Getting ready: Preparing for the season 

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Wisconsin Bratwurst Sandwiches
Wisconsin Bratwurst Sandwiches

By Joe Drozda and Bob Bley

Summer is almost over and the football season is about to begin. It’s been months since you’ve thought about tailgating, hasn’t it? If you’ve tailgated before, there were things that came to mind at the end of last season that you meant to do, but now months have passed by and you don’t even remember what it was that you thought you should do. Fear not! Here are simple ideas to get your thinking process started. There’s still time to make this season a great one!

Make a checklist to evaluate your equipment. There will be tables, chairs, tents, grills, coolers, flags and much more. Get this equipment out of winter storage and check each piece for cleanliness, serviceability or wear and tear, and its importance in your tailgate set-up.

Is there something you need to replace or even eliminate? Is there a new gadget or piece of equipment on the market that is far better than something that you are using? Check for end of summer bargains on web sites and in the sale tabloids. This time of year cookout and camping gear (tailgate equipment) generally goes on season-ending sales.

Get out the schedule for home games and check the times – 8 p.m. starts and noon starts may require entirely different menus. Contact your tailgating companions to get their thoughts so you can start planning the menu for the first game. Most of all, have fun.

Juicy Wisconsin Bratwurst Sandwiches

No Tongs Please!

You’ll have to search far and wide to find a better tasting bratwurst than our Tailgater’s Handbook special. It is so juicy that the first bite requires a napkin, close to the mouth, just to catch the delicious juices that gush out! Remember to never break the skin of a bratwurst with anything but your teeth.

Ingredients

2 pkgs. of Johnsonville Original (uncooked) Bratwurst (10 brats)

2 cans (12 oz.) or bottles of cold Leinenkugel’s (or other) beer

1 large onion, chopped coarsely

10 sausage buns

Other Items needed

1 pair clean white cotton work gloves

Aluminum disposable baking pan

Preparation on the night before

Carefully place the ten brats into a deep frying pan or soup pot. Add the chopped onion and enough beer to cover the brats. (Drink the rest of the beer as you work.) Be gentle with the brats so that the skin (casing) is not ever broken (use no tongs or forks). Cook the brats and onion at a simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the brats, beer and onion from the heat and let them cool. Take the brats out of the liquid and place them in a re-sealable plastic bag. Pour the liquid into a re-sealable bag as well. Refrigerate the meat and liquid until cooking at your tailgate.

Preparation on game day

Place the aluminum pan on your heated grill and add the beer and onion liquid. Place your brats on the grill and gently turn them with gloves (no tongs please). As the brats brown, serve them on a bun slathered in French’s Mustard or place them, on hold, in the aluminum pan until needed.


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