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The hamburger is America’s gift to international cuisine and the bratwurst is Wisconsin’s number one grill item.

Both delicacies will be sizzling over coals throughout the Northwoods this weekend and local meat markets have been working hard all week to meet the demand.

Glenn Bessey, owner of Bessey’s Meat Market in Rhinelander, said his crew will make over 1,000 pounds of sausages in 12 different flavors by the end of the week. Bessey’s prides itself on its home-made sausages and original bratwurst recipes.

“We’ve got our own little recipe. I’m gonna say I think we do something that other people don’t,” Bessey said.

Bessey said he also expects to sell a lot of ribeyes and New York strip steaks, the two most popular cuts for outdoor grilling.

Asked what he’s planning to throw on his grill at home, Bessey hesitated.

“I haven’t even had time to think about,” he said. “We’ll probably just be cooking brats and burgers.”

Todd Ahrensdorf, co-owner of the Lake Tomahawk Meat Market, said the July Fourth weekend is his store’s busiest time of year. Ahrensdorf plans to produce 700 pounds of bratwursts for the weekend.

What will Ahrensdorf be grilling at home?

“Pizza,” he joked. “Well, we really enjoy our Greek-marinated chicken breasts and it’s hard to beat a good chuck burger with American cheese.”

Lake Tomahawk Meat Market sells 15 varieties of sausages. Best-sellers include the Packer Brat–– which contains jalapenos and cheddar cheese–– and an Italian sausage stuffed with onions, peppers, and provolone cheese.

“We have our followings for each one of them,” Ahrensdorf said.

Trig’s in Rhinelander is already geared up for the weekend, in part because the smokehouse has to supply stores in Stevens Point, Wausau, and Eagle River with their sausages.

Smokehouse Manager Jamie Cline said his department produces over 4,000 pounds of smoked meats per week and they’ll produce over 2,000 pounds of bratwurst this weekend.

Cline won a coveted accolade during the Wisconsin Meat Product Competition at April’s 70th annual convention of the Wisconsin Association of Meat Processors. Cline’s cooked pizza brats took individual honors from among 900 entries in 35 categories.

Cline said Trig’s fresh brats are still the top-seller at this time of year, but he said their wide variety of hickory-smoked meats are hugely popular. Cline started working in grocery stores when he was 14-years-old and two years later learned to cut meat at the butcher counter. He has run the Trig’s smokehouse for the past three years.

“It was just kind of on-the-job training and I took the bull by the horns and learned the rest,” Cline said.

Trig’s has a new beer bratwurst on the shelves this year that uses Point lager in its recipe.

Tim Krolczyk, owner of TJ’s Butcher Block in Minocqua, is looking forward to a weekend of endless grilling.

“It’s definitely an outdoor cooking day on the Fourth,” Krolczyk said. “Between the parade and the ski show people are looking to barbecue. We keep the grill fired up most of the day.”

Krolczyk said TJ’s will sell a lot of everything in the counter, from burgers and brats to steaks and ribs. Ribs will likely be on the menu at his house.

“I think the specialty is everybody trying their secret recipe out on the barbecue ribs,” Krolczyk said.

TJ’s will be open for business until noon on Saturday, but Krolczyk said his customers usually plan ahead.

“Most people plan ahead a little bit,” he said. “It’s nice to have all of your product on Friday so you can just relax

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Bob wrote on Jul 4, 2009 12:17 PM:

" Here in Florida we love those Wisconsin bratwurst there the best many Wisconites here in our area. Have a great 4th everyone from Florida. "

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