Best Smoked Brats On Traeger - The Typical Mom

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Traeger Smoked Brats

By Justine

4.75 from 4 votes |

Published Dec 19, 2025

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Smoked brats are grilled to perfection on the barbecue, then served hot from the grill and lifted onto a plate with tongs.

Johnsonville smoked brats on a Traeger are a delicious lunch or dinner idea you can make in your pellet or electric smoker this week! If you haven’t tried smoking bratwurst yet it is our favorite meal during the summertime.

It actually doesn’t matter what brand you have, we actually started with cooking electric smoker recipes. That was an inexpensive way to start to make sure we really liked this method of cooking. We loved it so much we grabbed a Green Mountain grill/smoker online which was bigger and used wood chips vs. pellets.

Both worked great really and I don’t just because of the brand of style you have. Now that we’re really into it we upgraded to the Traeger you see below. Here they are done at the top, and where they started that afternoon below. Yes they start out as raw pork links, not precooked.

We’re not reheating them, they’re being cooked because brats are bought raw. Ready to soak up that smoky flavor. I mean if you just want to heat and serve one of those kielbasa links you can do that too but it won’t really soak up much flavor at all, and won’t take much time either.

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Should you poke brats?

We’ve cooked bratwurst many ways but this is probably my favorite, and no matter what you shouldn’t poke them because it won’t be as juicy. To get them super tender on the inside, with a great applewood flavor you want to keep all the juices inside, poking allows all of that to ooze out.

How Long to Smoke Brats at 225

You have two options. If you choose to cook your brats at a lower 225 temperature then it will take approximately 2 hours, flipping halfway through. This is usually our go to method since lower and slower is the way to go with these machines to get that smoky flavor you desire. Same rule goes with Smoked burgers.

The general rule of smoking meats is the lower the temp. and the longer your meat is in there, the smokier the flavor will be. I would say this is very true, but when you’re smoking bratwurst I feel an hour still gives it a great flavor.

How Long to Smoke Brats at 350

We have also smoked them at 350 degrees for just 30 minutes, turning them after 15 minutes, and they’ve turned out great. Costco brats are many times much larger so those may take longer to cook all the way thru.

I do like this type. They come in packages of 5-6 which is just enough for the 5 of us without any leftovers typically. I think they have a nice snap to them when they’re done but the skins aren’t too thick and hard to chew. Many times they will go on the grates with smoked steak beside them.

What Internal Temperature Should Bratwurst be?

Check internal temperature to ensure they are fully cooked inside. Pork brats need to be at 160 degrees to be safe so remove once that is achieved and allow to rest before slicing for at least 5 minutes.

Cooking Tips

Now you’re going to want to preheat your smoker / grill to 350 degrees if you want a shorter cook time, or 220 for a longer smokier flavor. Open your package and place on a grate once you have a hot grill. Do not overlap them and don’t add until it reaches the optimal temp. If you set to 350 you will flip after 15 minutes. If your smoker is at 225 degrees you will flip after 60 minutes.

Smoked brats stacked on a white plate with tongs and buns in the background.

4.75 from 4 votes

Smoked Brats Recipe

By Justine Smoked brats are a delicious lunch or dinner idea you can make in your pellet or electric smoker this week! If you haven’t smoked sausage yet, try this! Prep: 5 minutes Cook: 30 minutes Total: 35 minutes Servings: 6 Save RecipeSaved Recipe Pin Recipe Comment Print Recipe

Equipment

1 smoker

Ingredients 1x2x3x

▢ 6 large brats, or more, this is how many we cooked
▢ 6 large buns
▢ 1/2 cup mustard, optional

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Instructions

Preheat your smoker to 350 degrees. We used hickory pellets to make these, apple works well too. If you want a longer smoke set to 225.
Place your raw brats on your grill grate and close lid. After 15 minutes lift lid and flip each one over on to the other side. If you set to the lower temp then flip after 1 hour.
Smoke for an additional 15 minutes. Remove and serve! Lower temp takes a total of 2 hours.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 3oz, Calories: 219kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 48mg, Sodium: 558mg, Potassium: 229mg, Calcium: 18mg, Iron: 0.3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Entree, Main CourseCuisine: American, irish Tried this recipe?Mention @thetypical_mom or tag #thetypicalmom!

What condiments do you put on a bratwurst?

This whole process will probably take you 45 minutes from start to finish including the time it will take you to get your smoker up to the right temperature. Now that you’re done you need to add “all the things” right??

Serve them inside hoagie rolls
Good toppings for brats:
- German mustard
- Quick sauerkraut – jarred or homemade
- Pickled cabbage and/or vegetables
- Warm cabbage slaw
- Onions

Some insist on Swiss cheese on top of our Smoked sausage and cabbage, let it melt, then eat. If you ate these growing up I bet you can picture how they were served way back then and that is your go to. My grandfather was from Germany and so we ate these quite often, with all the traditional things so they’re a must with our spread.

Other smoker recipes you’ll love

Another thing to consider is if you are cooking something else like our smoked beer can chicken that is more temperature sensitive, go with that temp. These are more flexible and just the most important aspect is making sure the internal temperature when done needs to be 160 degrees F before consuming.

Now for something like our smoked pork recipe, it does matter because the meat is so much thicker. You want to break down all of those connective tissues so it is as fork tender as possible.

With thinner items like these and our smoked bacon I feel like you can go for the shorter time and higher temp if necessary. Speaking of bacon, next time we are going to make bacon wrapped brats and we will share the photos once we do that!

You can try our air fryer sausage and potatoes recipe too this week! They’re another favorite amongst the link family, seen here were deer sausages from our local butcher, spicy, and just incredibly delicious.

Looking for other ways to cook these? Try our Instant Pot brats recipe that gets raving reviews! You can grill brats too which is similar to this without the smoke. AND this is how to cook bratwurst in the oven.

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About Justine

Justine is the creative mind behind The Typical Mom and The Typical Family on YouTube. She began blogging about easy recipes, budget friendly activities for kids, and fun family travel destinations in September 2012.

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4.75 from 4 votes (2 ratings without comment)

2 Comments

Good job lady! Been smoking 40 years, “think you got it”
Reply
This is one of my favorite recipes and I make it almost every week. I use Johnsonville beer or cheddar bratts. I put on Traeger at 225 for 1 hour on each side for a total of two hours just like the recipe says. We also cut up two orange peppers and one big yellow onion, sauté in olive oil and serve on top of the bratts. Top with ketchup and trust me you won’t be disappointed!! Love this recipe!!!
Reply

Hi, I'm Justine!

Welcome to The Typical Mom blog where we share easy Instant Pot recipes, use our Ninja Foodi, Crockpot and air fryer daily, and share fun family travel destinations!

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