Texas hot links

[Gray Goat]

I DO NOT claim this to be an authentic Texas sausage recipe so all you Texas folks please chime in with suggestions

I have had Texas sausage that I ordered but I have never been there to try the real deal, and it seems to be a pretty guarded secret While my sausage came out great it missed the mark a bit in a few areas. I will adjust a few spices and add more beef, garlic, and black pepper on my next go round, this came out too "perfumey" for my taste

Pork and beef all cut up



All the good tasting stuff



All mixed up and going in to the fridge for a few hours



Stuffed and linked and in to the fridge overnite



The next day drying with the fan before I put them on the smoker



I made up some brackets so I can hang sausages in my offset cooker





Smokin away with cherry and a bit of apple



All smoked, poached, bloomed and ready for the fridge overnite, then vac sealed and in to the freezer




700 grams pork shoulder
300 grams beef chuck or brisket flat
18 grams kosher salt
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp Hungarian paprika
1½ tsp cayenne pepper
1½ tsp cumin
1½ tsp coriander
1/2 tsp dried thyme
3 cloves garlic
1-1/2 tsp onion power
3 whole dried bay leaves
2 tbsp of Sriracha chili sauce
1/2 cup low fat dry milk
1/3 cup ice water
2.5 grams Cure#1
½ tsp sugar

[Vindii]

Looks great. Thanks for posting it.

[salumi512]

Looks tasty, but not anything you'd find in Texas. The smoke we use is mainly oak, mesquite or pecan. These are the native hardwoods for most of the state. Most Texas sausage is German style with some mix of beef / pork. I prefer just beef for our sausage. It was the Germans that brought sausage making to Texas in the 1800's and they adapted to the available meats.

The true flavor comes from using oak or mesquite while hot smoking. That smoke adds a lot of spice on its own. Salt, pepper and maybe garlic are about all that's used for spices. No super secrets. It's all in the technique.

Hope that helps.

[Gray Goat]

Thanks Vindii

salumi512 - I think I will keep this recipe but try a different version aimed at a more authentic Texas style. Thanks for the suggestions

[DanMcG]

The recipe and the links looks great to me, nice work Gray Goat.

[Gray Goat]

DanMcG- Thanks, when I tried a sample right before stuffing I wasn't very impressed, but now that they have rested a few days the flavor is very good