Some Milwaukee things come and go, while some become icons. Mandatory Milwaukee is all about the latter. This week: Secret Stadium Sauce.
They say necessity is the mother of invention. To that point, the sudden need for a tasty topping to satisfy a hungry ballpark crowd helped inspire the creation of what’s become an iconic Wisconsin condiment that’s endured more than half a century.
Yes, legend has it County Stadium was running extremely low on both ketchup and mustard during a Milwaukee Brewers game in the early 1970s. Facing the prospect of angering baseball fans, a County Stadium vendor named Rick Abramson heroically stepped in with an idea for a way to stretch those dwindling condiments by combining them with other ingredients, such as barbecue sauce and smoked syrup, to forge an entirely new topping. Secret Stadium Sauce was born.
Even after the ballpark’s stock of ketchup and mustard were replenished, the sauce Abramson crafted continued to be available at Milwaukee County Stadium. In the years since that fateful combining of disparate ingredients to create a makeshift condiment, Abramson ascended the corporate ladder from vendor to the lofty posts of chief operating officer and executive vice president of Delaware North Companies Sportservice, which stepped in to produce and bottle the sauce to sell in retail settings (primarily in Wisconsin).
Secret Stadium Sauce has delighted national sportscasters, TV personalities, and millions upon millions of visiting fans. Though County Stadium is long gone, the sauce invented there continues to be available at Brewers home games to this day, and can even be enjoyed at the team’s spring training complex in Arizona.
So what’s Secret Stadium Sauce like? As Abramson has noted, it’s very barbecue sauce-forward. However, there’s a definite underlying sweetness conveyed by ketchup and syrup, a subtle tingle of black pepper, and a distinct pickled/vinegary character that shines through in the best way. Sure, there’s a lot going on, but everything seems to work in concert and it’s remarkably versatile. Its best use case is on a grilled bratwurst.
That being said, it’s also a nice accent to a burger.
And a nice base in a marinade for chicken, which we confirmed when we made chicken kebabs this week.
Being so dense, rich, and flavorful, we also—correctly!—had an inkling a hefty squirt of Secret Stadium Sauce added to the mix could thicken up and greatly improve a bloody mary. Seriously, give it a try. We’d be curious to learn other ways people use the sauce. (Let us know!)
Whether drizzled on a brat or burger, used as a dipping sauce, brushed on ribs and chicken, or incorporated to a bloody, there’s nothing quite like Secret Stadium Sauce. Born of resourcefulness in a time of game day desperation, this unconventional condiment has sustained for 50-plus years and has earned its place among Wisconsin’s most beloved toppings. Long live Secret Stadium Sauce.
