"Brat" as a prefix means "roasted". Bratwurst, therefore, means "roasted sausage". It originated, incidentally, in Nuremberg, Germany. To cook a bratwurst properly, it must be roasted or grilled, or at the very least, pan-fried to a brown and somewhat crispy state. I like a "Kingsford" charcoal fire for this. A friend told me she didn’t like bratwurst. She was boiling them and serving them. I set her straight, and she loved bratwurst after that! TJW