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Happy Thanksgiving

On behalf of everyone at Usinger’s let me wish you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving and joyous holiday season.  It’s a special time of year and made better when you can spend it with family and friends.  Of course, if you can sneak a little Usinger andouille sausage into the dressing it might even get a little tastier.  Seriously, if you’re a fan of our flavorful andouille, you might want to try it.  Since our andouille is already cooked, you can just slice/dice and add to the stuffing before putting it in the bird.  It’s so good, it’s almost an entrée unto itself.  You can substitute other types of sausage like Italian, or Chorizo, but for my palate, andouille is the best.

Also, for anyone who wants to order sausage a la carte from the Usinger Deli for the holidays, you’ve only got a few days left.  November 30th will be the last day we process deli orders for pre-holiday delivery.  The elves are getting very busy shipping gift boxes in December, and deli orders will be suspended for shipping until after the holidays.

I hope you enjoy the season. And I hope you like the new flat rate shipping for gift boxes we’ve introduced this year. Shipping is always a little more complicated when it involves perishable food products and you don’t have as many options as with other items.  We’ve negotiated the best deals we can for this season and hope this works for you.  Let us know.

 

Thanks,

Fritz

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Oktoberfest Time

Simply put, Oktoberfest is the world’s largest outdoor party.  It’s held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. The 16-day festival runs from late September to the first weekend in October.  Many of the locals refer to it as Wiesn, which is short for the grounds it’s held on.  Having been held since the early 1800’a it’s an important part of the Bavarian culture.  Most other Oktoberfest around the world have been patterned after Munich’s, they’re just a little smaller.  Munich’s averages about 6 million visitors per year!

If you like to eat German food, you’ll love Oktoberfest, check this menu out.  Hendl (roast chicken), Schweinebraten (roast pork), Schweinsh axe (grilled ham hock), of course they’ll have plenty of Würst (sausages) along with Brezen (pretzel), Knödel (potato or bread dumplings), Käsespätzle (cheese noodles), Reiberdatschi (potato pancakes), and Sauerkraut.  If you’ve been to Milwaukee’s German Fest this may sound familiar.  One of the sausages served at Oktoberfest is Weisswurst (a white sausage containing veal).  This delicious sausage literally melts in your mouth and is one of my favorites.  We make it at Usinger’s and ours is equally as delicious.

 

Oktoberfest brats are also a seasonal favorite.  They are just a bit longer than regular brats and spiced perfectly.  If you’re celebrating Wiesn stateside this year, put some Weisswurst and Oktoberfest brats on the grill and it’ll go a long way toward giving you the taste of Munich’s Oktoberfest.

 

Enjoy the season, Prost!

Fritz

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Dog Daze

Longing for the “Hot Dog” daze of Summer?

 

Around here we love our brats, but there really is nothing better hot off the grill than a natural casing wiener or frank garnished with garden fresh tomato dices all packed into a fresh warm roll. Yum!

Call them what you want franks, hot dogs or wieners they’re all cousins.  We make lots of them at Usinger’s in all beef or pork and beef varieties.  Both are smoky with lots of spices working together and the all beef has a hint of fresh garlic added.  What you won’t find is MSG, Gluten, fillers or milk powder in our “dogs”.

My favorite is the curved link of a natural casing wiener that “pop” when you bite into them. The casing provides a firm bite and holds all the flavorful juices and spices inside the link during cooking.  Try to avoid splitting them while grilling, usually this is done by cooking slower over a lower heat.

If you prefer a softer bite on your hot dog, we also make them without the casing. These are called “skinless”. They are made with the same recipe; we just peel the casings off before they go in the package.  Skinless wieners are very popular with kids, so if you’re grilling out for some youngsters they make a great choice.  Look for the links that are straight without a curve.

Fritz

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February Festivities

We all know about Valentines Day and Presidents Day, but there’s another Day in February that you can really sink your teeth into… Fred Usinger Day.

In a special presentation in 2005, Mayor Tom Barrett proclaimed February 23rd as Fred Usinger Day throughout the City of Milwaukee.

This special proclamation recognized Usinger’s as a locally family owned and operated business for four generations spanning over 125 years. “The City of Milwaukee salutes Fred Usinger, Inc. for it’s long standing good corporate citizenship and commitment to the betterment of Metropolitan Milwaukee and Southeast Wisconsin area”.

To commemorate this event, our friends and the Old German Beer Hall will be offering a free Usinger brat to patrons beginning at 11am until 8pm.  I will also be on hand at OGBH to tap a keg at 2pm and there will be free beer until the keg runs out.

Take a break from our cold and snowy winter for a hot juicy Usinger brat and your favorite libation as we celebrate sausage.

It’s my favorite thing about February, hope you can join us for the party!

We’ll also be featuring several sausage specials at our retail store to honor this event.  Watch the Usinger website or Facebook for more details.

Thanks,

Fritz