There’s no place for spoiled brats aboard this rig – and fresh brats get eaten! Relax. These brats are not the ones you want to spank in front of their parents. Rather, these are the famous Johnsonville bratwurst sausages. Mildly seasoned, they are made from a 19th-century recipe and developed by Ralph and Alice Stayer in 1945 in Johnsonville, Wis. Since then, Johnsonville brats have been loved the world over.
Bringing the brats message to the public is the job of this 1998 Freightliner FLD 120, one of two such rigs that run coast to coast.
Described as the world’s largest touring grill, the custom-built, 45-foot-long “Big Taste Grill” at first glimpse looks like most other tanker rigs. However, with the aid of an onboard pneumatic system, the tanker trailer opens up to reveal a huge barbecue capable of grilling hundreds of Johnsonville brats.
A two-man crew tends to this behemoth barbie, although they sometimes need local reinforcements. At the time this article was written, that crew consisted of Bob Yohnka and Dave Vadnais, who were on the road with this semi for as long as six months at a time. They make sure the tractor-trailer is sharply maintained, and that there is an ample supply of fresh brats at all times.
The trailer-grill is designed for maximum efficiency and ease of operation. It takes just a few minutes to set up at grocery stores, fairs, sporting events or other gatherings.
Once the trailer opens, a flick of a switch fires up the 440,000-BTU-propane burners. The grill can cook 750 brats at a time, and the practiced crew can cook as many as 2,500 brats an hour.
Special features include a 100-gallon water storage tank, clean-up sink with hot and cold running water, a refrigeration unit that can hold several thousand brats, and an aluminum walkway for up to 12 cooks. The trailer is fully customized and the reinforced carbon steel grill is painted with a high-temp black gloss finish. On site, volunteers cook and serve the meals.
The rig also carries lots of condiments for the brats – 45 gallons of ketchup, 12 gallons of mustard, 98 pounds of onions, 105 pounds of sauerkraut and 154 quarts of pickles.
Pickles and all, the trailer weighs more than 53,000 pounds. To move it, the FLD has a 435-hp Cummins N14 engine running through a 10-speed transmission.
But there’s more than sizzle to the Big Taste Grill. Johnsonville donates part of all proceeds to local charities. Since the first rig hit the road in 1995, the Big Taste Grill has raised more than $1 million for organizations in the U.S. and Canada.
The rig was the brainchild of GMR Marketing Inc., the nation’s largest promotional marketing company. GMR has also designed and fielded tour rigs for companies as diverse as Coleman outdoor products and Major League Baseball.
Johnsonville Sausage is still a family owned business, but has grown from a small butcher shop into a giant concern that supplies leading grocery chains in the U.S. and is gaining in popularity in Canada and Japan.
So the next time you get behind the Johnsonville Big Taste Grill, you might just want to follow it to its next stop. A few of those juicy brats fresh from the fire might be a nice change from your usual sandwich or mile-high buffet plate.
