Johnsonville Bratwursts Leave All Others in the Dust

Whenever I visit relatives down south or out east, they all insist I bring along a taste of Wisconsin with me. More specifically, they are looking for me to bring bratwursts.

Since brats and Wisconsin go together like white on rice I have all sorts of brands to choose from, ranging from major brands to locally made ones. The brand I always choose is Johnsonville.

There are three things I like about Johnsonville I can't find in other brats; size, taste and how easy they are to make.

First, we'll start with the size. The typical local bratwurst is about an inch in diameter. Johnsonville brats are much thicker than that and usually about as long. If I eat one Johnsonville brat, I'm usually pretty full; a big difference than the local brats that usually leave me hungry.

The taste is the biggest reason I choose Johnsonville though. I have yet to have a Johnsonville brat that was all dried out. Everyone I've eaten, regardless of how they were made, has had just the right amount of juices inside them. Johnsonville also offers several varieties ranging from beer brats to cheese-filled brats for those times I want a different taste. I have yet to be disappointed in any of them.

An added plus to Johnsonville is the versatility in their bratwursts. All brats are best when they are cooked on the grill. But, this being Wisconsin and all, the weather doesn't always permit that. Unlike other bratwursts that don't taste right unless they are grilled, Johnsonville brats are good regardless of how you cook them. I can boil them. Or, I can fry them. I can even bake them and they always have the same amount of flavor. I can even warm them up in the microwave a few days later and they taste the same as they did when I first cooked them.

The only real disadvantage to choosing Johnsonville is the price. A 5-pack of their brats costs roughly $4 around here. And, if I'm expecting guests, I can expect to pay as much as $9 for a bigger box of them. That is considerably more expensive than any of the local brands. However, I'm a big believer in the phrase "you get what you pay for" and, in the case of Johnsonville, you are spending more money for better quality.