There are some things that Wisconsinites are particularly well-known for: amazing cheese (and sausage!), our passion for the Green-&-Gold, and our abiding love for the great outdoors. When summer hits, everything comes alive in The Northwoods. You can feel the excitement of the locals in the air; our rush to plant the crops for our short growing season, preparations to make our summer tourists from the south feel welcome, boating-floating-waterskiing-fishing on our 15,000 lakes, hiking in endless miles of wild, unruly forest… As our Midwestern days become longer, life moves at a different pace when June begins. We try to cram every bit of outdoor activity we can into each warm day, savoring every pleasant second before the next long, frigid winter creeps in. …And we want to take advantage of being outside so much that we grill every chance we get.
It’s not uncommon to see grilling occurring year-round in Wisconsin (yes, some of us can’t kick the craving of a nice grilled bratwurst even when it is -40°F out) but the prime time for grilling falls in the undeniably hot and humid summer months. Summer is Wisconsin’s sweet spot for standing outside with tongs in hand, listening to plump sausages sizzling on hot grill grates.
Grilling Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Bone-In Pork Chops
Besides cooking out with our natural casing bratwurst and wieners, there’s something extra-special about our Applewood smoked pork chops. These bone-in chops are pre-cooked, so you only need to warm them gently and serve. We like to leave them on for just a few minutes each side – enough time to leave perfect grill marks and warm the chops but not long enough to dry them out – and then serve them, hot off the grill, with buttery sweet corn-on-the-cob, German potato salad, and fresh summer fruit, and you have the perfect Midwestern backyard meal!
Summer of 2017 Only: If you’re interested in seeing our top picks for outdoor cooking, check out our limited-time Favorite Grilling Sampler.