A Tasty Tradition
Today, we live with a waking fear of food-borne illness and instantly throw out all of our romaine lettuce with news of an E Coli outbreak. Non-meat alternatives such as the Impossible Burger are celebrated and in some cases, even preferred over regular beef. We worry so much about the food we eat, where it comes from, how ethically it is sourced and how it is prepared. So many may cringe at the celebrated Wisconsinite tradition of the cannibal sandwich.
Some call it tiger meat, and others steak tartare, but it is all the same: raw beef spread atop rye bread, decorated with thinly sliced onions and a healthy dose of salt and pepper. Bunzel’s Meat Market on the west side of Milwaukee has fueled the cannibal sandwich tradition for years, and Operations Manager Jeff Zupan is an expert. “I eat more raw beef than everybody here... because I have it every day. It’s always a little piece here, a little piece there.” As for the concern for his health? Jeff has confidence in the continuous ‘A’ rating that Bunzel’s receives from the health department every year, as well as the numerous regulations in place for handling raw meat. “There’s no problem with [a cannibal sandwich],” he says, “unless you’re going to sit there and eat five pounds of it.”
Originally a German dish, the cannibal sandwich garnered it’s polarizing name from the idea that cannibals would eat each other raw, or at least that’s how Jeff’s grandfather used to tell it. He fondly remembers his grandmother eating cannibal sandwiches as well, “She lived to 105 years old and she ate it all the time! So it’s gotta be good for you!”
Jeff isn’t the only one who favors this unique dish: Bunzels customarily sells 1,200 lbs of ground sirloin for these specialty sandwiches every holiday season. It is imperative to use a very lean cut of meat like sirloin, because the fat in a richer cut would coat the mouth, leaving an unpleasant and greasy texture behind. The perfect cannibal sandwich starts with Bunzel’s own salted rye bread, baked fresh in one of their three kitchens daily. Jeff is particular about his onion choice, “I like Vidalia onions, they’re a little sweeter.” Some versions of cannibal sandwiches involve salty or spicy components like capers and horseradish, but Jeff likes to celebrate the quality of the meat and doesn’t need those extra bells and whistles. “I like to taste the beef… just salt and pepper, keeping it simple the old German way. This is Bunzel’s after all.”
Customers trust Bunzel’s and their continued quality, and have stuck by them through many years and even a few location changes. Once you shop at Bunzel’s, you become part of the family for life. I observed employees greet customers by name and offering warm hugs, enforcing their friendly atmosphere. One customer even brought in a wooden nickel to show Jeff, a sign that he had been visiting Bunzel’s since they offered the promotion at their old 59th street location over 30 years prior! “The progression we’ve made and the connection we’ve made with our customers is fantastic,” Jeff says. “We are 100% customer-oriented and that’s what we do; it’s what we’re here for.”
