beyond meat beer brat balls

So, whaddayagot? Labor Day coming up? Memorial Day? Just your run of the mill summer grilling weekend? I got you covered here. I took some Beyond Meat beef and brats, and mashed them together in these adorable little pretzel bun meatball sliders. Check it out. You're gonna turn some heads.

Beyond Beer Brat Ball Sliders

Makes 20 sliders

1 sweet yellow onion, sliced
4 light flavored beers (no IPA's or strongly flavored brews)
10 ounces Beyond Beef
2 links Beyond Sausage Brats, casings removed
1 vegan egg substitute (I use Follow Your Heart Vegan Egg, but I imagine Just, or a flax or chia egg will work as well)
1/2 cup finely ground salted pretzels
4 cloves garlic, grated
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
5 pretzel buns, quartered (or 20 regular slider buns)
1/2 cup grain mustard (approximately)
1/2 cup sauerkraut (approximately)
4 wooden skewers, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes
grill spray
20 sandwich picks

Heat a grill to high. In a wide pan with high sides, add the beer and onions, and cover with foil (which I didn't show in the video, oops!). Place on one side of the grill, and let it hang out and simmer away. Plan to have it simmer at least 30 minutes before you add the balls to really get those onions tender.

In a mixing bowl, add beef, sausage, egg, ground pretzel crumbs, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper. With a clean or gloved hand, mash ingredients together until combined. 

Divide mixture into 20 ping pong ball sized portions (a 1-ounce ice cream scooper works well here). Shape them into round balls, and place them on a pan or plate lined with parchment. Cover and chill in the fridge 15 to 20 minutes to help them firm up before skewering.

Remove the skewers from the water, and slide 5 balls onto each one. Place on a plate covered with parchment and take them out to the grill.

Spray the available side of the grill with grill spray, and gently place the meatball skewers on the grill.

Grill 2 minutes, until browned and/or grill-marked, then, using a thin metal spatula, separate balls from the grill, and gently flip them over, and grill on the other side 2 minutes.

Remove meatballs from the grill and immediately transfer them to the simmering beer and onion bath. You can leave them on the skewers or remove them. No need to re-cover the beer pan. 

Simmer in the beer for 10 minutes, then remove the pan from the grill, and begin to build the sliders.

Slather the bottom buns with mustard, then top with onion. Add a ball to each bun, then top with sauerkraut, and finally the top bun. Hold it all together with a sandwich pick. Repeat for all sliders. Serve immediately.