Posted on

Summer is Here!

Fritz’s Blog – June 19, 2019

 

The Summer season, however short it may be is upon us. That means grilling is in full swing so let’s review the basics.

Make sure to clean the grill, even if you cleaned it before you put it away, it’s always a good idea to hit it again before use.

If it’s gas check the propane connections and make sure you’ve got plenty of propane. If it’s charcoal, make sure all the residue you can remove is gone and you’ve got fresh charcoal. Charcoal does absorb moisture so if it’s been setting in a bag in the garage it may not burn with the energy you’d expect.

Now that your grill is ready, make sure you’ve got goods to put on it. Of course, that means a fine selection of Usinger brats and franks. You may want to check out our pork shops as well. They’re very tasty and you can pick’em up at our retail store on Old World 3rd Street.

Enjoy you’re summer, you never know how long it will last.

Fritz

Posted on

The Thrill of the Grill

Now that grilling season has returned, it’s time for a little review of some of our favorite grilling links and ways to prepare them.  While they all taste great, there are subtle differences in the way you may want to prepare them.

 

Usinger Cooked Brat –  The white brat.  Bavarian style made with finely chopped Pork and Veal.  These are the type served all over Germany.  When grilled they actually swell and get plumper as they are cooked.  Grilling gives them a crispy outer skin and smooth flavorful center.

 

Usinger Fresh Brat – My method for grilling a fresh brat is “low and slow”.  It’s the opposite of grilling a steak, which you sear right away to seal in the juices and then cook them at a lower temperature.  With a fresh bratwurst it has to acclimate to the heat slowly.  Too much heat too quickly can cause the brat to swell so much that it will break the casing, which is what you are really trying to avoid.  If the casing breaks, all of the juices and spices wind up in your grill.

 

Usinger Natural Casing Beef Frankfurters – These are meaty, juicy and have more than a hint of fresh garlic.  Grilling enhances the “pop” when you bite into the natural casing.

 

Usinger Smoked Andouille Sausage – This is a great sausage with lots of complex flavors.  Spicy, smoky and tangy all at once.

 

Usinger Jalapeno Cheddar – A hardwood smoked, fully cooked bratwurst that is ready to heat and eat. Made from coarsely ground premium pork, Jalapeno peppers, cheddar cheese and our apple wood smoked bacon for extra smokiness. One of my favorites.

 

Additional tips – Personally, I’m not a fan of parboiling.  It can change the texture of the casing and dilute the flavor of a perfectly spiced sausage.  If you’re short on time, the pre-cooked are quick and don’t require the care of grilling fresh meat.

If you like Kraut, try our Festival style sauerkraut.  It’s pre-cooked also and may be the only condiment you need.

Enjoy!

 

Posted on

Advanced Grilling Tips — From Fritz

Follow these easy tips to become the Grilling Guru of your neighborhood this summer.

When preparing sausages on the grill follow these steps to earn expert status and avoid incinerating your sausage links.

The links you will be grilling should come from the refrigerator, not rock hard directly from the freezer. All sausage should be thawed in the refrigerator prior to use.

The grill. Gas or coals, the plan is the same.  Low and slow to avoid temperature shock to the links because they will split and lots of the flavorful juices from inside the sausage will be lost. Use the grill cover to keep in the heat during the beginning.

For a gas grill, warm it up on high, then just before placing the links on the grill turn the heat to low. Start the sausages on low and every few minutes turn the links and increase the heat just a little bit. Follow this sequence for about 10 minutes. Then the next 5 minutes is where the real cooking begins and you need to baby that sausage. Bring the heat up to high, you want to brown the link and “crisp up” the outside casing and cook the link to the center.

Charcoal grill. The coals need to be completely white, then you can start. Spread the coals out. Start the links on the outer perimeter where there is less heat. Turn the links often and gradually move them to the center of the grill. Follow this sequence for about 10 minutes. The center of the grill should be the hottest and this is where “crisp up” happens during the next five minutes until the sausages are cooked through.

Once the links are well browned, you hear them hissing and sizzling they are ready to enjoy.

Posted on

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