Sausage, carnitas, banh mi.
Pork is a staple food
found in
almost every culture
across the world,
and it's one of the
most ingrained foods
in Wisconsin culture today.
So let's travel
through our tastebuds
to find out
where it comes from,
how it can be made
and the best ways
to share it with
our friends and family.
Hello and welcome
to Discover Wisconsin.
(Music)
Hey, it's Eric Paulson
from Discover Wisconsin.
I'm here at Wisconsin
State Fair asking two
crucial questions:
How do you cook your brat
and how do you dress
your brat?
So we're going to hit up
some unsuspecting people.
(Music)
I'm glad you took
a break from training camp
to talk with us today.
How do you like to cook
your brat?
I like Johnsonville brats.
first,
I got to soak it in beer.
You got to steam it
in the beer.
I like to start mine in beer
and then finish
them on the grill.
Then we put it on the grill.
I cook it on the
big taste grill.
On a charcoal grill,
on indirect heat.
Hey, in the chair.
How do you like to
grill your brat?
Slow and low
is the way to go.
I will cook it
the Johnson way.
Rotating it about
every three minutes
to turn around.
Get that nice colorization
all the way around.
Just a little bit
crispy on the outside.
Got to be a little charred.
Got to get
a little charring.
And when it starts
to kind of
sing a little bit,
that tells me it's done.
So you're going to
hear a little whistle.
Yes it'll go psssss.
And that's the juices
just trying
to start escaping.
Kind of boiling in here.
I'm ready to get out
and into your mouth.
Once you've grilled it,
how do you like to dress it?
Kraut
If I'm
feeling a little spicy.
Brown mustard and onions.
Twist the ketchup
and mustard together,
so it looks like
a big braid.
It's like vanilla
and chocolate in ice cream.
Yeah.
I like ketchup on my brat.
No ketchup, ever.
And then you need
the relish.
You need to ketchup up
the mustard,
you know, yellow or brown,
however you want to do it,
but you got to go
the whole nine
yards on a brat.
There's enough flavor in it
you don't need.
You don't need much.
How you dress
it is up to you.
As long as it's on
that Johnsonville
brat, we're happy
right here.
Here at the Wisconsin
state fair they're famous
for things on sticks,
and I'm seeing pork
chops on sticks.
Did a little research.
Turns out it's
the widely loved pork shot.
So I'm on my way.
(Music)
Kerry,
what are we doing here
at the fair with this?
Well, we provide
delicious
nutritious pork products.
And then we utilize
the funds to help
with advocacy issues
in the state of Wisconsin.
Oh, very cool.
And a lot of volunteers
are running this today.
Yeah,
if we didn't have
our volunteers,
we couldn't do this.
And so we're
just very thankful for them.
My favorite part
about coming to the fair
is really seeing
the people's reactions
to the food that you make.
You can tell you
are producing a good product
when you see their smile
from ear to ear,
and that really, really
affirms that it's
the career I want to be in.
So, Brock, you're
drilling away back there.
It smells heavenly.
So, yeah,
when you're cooking pork,
what do you have to keep in
mind the most?
One of the things
the reasons that
people don't like pork
is because they've always
gotten it so dry before.
Modern day pork is raised
in such beautiful conditions
that people nowadays
we cook pork to 145,
and that's just fine.
It's
juicy, moist and wonderful.
Now you studied under Brock.
What did you learn under him
and what makes you
love preparing pork?
So what I learned under him
was never
to be afraid to experiment.
And pork is one of
the number one meats
that you can really use
for almost anything.
It's very versatile,
and no matter what,
it always turns out
delicious, that's for sure.
And you know, the pork shop
isn't the only place
you can enjoy great pork
products here at the fair.
This year the Johnsonville
Big Taste Grill is here
too, and big
is an understatement.
So I'm here in front of
the Johnsonville Big Taste
Grill with Grill Master Jay,
which is an awesome
rap name.
And your unofficial title?
Tell me about this
incredibly awesome
grilling truck.
You know, over the years,
we've been on the road
since 95.
We raised over $4.5
million just with the
big taste grill alone.
But the really impact is
when people are in need.
So Johnsonville is so giving
and care so much
about the community
and the
people of our country
that when something happens,
we did disaster
relief in Louisiana.
We've been in North
Carolina where we just
we stop and halt everything,
drive down there
and just serve.
Meat and spices
for a good cause. I love it.
We like to say grilling
up goodwill.
See, now this was
a fun day at the fair.
The pork shop was awesome
and of course, it's
great to hang at
the Johnsonville
Big Taste Grill.
I loved watching
the sausages sizzle.
I love trying that,
of course.
And next,
we're going to the source.
Johnsonville itself is next.
Get the inside scoop
on more
of our favorite places
to visit in Wisconsin
by listening
to Discover Wisconsin's
official podcast, The Cabin.