It's been 5 years but lose those pellets. They are cheap for a reason. Sniff the smoke coming out. It doesn't smell like I want my food to taste and doesn't burn the nose. No burn no smoke flavor on the food. Period.
Looks very good. Can't go wrong with Johnsonville for an everyday brat. I enjoy the Friecracker also. They just are not available often around here. Just got a pellet grill and after an initial seasoning, brats are ging to be my first cook on it to learn the cooker and be a quick cook for a bbq cook. Seasoning the brats with spg seems a bit unnecessary to me. All you are doing is coating the skin, IMO. The condiments you made up sound very good, but I go simple, mustard, onions or saurkraut. Onions might be a New York style onion sauce. Which takes an hour or so to prepare.
You don’t want “that smoke 💨 rolling out of there” you want a clear slightly blue 💨. The whiter your smoke the more bad tasting compounds are being released from the wood. You can ask any pit master and they will tell you the key to making any smoked food be it brisket or sausage taste the best is a well oxygenated fire that produces “clean smoke 💨 “.
