Brats on a Rake

Several years ago, we were confronted with a challenge: How do you cook hotdogs and bratwurst over a bonfire? The traditional sticks that we used for campfires were not a good option. Long sticks tend to bow, and the meat ends up in the ashes. Short sticks can't be held safely, since you have to stand so far back from the fire. Our best way to recruit the kids to help with these fires was to offer a cook out, and so Greg came up with the perfect solution. He built a special tool to hold the brats near the coals, without risking the safety of the chef. Thus, a new tradition was born: Brats on a rake.

This rake is pretty cool. It's about eight feet long, has straight tines, and two large loops of metal that hold it up off the ground.

We load the rake up with brats and then slide it into the fire. Then we sit back and watch them cook.

It's a little tricky sometimes, to turn them, but the straight tines make a big difference. We give 'em a little quarter turn and send them back into the fire.
The heat of a bonfire cooks the brats quickly, and so soon we were enjoying these tasty little morsels. Some were made of elk, while some were traditional brats, and they all were scrumptious. Eating outside in any type of weather is a real pleasure when the food is this good.