Story thread · 2 reports / 2 sources

Milwaukee, Detroit or Chicago: Which city has the best encased meats?

suntimes.com · 18h · first reportShare

Jen Greenwood loves a good encased meat. “I joke that I’m a half hot dog. I am not a vegetarian,” she said. Greenwood grew up in Evanston, Illinois, spent summers in Michigan and attended college in Milwaukee. She’s eaten more than her fair share of hot dogs and recognizes each region’s unique take on encased meats. In Chicago, it’s the Chicago dog; in Milwaukee, the brat; in Detroit, the Coney dog. Greenwood wondered: “Why are these hyper-specific encased meats associated so strongly with those three cities?” The sausages share an origin story in Germany. “Germans, when they came over here, brought their sausage culture with them, and there’s a very heavy German influx into the Americas in the 19th century,” said Bruce Kraig, professor emeritus of history at Roosevelt University and author of “Hot Dog: A Global History.” From there, each city made the sausage its own. So, who does it best? As much local pride as Chicagoans, Detroiters and Milwaukeeans boast, the answer depends on wher