Uli's Sausage Archives - A Byte of Life

Last Saturday’s weather was just delightful! We were still recovering from our jet lag and getting back into the usual routine. So, abiding by my weekend “stay-cation” ritual of heading down to Pike Place market I grabbed my market bag and tootled down to meander around the market for a while. My first class griller had decided that he/we were tasted up for some grilled Bratwurst and we needed some Uli’s Famous Sausages and a few amazing potato rolls from Macrina Bakery to build our delicious dinner. Recipe posted here and I, and my stomach, are proud to report that they turned out completely AMAZING! We’ll be making that recipe a grilling staple this summer!! Bring on the sun Seattle, we’ll grab a keg of Georgetown Manny’s Pale Ale and give you a run for you money!

But back to my story! There I was, strolling home on a Saturday afternoon, enjoying the sunshine and still on a vacation hangover from our two weeks gallivanting around Spain so I had no sense of urgency or duty. Then I happened upon the Lost River Winery tasting room. They have a lovey open space nestled into the north side of Pike Place Market that I had walked past dozens of times and a noon wine tasting on a lazy stay-cation sunny Saturday sounded like a marvelous life choice!

Ram greeted me as I walked it and invited me to a wine tasting… YES PLEASE! I chose my seat at the bar while he masterfully started me down the journey of tasting some truly wonderful wines! The list below was included in my $5 wine tasting and I have to say it was a delightful line up! Featuring a wide array of their wines, from red to wine and dessert wine the tasting truly showcased the flavor and style of the Lost River wines. The well-stocked tasting bar and knowledgeable staff (Thanks Ram!) of their Seattle tasting room is a delightful oasis from the hustle and bustle of the market.

For being a staunch red wine drinker and dessert wine averse, it might surprise you that the only two bottles I took home were a white and a white dessert wine! That’s how delicious they were!

$5 Tasting (may 5th menu)

2010 Pinot Gris $14/bottle, 741 cases made

My review: Light and refreshing. No lingering taste and a clean finish
In their words: “A great cocktaip wine and paired with spicy food! 100% Pinot Gris, A bright, crisp and refreshing stainless-steel tank aged Pinot with just a touch of sweetness and packed with a zesty green apple , mellow, lime and white grapefruit flavors.

2009 Rainshadow $15/bottle, 430 cases made

My review: The Semillon give it an interesting twist. It was described as a “food wine” which is apparent in it’s simple yet complex flavor and flow letting food enhance and highlight different flavors.
In their words: “A fine chardonnay alternative. 40% Sauvignon Blanc/ 60% Semillon. This light-oaked, dry, white Bordeaux-style blend is named in honor of the magnificent North Cascade Mountains that block rain from Washington’s coastal storms making the eastern part of our state arid, warm and the perfect climate for growing wine grapes.

2008 Merlot $24/bottle, 494 cases made

My review: Spice forward with a balanced full finish.
In their words: 92% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc. This wine exhibits notes of black currant and cassis, cherry, and licorice. 2008 represents a near perfect vintage for Washington Merlot. This wine will improve with an additional year in bottle, and, with proper cellaring, should age well until at least 2015.

NV Western Red $17/bottle

My review: Slight slice, drinkable with any type of food. Not as smooth but lingering with a nice finish.
In their words: 75% Merlot/25%Cabernet Franc. Western Red is a Bordeaux-style blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc that celebrates the Western Red cedar trees that surround our winery along the Lost River in the upper Methow Valley.

2007 Syrah $24/bottle, 394 cases made

My review: Jammy yet simple with red berry notes and a very smooth finish.
In their words: 100% Syrah. This wine exhibits a blend of terroir expression between the cobbly gravels of Stone Valley Vineyard (the famous Walla Walla “Rocks”) and the deep wind blown silt “Loess” soils of the Les Collines Vineyard. The wine displays distinctive black pepper and cherry notes with a strong character of bitter chocolate, coffee and smoke. The aging in barrel and restrained use of new French oak lengthens the wine’s finish and enhances its fruit aromas.

2008 Cedarosa $26/bottle, 301 cases made

My review: Rich tannins, silky and soft with a lingering tail. My taste buds DANCED with this one!!
In their words: 45% Cabernet Franc/55% Merlot. A complex and rich Bordeaux style blend featuring a medley of bright, fruity Merlot flavors intermingled with the dark and earthy underbrush flavors of Cabernet franc- commonly known as our hedonistic fruit bong. A very versatile wine in the kitchen.

