Johnsonville Brats Unlock the Mystery of the Grill
Date Posted: 05/18/2006
JOHNSONVILLE, WI. – April 12, 2006 – Summer, barbecues and bratwurst have been synonymous since the first cavemen rubbed sticks together and invented fire. Since then, men and women across the world have mastered the art of grilling. As the grill evolved, so did the food, culminating 60 years ago with the best-tasting food that’s cooked over a live fire: the Johnsonville Brat.
To become a grillmeister you must remember a few rules of thumb, which Americans now clearly forget. Of the 50 percent surveyed who claimed they did know how to grill a brat, only one in ten (11 percent) knew the proper cooking time.
The next thing to remember is how to keep your brat cooking evenly. Luckily, when asked the proper utensil for grilling, 90 percent of Americans disregarded forks, knives and spatulas in favor of the best grilling tool there is – tongs. Forks can puncture a fresh bratwurst, releasing the great flavor but savor the flavor – stick with tongs.
Finally, don’t forget to eat it the right way. When asked, 66 percent of Americans think the traditional Wisconsin way to prepare a brat is with a little bit of sauerkraut. While they’re not far off, the traditional Sheboygan Johnsonville Brat includes two brats on a crusty, Kaiser roll served with dark mustard, onion slices and dill pickles. Although if you’re in a pickle—or lack one—a Johnsonville Brat packs enough big taste to be eaten without any condiments at all.
“Johnsonville Brats are a great addition to the grill and the lower the flame, the higher the savory taste,” says Steven Raichlen, grilling expert and author. “Nothing says summer like a bratwurst, a beer and friends gathered around the grill.”
So whether you are like 87 percent of Americans that think the best drink to have with a brat is a cold beer or the 3 percent who would prefer to have it with tea, keep in mind what the most important thing to do is – enjoy it! And more than a quarter of Americans enjoy brats so much that they feel the best thing to do after finishing a brat is to grab another. Good thinking.
More than two-thirds of Americans (68 percent) of Americans correctly identified the origin of the bratwurst as Germany. Brats made their way to Midwestern America by German and Austrian immigrants hundreds of years ago. The tradition spread, particularly in Wisconsin by a local Austrian butcher named Ralph F. Stayer. His 100-year-old recipe was a hit and became the foundation for the number one bratwurst in America. Johnsonville Brats, started in Johnsonville, Wisc., outside Sheboygan, Wisc., is the unofficial bratwurst capital of the world.
Wisconsin-based Johnsonville Sausage is the number one national brand of brats, Italian sausage, smoked-cooked links and fresh breakfast sausage links. Johnsonville Sausage products are available in 39 countries including France, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Hong Kong, China and the United States. Johnsonville employs 1,000 members. Each of them takes ownership of product quality to ensure the excellence and "Big Taste" of Johnsonville Sausage. Founded in 1945 by Ralph F. & Alice Stayer, the company remains privately owned today.