Brat bashing time
More Belly Up
- Cast yourself into the Inferno for a chili cook-off
- You can tell a lot about a person by the bees they keep
- It's Valentine's Day soon, and that means it's time to make some heart-shaped pizza
- Learn to cut your own meat at Underground Food Collective’s Whole Hog Breakdown
- Get out to Bookless to party in the stacks of the Central Library Jan. 28
No related
The 800-pound gorilla event on the back of area carnivores this weekend is the over-the-top Brat Fest (1919 Alliant Energy Center Way, 608-267-3976). The goal this year is to sell 10 trillion—no wait a second—209,000 brats over four days, a feat nearly equal to one brat for every man, woman, and child in Madison, which would break the world record of 208,752 brats set in 2009. Right about the same time the location moved from Hilldale to the Alliant Energy Center in 2005, the Brat Fest started to become less about enjoying the sausages and more about completely annihilating them, taking on a circus-like aspect. Today there are rides for kids, cotton candy, ice cream, and, while we haven't seen fire breathers and sword swallowing yet, it's well down the slippery slope that ends there. After winding past all the carnival distractions, it's time to make your gastro-intestinal sacrifice in the name of charity and record-smashing. So pay the Johnsonville grill jockeys and then head over to one of the condiment areas to smother that brat with sauerkraut, various mustards, onions, and relish. Then it's time to fight for a table or just stand around, watch copious amounts of local music, and take your rightful place in greasy, delicious history. Don't forget the napkins; you'll feel dirty all over by the end this ordeal.
FATSOMETER: 9. Concession stands will offer the concession of Boca brats to vegetarians, but fatty pork will still rule the weekend.
