best sausage?

D

dalhorn1

1,000+ Posts
My cousin is throwing a party in Denver in a few weeks, and wants to smoke sausage as part of the meal. He wants something "Texan" tasting, like he had at Salt Lick. Any suggestions on what kind of uncooked sausage to look for?

I have to be honest, since I'm allergic to curing preservatives, I have almost no experience smoking sausage. All I know is that he's wanting the typical dark red, looped links, about 1-2ft. length.

As well as what sausage, what kind of smoking wood works best?
 
Well, stay away from the eatery mentioned in the original post. Unless things have changed, The Salt Lick's smoked sausage is hardly better than the Eckrich Farm stuff you can buy at your local grocery store.

If you don't mind driving a bit, the smoked sausage you'll find in Caldwell County (Luling's City Market, Lockhart's Smitty's or Kreuz) and in Elgin are top notch. I'm sure there are places closer since it's not that difficult to make--except, apparently, for The Salt Lick.
 
I guess I need to clarify my post. My cousin lives in Denver, Colorado. He wants some tips on how to smoke "Texas tasting sausage", whatever that means. His only point of reference was the Salt Lick (not my opinion for all things Texas tasting). I was hoping someone here could tell me what to look for when buying fresh sausage to smoke, what type of woods to use, etc....

If it were cost feasible, he'd probably be willing to order a bunch from Kreutz or Black's, but I'm going out on a limb and saying that ordering 50 lbs. and shipping to Colorado is not nearly as cheap as smoking some butcher-bought sausage in Denver. And since he's got a decent smoker and already planning on smoking his own brisket or chicken, it makes sense to try his hand with sausage as well.
 
Any butcher or higher-end type grocery store (like Central Market) will have several kinds to choose from. Sounds like he'll probably want to ask for a hot links type of sausage and avoid "Italian" sausages that get most of their flavor from fennel, anise, etc. My personal preference when buying uncooked sausages to smoke is Central Market's jalapeno & cheddar sausages, or ones with Hatch green chiles in them...

Whatever wood he is using for the brisket etc. will be fine for sausage. I like pecan and oak, but any traditional smoking wood is fine.

If this is his first time smoking sausage, you may want to advise him to poke through the casing of each sausage 10-12 times with a needle or toothpick, if he wants to avoid having a mess on his hands. Hook 'em.
 
Just have him order Pok-e-jo's homemade sausage from one of their restaurants. Sausage doesn't get any better in my opinion. That's not to say there aren't some worthy alternatives, but for my money their's is the best I've ever had bar none.
 
If you're passing thru the SA area, you can get great sausages at Country Boys on S. Flores. I love their garlic sausage.

My personal favorite is the Alsatian Sausage from Dziuks in Castroville. Grilled slowly over mesquite. And DON'T poke holes in them till ready to pull them from the pit. Poke the holes just before removing them from the fire or you'll end up with a bunch of dried out crap. Just be careful when doin' the pokin'. (as always)
 
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Prasek's Sausage out of Hillje (south of El Campo) does mail order. This is coarse ground with a good spice blend. These folks do it the right way and are a good example of Texas Bohemian style.

For Texas Polish, Pollock's out of Falls City is hard to beat. I do not believe they mail order though.

Texas German is a bit more difficult. Many will swear by Opa's out of Fredericksburg- spice and texture do not appeal to me, and others will tell you Dzuiks(sic?) out of Castroville is the way to go. I am from New Braunfels and will tell you that our beloved NB Smokehouse is not my favorite. All that said it is a matter of preference. To make a point, my brother has lived in Atlanta for the last year and tells me everyone swears by Bryan Beef Sausage.
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To answer your original question, if a grocer/butcher in the area offers fresh ring sausage, your brother wants to use a hard wood of preference and hang the rings to smoke. Time is up to you. Single or double smoking is once again a matter of preference. Patience and a 12 pack of your favorite brew will bridge the time it takes to do this.
 
I love Luling City Market sausage. Has a nice crumbly texture and great flavor. I also love their spicy sauce. Hard combo to beat.

They used to have one in Houston, don't know if it's still around.
 
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