Sheboygan Falls,
24
August
2020
|
16:04 PM
America/Chicago

Bratsgiving Throwdown 2020 Winner Revealed

Every sausage-lover’s favorite holiday – Bratsgiving, also known as National Bratwurst Day on August 16 – has come and gone. But the goodwill, good recipes and good times won’t be forgotten!

To celebrate Bratsgiving 2020, Johnsonville challenged two rival chefs from two of the biggest bratwurst towns – Chicago and Green Bay – to compete in a cook-off to find the best 2020 Bratsgiving recipe. Top Chef Season 15 winner and Chicago chef Joe Flamm created “Da Brats Pasta Salad” to compete against Green Bay Packers Executive Chef Heath Barbato and his “Brats in a Blanket” recipe.

Each chef was awarded with a $5,000 Bratsgiving donation to a local charity of their choice, but the winning recipe of the fan vote will have that donation doubled! Chef Barbato from Green Bay chose the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Green Bay, while Chef Flamm chose the Chicago-based nonprofit My Block. My Hood. My City.

And the Winner Is:

The Bratsgiving Throwdown winning recipe came down to the wire. The final score: Chef Barbato’s “Brats In A Blanket” recipe came out on top, with 2,027 votes cast over Chef Flamm’s “Da Brats Pasta Salad” with 1,187 votes. The “Brats In A Blanket” recipe wrapped all the Wisconsin favorites onto a toasted pretzel bun: cheese curds, beer mustard, and our flagship Johnsonville Original Brat. Chef Flamm’s “Da Brats Pasta Salad” packed Johnsonville Cheddar Brats, penne pasta, and Chicago-style hot giardiniera together, capturing the best of the Windy City flavors.

The Boys and Girls Club of Greater Green Bay said they will use the $10,000 donation prize to support its expanded school-year operations. Meanwhile, Chicago-based My Block, My Hood, My City said they’ll use the $5,000 donation to assist the local community’s seniors and youth impacted by the pandemic with necessary, every-day essentials like food and face masks.

Johnsonville’s family owner, Ralph Stayer, and Wisconsin cookbook author and “The Cooking Mom” food blogger Amy Hanten, joined the chefs at Lambeau Field to learn more about their brat-based recipes and how they integrated other ingredients that represented their respective cities. In addition to casting their votes, bratwurst fans also engaged in the sausage-based holiday by sending their mutual grilling fans a #Bratsgiving e-card from the Johnsonville Bratsgiving website.  

Foodies and grillmasters alike can catch the Bratsgiving Throwdown here.

Happy Bratsgiving to all!