilize a mason jar and a small cooking stone with boiling water.
- Place even the cabbage and salt layers in your sterilized mason jar.
- Push down to compact the salt and cabbage.
- Weigh the compacted cabbage and salt mix down with the sterilized stone.
- Cover with cheesecloth and secure with a rubber band.
- Leave the jar in a cool dry place (around 50°F)
- Check the cabbage is submerged in its brine after 2 weeks.
- Top with some cooled boiled water if required.
- Leave for a further 2 weeks while checking daily for mold.
Don’t Want to Make Sauerkraut?
I’ve included making sauerkraut because it’s a fun and easy way to get into fermentation. Of course, this takes more time and effort, so don’t be ashamed if you get store-bought!
What Temperature Do I Smoke the Brats on a Traeger?
You want to cook brats at a temperature of 225°F with the super smoke mode on. Then, increase the temperature to 400°F to crisp up the casing on the cooked brats. This balances the smoky indirect heat with the more traditional direct grilling style. If you cook at 225°F and then increase the grill to 400°F, brats will take 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Brats are traditionally made with ground pork, so the internal temperature must be 165°F before eating. A calibrated meat thermometer is needed to accurately monitor the internal temperature. Luckily, all Traeger Pellet Grills come with built-in meat thermometers!
What Smoke Setting Do I Select on the Traeger for Brats?
Select ‘super smoke’ mode on your Traeger for this recipe. The smoke flavor from the dense particles will infuse into those brats for perfection!
Choosing the Right Wood for Bratwurst
Pork pairs well with sweet flavors like apple and pecan. We have chosen the classic applewood to infuse into our brats with smoky goodness.
Topping Ideas for Smoked Brats!
The possibilities are endless when paired with the bratwurst’s delicious smoked flavor.
- Caramelized onions are a perfect combination.
- Raw white onion (diced)
- Sauerkrat
- Chopped Jalapeno Peppers
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More Traeger Recipes
Looking for more recipes to cook on your Traeger? Here are some of my favorites.
- Smoked Garlic Bread on a Traeger
- Traeger Smoked Pork Belly
- Traeger Brisket Smoker Recipes
- Traeger Smoked Tuna
Looking for More Appetziers
See what appetizers will give your brats the perfect company at a cookout or party?
Smoked Bratwurst on a Tareger
Equipment
- 1 Pellet smoker
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp Sauerkrat
- 1 head Cabbage
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 4 whole Brats
- 3 tbsp Mustard
- 4 whole buns
Instructions
Making the Sauerkraut
- Place even layers of the cabbage and salt in your sterilized mason jar. Push down to compact the salt and cabbage. Weigh the compacted cabbage and salt mix down with the sterilized stone.
- Cover with cheesecloth and secure with a rubber band.
- Leave the jar in a cool dry place (around 50°F)
- Check the cabbage is submerged in its brine after 2 weeks. Top with some cooled boiled water if required.
- – Leave for a further 2 weeks while checking daily for mold.
Preparing the Brats for Smoking
- Poke around 4-5 holes with a fork on each side of the bratwurst.
Step 1: Make the Sauerkrat & Prepare the Bratwursts
- Make the sauerkraut 1 month in advance as per the above directions, if your not that organised make sure you pick some up from the store.
- Remove the brats from the packaging, Make even holes in each brat with your fork.
Step 2: Smoking the Brats
- Load the pellets, set the grill temperature to 225°F, switch on the "super smoke" mode and wait until reached cooking temperature.
- Thinly roll each brat in olive oil to give a light coating. Insert your temperature probe into the thickest point of the largest brat.
- Set the grill temperature to 400°F when the brats have an internal temp of 140°F.
Step 3: Preparing the Toppings
- Use this point in the smoking process to prepare any topping ingredients you have.
Step 4: Grilling the Brats & Toating the Buns
- Set the grill temperature to 375°F when the brats have an internal temp of 140°F.
- Turn the brats over to ensure even grill marks on each side.
- When the brats are at 160°F, rub melted butter on the inside of the brat buns.
- Place on the grill grates for 2 minutes.
- Remove the buns & brats from your Traeger Smoker.
Step 5: Build the Traeger Smoked Brats & Enjoy!
- Take the hot brat buns and add your mustards to the inside.
- Make the bratwurst by adding the brat into the bun and mustard mixture.
- Cover with your desired toppings.
Smoke On!
Charlie
Hi, I’m Charlie, I have been meat-smoking and grilling for the past 15 years. I have an array of different smokers, thermometers, and have a love for finding the right wood and charcoal combo My favourite recipes are my EXTRA CRISPY smoked pork belly, juicy pulled pork, smoked brisket, duck poppers, and ANY SEAFOOD I grill).
I loves sharing his tips with beginners, helping them navigate the world of smoking. I find it’s not just about cooking; it’s a quest for that perfect smoky flavor.
You will usually find me playing with the kids, perfecting my brisket bark, or sipping beers with boys around the fire. Can’t wait to share all my delicious smoking and grilling recipes with you!
You can read more about me on our About Us page.
Hungry For More?
Great recipe for smoked bratwurst mate, especially loved the homemade sauerkraut, I had never made that before and loved the tang it gave the bratwurst! I ended up cranking the grill up to 410 to get my casings really crispy