Instructions

1. Remove the brats from the refrigerator and let them sit at room temperature just long enough to loosen them up -- between five and 10 minutes, depending on how cold they are. You need to have the brats, the fat and the pan all going the same direction -- toward screaming hot -- to get a good, hard sear.

2. Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

3. Add a few tablespoons each of oil and unsalted butter to a cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven. Heat the oil and butter over high heat for about five minutes. Oil raises the smoking point of butter to searing temperatures, or around 300 degrees Fahrenheit, without affecting its taste or browning effect.

4. Sear the brats in the skillet until crusty and browned on two sides, turning them over once with tongs. About 30 to 45 seconds of pure, uninterrupted sizzle on each side should do it.

5. Lower the heat to medium-high after searing the brats and give the fat in the pan about a minute to catch up. Slowly pour about 1 cup of warm beer in the pan for each brat, just enough to wet their feet a little.

6. Turn the stove off and place the lid on the Dutch oven or cover the skillet with aluminum foil. Don't burn yourself trying to wrap a hot skillet with foil, just bend the foil over the lip so it won't fall off. Place the brats on the middle oven rack.

7. Braise the brats about 20 to 25 minutes, or until the beer reduces to a syrup.