"Last year's event was a great success, the perfect way to kick off the summer and an event Johnsonville was proud to sponsor," said Jim Mueller, general manager of fresh brats for Johnsonville. In fact, a taste test conducted by Tragon showed more people preferred the taste of a Johnsonville brat - even without their favorite condiments - over other popular cookout foods, including a chicken breast sandwich, hamburger and hot dog. Johnsonville has been making brats for more than half a century, with a tried-and-true recipe proven to be the best flavor on the grill. The Big Taste Grill will be joined by about 20 other 6-foot grills at the event. It has the ability to satisfy about 2,500 brat-lovers each hour.
The Big Taste Grill weighs 53,000 pounds and is 6 feet in diameter, 20 feet tall and 65 feet long. Key to the record-breaking effort is the Johnsonville Big Taste Grill. If stacked end-to-end, the total number of brats served would measure the distance of nearly 280 football fields! To do so, volunteers need to ensure approximately 88 brats are purchased each minute during the four-day festival.
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"We know that 200,000 brats is a lot to serve during one event, but we're confident that with the combination of juicy Johnsonville brats, hours of free live entertainment, and some good weather, we'll have no trouble breaking the record."Īccording to Metcalfe, the fest goal is to break the current record of 189,432 brats sold. "We are excited to welcome brat-lovers from all over the country to this fun-filled and record-breaking event," said Tim Metcalfe, owner of Metcalfe Sentry Foods and son of the founder of the Johnsonville World's Largest Brat Fest. The Memorial Day weekend event features volunteers attempting to set a new world record of serving 200,000 brats while raising funds for more than 70 groups and charities. The 2008 Johnsonville World's Largest Brat Fest - the ultimate "thrill of the grill" - kicks off today in Madison, Wis. This Memorial Day weekend, thousands of Americans will put their grills to good use, some gathering in the Brat Capitol of the world to kick off the summer grilling season. In fact, according to the NPD Group, outdoor grill use is nearly twice what it was 20 years ago. Johnsonville World's Largest Brat Fest to Sizzle and Set World Record Johnsonville World's Largest Brat Fest to Sizzle and Set World Record - Press release by Johnsonville Sausage - at Food & Drinks