I’ve been trialing some different cuts from my grass-fed beef supplier. I ordered some of his beef and pork bratwursts in my last order to see how they compared with what I can buy at my local grocery store. I don’t like the sugar and fillers in the commercial stuff. I grilled the beef brats last month and those were delicious! I decided to try something different with the pork brats I planned for tonight. I partially cooked them in a skillet and then split them down the center. After adding some cheese and jalapeno to the slits, I wrapped them with bacon and finished them off in the oven. They were DELICIOUS! We liked these much better than the beef brats, in fact. Not sure why, other than they clearly had a different spice mixture than the beef. This dish can be made with either beef or pork brats and is perfectly suitable for all phases of Atkins or Primal diners as well. These are not acceptable for Paleo followers due to the cheese.

INGREDIENTS:

16 oz. pastured pork (or beef) bratwurst (There were 5 links in my package)

¼ c. grated or sliced Monterey Jack cheese

2 jalapenos, seeded and cut into 10 strips

5 slices low-sodium bacon

DIRECTIONS: Lightly brown the pork brats on all sides in a non-stick skillet. You want them about 2/3 done. Preheat oven to 350º. Holding each with tongs, make a deep “canoe”-like knife slit down each one but not cutting through at each end. Push an equal portion of the grated cheese down each slit. Lay 2 strips of jalapeno into each sausage “canoe” (1 at each end). Carefully wrap 1 slice of bacon around each sausage “canoe” and secure with a toothpick at each end. I like to lightly sprinkle bacon with black pepper, but this is not necessary. Pop in preheated 350º oven and bake for about 20-30 minutes or until bacon is fully cooked. Serve with a salad or your favorite sides. Be sure to remind everyone at the table to remove the toothpicks before eating.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 5 servings, each contains:

301 calories

24.5 g fat

.32 g carbs, .16 g fiber, .16 g NET CARBS

19.2 g protein

310 mg potassium

183 mg sodium

25% RDA Vitamin B6, 24% B12, 10% iron, 28% niacin, 23% phosphorous, 21% riboflavin, 40% selenium, 61% thiamin, 25% zinc