Johnsonville brats are actually pretty good. If you happen to live in an area of the country where there was/is a healthy German or Dutch population, look for a local butcher that makes sausage. I've fond memories of growing up in the Mid-Hudson Valley of NYS and getting brats from local butchers such as Karl Ehmer's and Rudy's Newburgh Pork Store. The best! But I'm certain folks from certain Michigan and Wisconsin towns will argue the point...
The way I've made brats for years is: Put the Johnsonville's into a decent size stock pot. Slice up an onion or two and throw the slices into the pot. Add 2 cups of water, then two bottles of beer (I prefer J.W. Dundee's Honey Brown, Harpoon India Pale Ale, or Sam Adams - Bud, Miller, and Coors just don't cut it). Simmer this for twenty to thirty minutes. Remove the brats to the grill for finishing, grilling till brown. After removing the brats, open a package of prepared kraut, drain, and put into the liquid the brats cooked in. Add about a tablespoon of caraway seeds and a pinch of brown sugar. Simmer while the brats are grilling. Once the brats are done grilling, put them back into the pot with the liquid, onion, and kraut to keep warm. Letting guests help themselves, serve with fresh, crunchy rolls, and Plockmans or Nathans mustard. Zer goot!!
Peace. Out.
Alan