Celebrate National Bratwurst Day With Sausage Recipes!

Happy National Bratwurst Day! We'll never pass up the opportunity to celebrate sausage, so join us in picking from nine of our favorite preparations. Some of these beautiful recipes may call for non-bratwurst sausages; however, feel free to celebrate this hallowed occasion with the tubesteak of your liking. For example: Seattle-style with a smoked chicken and apple sausage would be DELICIOUS.

This strange Seattle creation likely came to be in the 1980s or '90s, when modern variations and the idea of haute dogs began influencing recipes. Not only are these dogs almost impossible to find outside of Seattle, they can be tricky to find within Seattle as well. That hasn't stopped this deliciously spicy and creamy dog from collecting a cult following. Loaded with veggies, jalapeños, sriracha and cream cheese, these dogs are all about thinking outside the bun.

You cannot — repeat, cannot — go wrong with a cured-smoked pork product in a dish, but if you can find a way to double it down at the breakfast table, you've hit the flavor jackpot. I love to serve these bacon-wrapped sausages with sweet breakfast fare like apple-maple French toast or blueberry buttermilk pancakes as a super-satisfying savory, salty counterpunch.

Every year, Food & Wine magazine releases a cookbook packed with the best recipes of the last 365 days. Hear that? Food & Wine. Best recipes of the year. Any page you turn to will sport a winner, but while Oktoberfest rages on, memorize this sausage recipe, make it for a crowd and celebrate the great fall festival with hard cider. And/or beer.

The aroma of caramelizing onions builds anticipation for these over-the-top bison dogs loaded with the onions — plus bacon and barbecue sauce.

There's nothing like a good pressed Cuban sandwich. Although the ubiquitous "Cuban" has been made countless times with countless variations, my criteria will always be good Cuban bread with meat in the middle, grilled on a flat-surfaced plancha. Pan con chorizo is typically a simple sandwich, but a little extra attention can elevate it to perfection. This recipe calls for homemade bread, which I love and which is not very difficult to make. If you're in a hurry, buy a large loaf of Cuban bread (or French bread in a pinch).

Everyone has their preferred way of cooking a hot dog. Some like the boiled or steamed ballpark variety; others like them to a varying degree of doneness on the grill. Here in Jersey, we deep-fry them. A quality frankfurter — beef or pork — will have a tough casing that withstands the hot oil, to a point; the dogs are done when they rip open, hence the nickname "rippers." Served on a bun, with a heaping of Jersey-style relish, these dogs require only a side of onion rings or  fries.

"My mom made an awesome grünkohl! It's basically a kale stew with speck and smoked sausage," chef Rene Stein says. "The key is making sure the kale is tender and adding the mustard seeds and Dijon mustard."

People are sometimes surprised that I miss food things from L.A. besides In-N-Out and amazing Mexican food (though I of course miss those things). I miss getting sushi in Little Tokyo. I miss sandwiches from Bay Cities in Santa Monica. And I miss getting a greasy delicious Victory Dog outside the Coliseum after watching my team demolish some losers in powder blue.

"I'm not a football man, I'm a party man, so if there's a party, I'm in. If there's something where people are gathering around the TV to watch, I'll be there," says Marc Murphy, owner and executive chef at the Benchmarc restaurants in New York City. We hit up Ditch Plains, his surf-themed fish shack on Manhattan's Upper West Side, to grab some ideal tailgating recipes and found something better than a chili dog. This sloppy joe dog wishes it were a chili dog.