Brats and Betty Bars
Minnesota knows their brats, and a trip to the small town of St. Joseph Minnesota would not be complete without hitting up the St. Joseph Meat Market for some of the best. They have a ton of varieties, and I have faithfully stuck with the Wild Rice Brat. I’m not sure what the wild rice does for the flavor, but the smoked sausage speckled with little bits of black rice is truly glorious. I am here in St. Joseph visiting my girlfriends family and I am lucky to receive these local delights. I top my brat with some killer homemade pickles (see refrigerator pickles recipe) and some yellow mustard. The meat market also carries the essential “brat buns”. The meal is not complete, however, without Grandma Betty’s “Betty Bars”. These bars are a family tradition and the recipe has been perfected over the years. The Betty Bar is basically a peanut butter chocolate bar with crispy cereal. The sweetness and texture are unparalleled in the bar category. Unfortunately the recipe for the bars will remain a family secret for now.
August 20th, 2010 at 4:19 am
picture of brat looks pretty killer… like brat bun & like idea of wild rice
August 23rd, 2010 at 4:47 pm
Homer, great post and great pic! I have to point out that both the refrigerator pickles and the Betty Bars (which go by the name Special K bars at the monastery) are the product of the nuns at Saint Benedict’s Monastery. I had a few on Friday at a monastery event and they are exactly the same as the family favorites. It’s truly a Central Minnesota meal in every way! (Don’t forget the german potato salad and that macaroni salad with the cheese cubes in it… thank goodness that’s finally gone.)
November 29th, 2010 at 1:40 pm
Homer… you on a diet? Looks like you haven’t eaten much in four months.