2007 Cabernet Sauvignon $24/bottle, 595 cases made

My review: Smooth and full flavor, robust taste finishes delightfully with a light tannin forward flavor that lingers delightfully on the tongue.
In their words: 85% Cabernet Sauvignon/10% Merlot/5% Cabernet Franc. This robust yet elegant cab-based blend is aged in French oak barrels for two years then bottle aged for 1 year prior to release. If you enjoy a hearty red wine with more oak, tannin and acid then this your best bet.

2009 Late Harvest Semillon $17.90/bottle, 125 cases

My review: Smooth, sweet but NOT syrupy as most dessert wines are. Incredibly crisp finish without a sweet linger. Resides on the fruit notes. Would LOVE to pair with a vanilla cookie or biscotti!
In their words: Semillon is used to make the greatest dessert wines in the world! Ours has flavors of pear, honey & citrus with silky texture in the mouth.

“The big yellow one’s the sun!” (From stand-up comedian Brian Regan…if you haven’t heard him he’s HYSTERICAL! Check him out here)

That big blinding thing in the Seattle sky.. what IS it!? This past weekend in Seattle was gorgeous and dare I say it…it’s getting to be “that” time of year. You know which one I’m talking about…the birds chirping while the sun comes up at 5am, blinding white legs are peeking out from shorts, sunglasses sales shoot through the roof because no one knows where they placed any of the 5 pairs they used last time it was sunny in Seattle. Baseball is in season and it just seems downright American to drink beer and grill on the roof! After last years extended snowpocalypse, all of Seattle seems MORE than ready to get out and enjoy a little much awaited and MUCH deserved sunshine!

What better way to enjoy than to channel our German roots and grill up some Bratwurst! We’re spoiled to have the most delicious Uli’s Famous Sausages right down the street in Pike Place Market and Macrina Bakery two blocks away for amazing fresh Potato Rolls but I’m sure you can find your local version of each and make an equally tasty meal! Not to mention, with a few short minutes drive we can grab a fresh keg of Georgetown Manny’s Pale Ale.

This is the perfect weekend meal! It’s so easy to prep and forget while you go about your weekend chores! Then when you’re hungry you can fire up the grill and have an amazing and rewarding meal! We LOVED this meal so much we made enough for four and had leftovers the next night! Added bonus: the whole house smelled of incredible German brats and beer all afternoon while we cleaned! Talk about motivation!

Grilled Bratwurst

2 40oz cans of Miller Light
1 large onion, chopped
4 Uli’s German Bratwurst
4 Potato rolls from Macrina Bakery
1 package Sauerkraut (I use the German imported style sold at Uli’s, it’s authentic and already prepared!)
4 ear of corn, husked
Ketchup/Mustard to taste
1 keg of Georgetown Manny’s Pale Ale (okay… I guess you can use whatever you’d like but if you’re Seattle local, this is the PERFECT beer with this meal!)

To marinate

Chop onion and place in large pot on the stove
Add both 40’s of Miller Light and add the delicious brat’s
Marinate on low for 4 hours
Husk the corn and set aside

1.5 – 2 hours before you want to eat

Soak the corn for a half hour then place each ear in foil. You can place whatever seasonings you like. I simply do salt and pepper but some like butter or oil and that actually helps it char up on the grill much more evenly and swifter. Bake individual corn foils in a pre-heated oven for 20-30 minutes then transfer and grill directly on the pre-heated grill. Corn takes a while so start this a good 15 minutes before you want to finish the dogs on the grill.
Remove the dogs from pot and place in foil to grill.
Set aside to onions to pan cook or you can also wrap them in foil and do this on the grill itself if you’d prefer to not use a stove.
Miller Light

Wrap the Sauerkraut in foil and grill (or you can pan fry them but this stinks up the house a bit so I usually just warm them in foil on the grill).
At this point you should have oven cooked corn still in the foil, foiled sauerkraut, foiled brats, and be ready to either pan fry the onions or foil those bad boys
Heat up your grill as hot as it will go and cook the corn for 10 minutes, turning frequently to get an even char. Also put the foiled sauerkraut and onions on the grill to cook up (for these pictures I pan fried it since everyone in our building seemed to be using the grills and I wanted to reserve space).
Once the corn has a good char on all sides, place the brats on the grill and char those puppies up.
Toast your buns, set out your condiments and get ready to enjoy one of the most incredible meals you’ll ever set taste buds on!

Enjoy your delicious and easy meal!!!

Another amazing part of this meal… if you’re cooking for two.. this gives you leftovers to enjoy the next night like we did!!!

Tag: Uli’s Sausage

Lost River Winery: Weekend Wine Tasting

Grilled Bratwurst…Summer’s on it’s way