The main culprit for not producing beautifully browned and juicy hot dogs and brats is a grill that is too hot, Mario says. Credit: Special to NASCAR.COM

Mario grills... dogs and brats!

...And by this, I don't mean the pets and the kids.

Nothing is easier to serve at a tailgate than hot dogs and fresh or smoked brats. And nothing is easier to screw up. The main culprit for not producing beautifully browned and juicy hot dogs and brats is a grill that is too hot. Brats, sausages, and dogs all require a low-sustained heat and regular turning to be cooked through and hold on to their juices, which is, after all, where the flavor is. Too high a heat, and they will char on the outside before the inside is done. This also causes the skin to crack and all the goodness to seep out and sizzle uselessly in the fire.

There are many different kinds of sausages and brats. Hot Cajun sausages, like andouille, are great on the grill. These are smoked, so they only need to be heated through. Italian hot and sweet sausages are also incredibly good. Brats come in all kinds of flavors with varying degrees of heat. Some brats are smoked, and so only need a quick stay on the grill. Others are fresh, and should be cooked longer.

Here are some grilling tips:

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- This is the way they cook brats out at Lambeau Field before Packers games (and if anyone knows about brats, it's those guys.) It requires placing a saucepan filled with beer, a little butter, and lots of sliced onions on the grill. Put the brats in the the beer bath and let them cook through. You then finish them on the grill for just a minute or two tol allow them to pick up some flavor. Serve with mustard (never ketchup) and some of the beer-soaked onions and sauerkraut. It's important to know that the brats for this recipe are not pre-cooked brats. Cooking those at Lambeau like eating your brat with ketchup. These are rookie mistakes, and you're allowed to screw up one time, unless you cost the team the game.

- Make sure you let everyone know that the brats and dogs are on the grill -- as great as they taste when they are first cooked, that's how lousy and they are once they've rested for a while. They're dry and wrinkled and need a lot of condiments to make them even remotely palatable.

- Set the plates, rolls, and condiments on a table (like pit row) so everyone can do to their dogs what is their wont without getting in each other's way.

Here are a couple of recipes for brats and sausages, two of my fave tailgate foods:

Brats are the universal tailgating food. I've found some version of them at every track I've visited. I've included them in the main course section. but I've known tailgaters to eat them for breakfast, lunch, and, at Bristol where the race is run at night, for a midnight snack. Keep in mind that the average brat does not fit easily into the average hot dog roll, so keep your eye out for larger buns (no, I don't mean those buns). Serves 4.

- 4 to 8 brats, depending on the usual brat consumption of your crew
- 4 to 8 buns, depending on the number of brats you're grilling
- Mustard

• Grill the brats slowly over a medium fire. I like to leave one area of the grill cool, so if there are any flare-ups, I can move the brats there for safety.
• Cook the brats for 8 to 10 minutes, turning them as needed to keep from charring, until they are nicely brown on the outside and juicy inside.
• Serve in a bun with mustard.

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A classic Italian dish, though it's probably more popular here than in Italy. So much of the success of this meal depends on the quality of the sausage. It would be worth it to investigate whether there is an Italian butcher in your area that makes their own sausage. Try a few of the flavors. Just keep tabs on which are hot sausages and which are sweet so there won't be any unpleasant surprises. Serves 6.

- 2 pounds Italian sausage, sweet and/or hot depending on your preference
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 red bell peppers, stemmed and seeded and cut into 1/2 inch strips
- 1 green bell peppers, stemmed and seeded and cut into 1/2 inch strips
- 1 yellow bell peppers, stemmed and seeded and cut into 1/2 inch strips
- 1 medium onion, cut in half lengthwise and then into thin slices
- 1 small fennel bulb, bottom trimmed, then cut in half lengthwise and then into thin slices

• Prepare enough coals for a medium-hot fire. Arrange the coals so one side is medium and one side medium-hot.
• Arrange the sausages over the medium side. Cook, turning as each side browns, until they are cooked through, about 12 minutes.
• While the sausages are cooking, place a skillet, preferably cast iron, on the medium-hot side of the grill. Add the olive oil and the peppers and onion and cook, stirring frequently, until they soften, about 12 minutes.
• When the sausages are done, add them to the pan with the pepper and stir so the peppers pick up some of the sausage flavor.
• Serve immediately hot with some Italian bread and red wine.

Mario Batali is a renowned chef, restauranteur, television personality, and author of several cookbooks, including Mario Tailgates NASCAR Style, which is now available from Sporting News. Click here to buy the book.