Barbecue Pizza Bratwursts

These Barbecue Pizza Bratwursts take all the flavors of your favorite pizza and reinvents them as toppings for your brat.  A toasted bun is layered with grilled red onions and bratwurst before being drizzled with barbecue sauce, covered in melted mozzarella cheese and sprinkled with cilantro. 

This recipe was written in partnership with the National Pork Board as a member of One2One Network.  As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.  Thank you for supporting this brand that allows me the opportunity to create content for Melanie Makes.

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After living in Wisconsin for seven years while my husband completed his residency, I feel like it’s made an impression on our entire family.  Cheese curds?  Love them!  Beer?  Some of my favorites are made there.  Brats?  We never missed heading to the World’s Largest Brat Fest each Memorial Day weekend.  I’m usually quite the brat purist where toppings are concerned but sometimes going outside of the norm for something like these Barbecue Pizza Bratwursts is called for.

Speaking of brats, did you know that Bratsgiving – aka National Bratwurst Day – is celebrated on August 16th?  It also happens to be our wedding anniversary which means a double celebration, especially according to my husband!  It also means a day to go all out when preparing your brats which is how I came up with this recipe.  Typically I’m a boil in beer, grill and serve with onions and mustard type of brat girl, but not for Bratsgiving!

These Barbecue Pizza Bratwursts take all the flavors of your favorite barbecue pizza and reinvents them as toppings for your brat.  A toasted bun is layered with grilled red onions and bratwurst before being drizzled with barbecue sauce, covered in melted mozzarella cheese and sprinkled with chopped cilantro.  You’ll be singing the praises of the grillmaster after having one or two – or three! – of these brats.

And not just any brat will do – it has to be a Johnsonville!  Living in Wisconsin, I quickly learned that they were the absolute best.  They also happen to be the number one brand of bratwursts sold nationally.   Johnsonville brats are made with premium cuts of pork and a proprietary blend of spice.  They also happen to be gluten free.  You can find a full assortment of Johnsonville brats at your local Walmart, my favorite are their Original Brats which I used for this recipe.

Brat lovers also won’t want to miss my Salsa Verde Breakfast Bratwursts complete with an egg on top or my Jalapeño Popper Mac and Cheese Brats which is total comfort food in a bun.  Or if you really want over the top, my Sweet and Smoky Bacon Brat Burger is just as it’s name implies, a burger, brat and bacon layered between two buns.

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5 from 1 vote

Barbecue Pizza Bratwursts

These Barbecue Pizza Bratwursts take all the flavors of your favorite pizza and reinvents them as toppings for your brat. A toasted bun is layered with grilled red onions and bratwurst before being drizzled with barbecue sauce, covered in melted mozzarella cheese and sprinkled with cilantro. 

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time35 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: 8 brats

Calories: 458kcal

Author: Melanie Bauer | Melanie Makes

Ingredients

• 8 Johnsonville bratwursts
• 8 brat buns
• 1 red onion sliced
• 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
• 1 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded

Instructions

• Preheat gas grill to medium-low or if using charcoal, allow it to burn until white ash has formed on the coals.
• Place brats on grill and use tongs to turn links often.
• Grill covered for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through and browned.
• Meanwhile, lay onion slices on grill grate and grill until grill marks are visible, 5-8 minutes on each side.
• Split buns and lay flat on grill until lightly toasted.
• Place slices of onions in bun and top with a brat. Drizzle with barbecue sauce and sprinkle with cilantro.
• Sprinkle with brats with cheese and broil until cheese is melted.

Nutrition

Calories: 458kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 1131mg | Potassium: 376mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 365IU | Vitamin C: 2.2mg | Calcium: 244mg | Iron: 2.1mg

And if we’re going to celebrate Bratsgiving, why not set up a bratwurst bar of sorts so that you can have seemingly never ending options to try!  I’m thinking I’d add these Southwestern Bratwursts, these Pretzel Wrapped Brats and to change things up, this Dill Pickle and Bratwurst Soup.