Brats

My first pint only lasted about a week, so I made two quarts yesterday. I didn’t notice anything stringy. I’m pretty handy with a chef knife and sliced them super thin, like spaghetti noodle thin. Maybe that’s why? I have a mandolin, but that thing scares me. I don’t know that it would make a difference about the membrane, but I always slice onions pole to pole if I want the individual slivers to stay intact and across the grain if I don’t. They’re also less strong cutting pole to pole because you’re not cutting across as many cell walls releasing the sulfur inside.

Here’s my recipe…50/50 water and white vinegar, and 2T each of salt and sugar per quart of liquid. Microwave it just hot enough to easily dissolve the salt and sugar and pour it into containers packed with onion. I leave it on the counter until it’s cool, then lid up and into the fridge.

I used them on scrambled egg and bacon breakfast tacos this morning and a turkey sandwich for lunch.

I noticed you mentioned rings of onions. I cut off the top and bottom, then halving them pole to pole, so they lay flat when slicing.

picklerick wrote:

I have a mandolin, but that thing scares me.

I have cut the tip of my finger twice. I do not use it anymore either.

Hmmm that may be it. This brat thread has been very informative. I have no choice now but to perform multiple scientific experiments with my new onion information. Pulled pork and brats on the menu. I will report my findings for academic review.

They’re good enough to eat by the time they reach room temp, but are “done” pickling overnight. They’re crispier after they get cold too. I’ll be happy to peer review your findings.

The only time I use the mandolin now is for Oklahoma onion burgers to get them paper thin. It pretty much takes half a med onion per burger. I use the guard and don’t mind throwing a hunk away from each side. Onions are cheap. It seems that if I actually don’t cut myself using it, one of us cuts ourselves washing it.

picklerick wrote:

The only time I use the mandolin now is for Oklahoma onion burgers to get them paper thin. It pretty much takes half a med onion per burger. I use the guard and don’t mind throwing a hunk away from each side. Onions are cheap. It seems that if I actually don’t cut myself using it, one of us cuts ourselves washing it.

I have such bad PTSD from it that I get the chills watching someone use one now.

I’d like to upgrade the mandolin to a Japanese style. It’s smaller and would fit in a drawer, and I would use it for more things. I’d definitely get one of these gloves.

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Finally had the chance to pick up some brats. Not quite cooked to perfection, but those loaded stadium brats might have been the best I’ve had. Petty Bros in Annandale have a great selection that I’ve been working thru. I like mine with a touch of mayo, diced raw onions, and ketchup.

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Joe Jarl wrote:

Petty Bros in Annandale

That is an underrated meat market! Wish I got out there more often.