I remember my very first cookout in Wisconsin. It was my freshman year and a number of residents from the floor of my dorm came out to the communal grills in our courtyard. I can’t quite recall who exactly supplied the food, but what does ring vividly in my mind is one question that seemed to echo from everyone’s mouths.

“Where are the brats?!”

As I listened to one Badger after another ask this, my first thought was “what the f*&! is a brat?” For those that are as ignorant to the food as I was 18 years ago, let me explain.

A brat is EVERYTHING! To be more specific, it is the pork shoulder of sausages. Brats are fatty, flavorful and can be cooked in a number of ways. And the way I learned to cook them was from my dear friend Timothy who became one of my best friends and resources…