8 things you probably don’t know about Wisconsin brats

More beloved in the state than hot dogs, Wisconsin brats are a barbecue, ballgame, and summer staple of the state’s cuisine.

When it comes to favorite locally produced cuisine, Wisconsin brats probably rank near the top for many of the state’s residents. Bratwursts didn’t originate in Wisconsin; instead, they were brought over by German immigrants. But the Midwestern state has surely made the sausage its own. Wisconsin brats have their own unique cooking method—and even their own buns.

With a dish as special as the Wisconsin brat, it only makes sense that it’s celebrated statewide. Numerous festivals honor bratwurst, including the “World’s Largest Brat Fest,” held each year in Madison. 

Even if you’ve eaten plenty of Wisconsin brats, there might be some things that you don’t know about the sausage. Here are some of the most interesting and lesser-known facts about Wisconsin brats. 

1. Sheboygan is the ‘Bratwurst Capital of the World’

Bratwurst may have German roots, but that doesn’t make the European country the “Bratwurst Capital of the World.” Instead, that honor goes to Sheboygan, Wisc., a city of nearly 50,000 residents that sits along the shores of Lake Michigan and at the mouth of the Sheboygan River. Several Native American tribes, including the Potawatomi, Chippewa, Ottawa, Winnebago, and Menominee tribes, originally settled the city. European settlers started moving to the area in the 19th century, especially German immigrants, who brought their culinary traditions with them, including the bratwurst.

Each year, the city hosts Brat Days—a free annual festival that features live music and plenty of bratwurst. Since 1953, the festival has hosted a brat-eating contest. The contest, which sees entrants eat as many brats as they can within a 10-minute window, costs $20 to enter. The winner receives $75 worth of Brat Days tickets, a trophy, a gift basket of Johnsonville merchandise, and most importantly, a year’s supply of Johnsonville brats. 

2. Madison hosts the ‘World’s Largest Brat Fest’

Just because Sheboygan is the “Bratwurst Capital of the World,” doesn’t mean it’s the only spot in Wisconsin where the sausages are celebrated. Madison hosts the annual “World’s Largest Brat Fest” over Memorial Day weekend. The annual festival has been held every year since 1983, with the exception of 2020 when it was canceled due to COVID-19. The event serves as a fundraiser, with proceeds going to local charities.

While brats are the main highlight of the three-day festival, it’s also well-known for its assortment of live music performed across four different stages. The festival has previously hosted headliners like Bret Michaels and Charlie Daniels Band and will feature acts like Ace Frehley and the Digital Underground in 2025.

3. Wisconsin brats are simmered in beer before they’re cooked

In bratwurst’s native Germany, the way that the sausages are served and cooked differs depending on which region they’re served in. While far away from Germany, Wisconsin also has its own take on how to cook the sausages—they’re simmered in beer before being tossed on the grill. 

The sausages are typically boiled in pilsner-style beer, known for its balanced malt and hop flavors and high levels of carbonation, before being cooked on a grill. Boiling in beer helps to cook the brats through and also infuses the sausages with the beer’s flavor.

4. American Family Field sells more brats than hot dogs

Is there anything more quintessential than sitting at a ballpark and chowing down on a hot dog? Well, if you’re at American Family Field, then yes, there is—watching the game with a bratwurst in hand. Even though hot dogs are considered the essential baseball-viewing snack, the Milwaukee Brewers ballpark sells more brats than hot dogs each year. According to a Pioneer Press story from 2015, American Family Field, which was previously called Miller Park until 2020, sold twice as many brats and other sausages as hot dogs. 

The stadium is the only ballpark throughout Major League Baseball where fans have purchased more brats than hot dogs. During the 2015 season, it was expected to sell 775,000 sausages, including bratwurst, Polish sausage, Italian sausage, and chorizo, but only 350,000 hot dogs. That’s not the only Wisconsin specialty that the ballpark serves up—according to Ticketmaster’s blog, they also sell cheese curds and a semi-secret Friday fish fry.

5. Brats get their own bun

You might think that you can just throw a Wisconsin brat into a hot dog bun, but you’d be mistaken. Technically, you wouldn’t be mistaken—it totally works in a hot dog bun—but brats have their own distinctive buns. Brat buns are typically longer and wider than hot dog buns, to accommodate the brat’s curved shape. They’re also usually harder on the outside than a traditional hot dog bun, which makes it a sturdier bun and helps to hold the larger sausage. In some places, Wisconsin brats are served in Kaiser rolls, also called “semmels.”

One Chippewa Falls resident even tried their own hand at making unique Wisconsin brat buns. In 2010, 9-year-old Sydney Claxton invented curved buns specifically for holding brats, which usually have a curved shape. The brats were sold in packs of five at Connell’s Orchard shop in Chippewa Falls.

6. The sausages have a long history in Wisconsin

Bratwurst has a long history. According to a story in the German newspaper Die Welt, the first recorded instance of the sausages being served dates back more than 700 years, to the German city of Nuremberg. The food’s history doesn’t date back that far in Wisconsin, but that doesn’t mean it’s a modern culinary tradition.

Wisconsin brats first became popularized about a century ago, in the 1920s, in Sheboygan County. Butchers throughout the county would hand-make brats, and according to a New York Times article about Sheboygan’s brat culture, some have continued to do so. In 1954, brats were introduced at Milwaukee County Stadium after the Boston Braves moved to Wisconsin’s largest city.

7. They’re not just made with pork

In Germany, while there are a variety of ways to prepare bratwurst, the sausage itself is usually made of pork. That’s not the case in Wisconsin, where bratwursts can still be considered bratwursts, even when made out of a variety of meats. Sure, plenty of Wisconsin brats are made of pork, but many others are also made of veal, beef, or a combination of those meats. 

Even Wisconsinites on a plant-based diet can get in on the fun, as several plant-based brands have released their own version of the veggie brat, primarily made of soy protein.

8. Johnsonville is one of the smallest communities in Wisconsin

The name Johnsonville is known throughout the world, with Johnsonville sausage products being sold in more than 45 different countries. The Wisconsin-based company is the largest bratwurst producer in the world, making more than 70 different types of sausage products. While Johnsonville is a globe-spanning company, it’s unlikely that many of its customers have ever visited the community that it was named for. 

Johnsonville takes its name from the unincorporated community of the same name, located just a few miles away from Sheboygan Falls, the headquarters of the sausage company. With a population of just 65 residents, Johnsonville has no stop signs or sidewalks, and consists of one road, surrounded by farm fields. Each year, the small community hosts Sausage Fest, serving up German potato salad, baked beans, and of course, bratwurst.

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Related: The best brats in Milwaukee, according to Yelp