How Texas Sausage Is Made From Grind to Smoke

The first thing you notice when you bite into a good Texas sausage is the snap. Then comes the juice, the coarse texture, the black pepper, and the post oak smoke, all in one bite. It tastes simple, but a lot of work goes into every link before it ever reaches the pit.

Sausage has been a Central Texas staple since the days of the old German and Czech meat markets, a story we tell in Why Sausage Is the Underdog of Texas BBQ. Below, we walk through how it’s made, from the grinder all the way to the smoke.

What Meat Goes Into Texas Sausage?

Central Texas sausage leans on beef. Some recipes are all beef, while others mix in pork for a little extra richness. Our Original is beef with a touch of pork, the same way the Black family has made it for generations. Many pitmasters put brisket trimmings to work here... (We share a few other ways to use them in What to Do with Brisket Trimmings.)

The fat matters as much as the meat. Most sausage makers aim for somewhere around 20 to 30 percent fat. Too little and the sausage turns dry and crumbly. Too much and it gets greasy and loses its shape on the pit. Getting that ratio right takes practice, and most sausage makers adjust it batch by batch.

Keep Everything Cold

Before anything goes through the grinder, the meat, the fat, and even the grinder parts are kept very cold.

Warm fat smears instead of cutting cleanly. Once that happens, the fat coats the meat instead of staying in small, distinct pieces, and the finished sausage ends up mealy and dry. Keeping everything cold from start to finish is how you get a juicy link with a good texture.

Grinding the Meat

Texas sausage usually gets a coarse grind. That gives each bite some texture instead of the smooth, uniform feel of a hot dog. Some makers run the meat through the grinder twice, first with a larger plate and then a slightly smaller one, to get the texture just right.

Seasoning the Sausage

Central Texas sausage keeps it simple, the same way the brisket does. Salt and coarse black pepper do most of the work, and garlic shows up in a lot of recipes. From there, makers add their own touch, whether that’s a little cayenne for heat or jalapeño and cheese for a richer link.

Many smoked sausages also include a curing salt. It helps keep the sausage safe during its time in the smoke and gives the inside that rosy pink color.

Mixing Until It Gets Sticky

Once the seasoning goes in, the meat gets mixed until it turns tacky and starts to stick to itself. That tacky texture is what holds the sausage together. Without that bind, the inside falls apart into loose crumbles when you slice it. With it, you get a firm, juicy link that holds its shape.

Stuffing and Tying

The seasoned meat goes into a sausage stuffer and gets pressed into casings. Many Texas makers use natural casings, which give you that signature snap when you bite in. The trick is to fill them evenly and keep air pockets out, since trapped air can cause the casing to split on the pit.

Then the casings get twisted or tied into links or rings. At Black’s, every ring is still stuffed and tied by hand, using a family recipe that’s been passed down for generations. We make over 1,000 pounds of sausage a day that way, and it’s one of the hardest jobs in the building. You can watch our team do it in Goodtaste with Tanji: How Black’s BBQ Makes Sausage.

Letting the Sausage Rest

Freshly stuffed sausage is wet on the outside. Letting it rest in the cooler gives the casings time to dry a bit and the seasoning time to settle into the meat. A drier casing also takes on smoke and color better once it hits the pit.

How Is Texas Sausage Smoked?

Sausage doesn’t need the marathon cook a brisket does. It usually spends a couple of hours on the pit, and gentle heat is key. Run the fire too hot, and the fat melts and leaks out before the sausage is done, leaving it dry and crumbly. It can also burst the casing.

Cooked right, the sausage takes on a deep, smoky color, the casing tightens, and the fat stays locked inside. It’s done once it reaches a safe internal temperature, which is 160°F for ground beef and pork.

What Makes a Great Link?

You can tell a lot from the first bite. A great Texas sausage has a casing that snaps, a coarse and juicy inside, and seasoning you notice without it taking over. It shouldn’t crumble when you cut it or leave a puddle of grease on the paper.

Our Original, Garlic, and Jalapeño Cheddar sausages are all made with that bite in mind. Try one plain first, then try one folded into a slice of white bread with a pickle and an onion. More on that tradition in Why Does Texas BBQ Come With White Bread?

Grab a Link on Your Next Visit

Next time you build a tray, make room for sausage alongside the brisket. After seeing everything that goes into a single ring, that snap might taste a little better. Find us in Lockhart, Austin, New Braunfels, or San Marcos.