Sheboygan Brat

A brat (rhymes with hot and is short for bratwurst) can be made of almost any kind of meat and cooked almost any way, but to be a Sheboygan brat, it must be cooked over charcoal. Cooking over coals is so much a signature of this community north of Milwaukee that some Wisconsinites refer to anything cooked on a grill as Sheboygan-style food. The makin’s of a Sheboygan brat usually are pork or pork and beef. Chicken, venison, and turkey are alternatives. Despite differing ingredients, nearly all Sheboygan brats are served in a similar manner: as a pair in a hard roll with mustard, pickle, onions and – another crucial element – plenty of melted butter. It is OK for a brat enthusiast to add ketchup to the mix or delete the pickles or choose fried onions over raw ones, but unless one bellies up to the bar with an exculpatory note signed by a cardiologist, all Sheboygan hot meat sandwiches – brat, burger, or butterflied pork chop – are served dripping butter.