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 many 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, and onions and—another crucial element, reflecting their Dairy State roots—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.
The rolls on which Sheboygan brats are served look like regular hard rolls, but they have a unique consistency that combines light weight and ruggedness. The surface of a brat roll is tough and chewy—essential for shoring in juices that sop its fluffy interior. All kinds of places serve brats, from convenience stores to linen-tablecloth restaurants, but their natural habitat is at the counter or in a booth of a corner tavern.