Baseball season invokes memories of summer, road trips and beer. For Wisconsinites it also means brats. Bratwursts come to mind because I am in the beautiful state of New Jersey and I am craving a juicy brat on the day of the Milwaukee Brewers' home opener against the Chicago Cubs. I can taste it now. I could simply ask my parents to take me the store and get me one, but the majority of the community is not of German decent, so bratwurst are not common. At a Philadelphia Phillies game you're likely to find Italian sausages, hot dogs and thanks to Wisconsin, the brat. Historically, brats originated in Germany, but Sheboygan is home to the "Bratwurst Capital of America." Sheboygan, located about 50 miles from Green Bay, is home to "Sheboygan Bratwurst Days," a weekend event in August that celebrates, you guessed it, the bratwurst. Johnsonville Foods is located in Sheboygan Falls and produces the largest amount of brats in the nation. The "World's Largest Brat Fest" is also held in Wisconsin. Madison is the host of the charity brat fest that serves almost 200,000 brats over four days. Wisconsin is also one of the only states to have brat fry fundraisers. I remember my high school football team having a brat fry to raise money. As my East Coast family would say, only in Wisconsin. Thanks to the great state of Wisconsin the Phillies have brats at their games. According to Madison.com, Bill Sperling, the assistant director of concessions at Milwaukee County Stadium in the 1950s, brought the brat to the major leagues. Milwaukee County Stadium introduced them and they were a hit. In fact, Duke Snider of the Brooklyn Dodgers liked them so much he brought them to New York. Although you can find them at just about every Major League Baseball stadium, their flavor is never the same as the traditional beer brat. The key is to boil them in beer before grilling. Beer is the key to a great brat and my theory is the cheaper the beer, the better the brat. I boil mine in nothing better than a disgusting Blatz or, if it's available, a Milwaukee's Best. Relish, onions, ketchup and mustard are common toppings, but, I like to pay tribute to my German ancestors and top my brat with a little sauerkraut. Wisconsin is home and home is where the brats are.
Rounding third and racing home for sausages
Published: Thursday, April 16, 2009
Updated: Monday, August 30, 2010 17:08
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