Cook 'em on your block. 5W-30 and Brats were meant to be

 

OK sorry but boiling the Brats in water is not going to cause the casing to break. I have been cooking Brats for many many years and I have done it the same way for ever.

Boil the brats for 20 minutes this cooks the brats pretty well through, then remove them and let them cool down a bit. Next simmer them on the BBQ until they get the color that you want. Cooking them to fast on the BBQ will cause the Brats skin to burst but boiling them certainly will not.

And Wisconsin is loaded with Germans

 

Frying pans? Use a big soup pot.

http://www.bratwurstpages.com/brats.html

One important point - don't ever boil bratwurst! You may see recipes that call for parboiling or boiling. What they mean to (or ought to) say is simmered in beer or water, usually with chopped onion added. Simmering means bringing the liquid to the temperature at which steam rises from the surface, but not so hot that it bubbles. Boiling will cause the casings to burst.

http://www.bratwurstpages.com/bratrecipe3.html

Note: Some folks add a step at the beginning of this recipe. The brats are simmered in beer and chopped onion for 20 minutes before grilling. The simmering liquid is then discarded. Use fresh beer and onions for the batter. Since the bratwursts are pre-cooked in the simmering stage, the purpose of the grilling stage is merely to brown the brats and add smoke flavor. Grilling time can be reduced accordingly.

 

I made Brats and italian sausage last night. Cooked the brats in beer for about 5 minutes. Then threw them on the grill. They were Damn good!!!!!

 

Depends how long you boil them for. I never boil mine but simmer as glc mentioned. Much better brat in my opinion.

 

A true Wisconsin brat is a heart attack on a bun - dripping in butter.