Texas Sausage
The Other Texas BBQ Meat

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Texas Sausage is very much a regular at any Texas cookout or barbeque. Of course, like beef brisket, the history of sausage in Texas comes from the Germans and Czechs who immigrated to Texas in the 1800's.
Sausage is meat, whether pork, beef, venison, or a mixture of all, that is ground, mixed with seasonings, and sometimes other things, and then usually stuffed into casings to make small packages that are easily smoked and/or grilled.

Because of all the different combinations possible, there are more kinds of sausage than there are meats. In Texas, no matter what kinds of meats are used, the sausage is usually pretty heavily spiced.

Sausage can be purchased in stores, but if you want sausage with full taste, mixing your own is the way to go. It is not as difficult as you would think either. A simple recipe and a few tips are all that's needed.

Try a simple mix of pork and spices and make your own Texas Sausage. Get these basic techniques down and you'll be making your own version in no time.

You can buy artificial casings, but real casings(pork intestines) grill up crisp and delicious can be found from any butcher or specialty shop. If you're serious about making sausage, real casings are would you'll want to use.

You will need some sort of a meat grinder and something to stuff the meat into the casings. You can get these at any price ranges you want, all the way from simple tools to expensive equipment. If you think you will make sausage regularly, then go for the more expensive.

Basic Pork Sausage
2 pounds of pork butt, ground
2 teaspoons coarse black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage

Mix seasonings well into the ground meat. Stuff mixture into the casings, twisting ever 6 inches or so. Cook sausage in boiling water until done, and then smoke, grill or fry.

If you can get venison, by all means try this venison sausage recipe. It's a little more difficult but makes some absolutely delicious sausage.

Venison Sausage

INGREDIENTS:
6 pounds ground venison
4 pounds lean ground pork
2 cups powdered milk
1/4 cup meat tenderizer
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon black pepper
4 ounces corn syrup solids
6 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons sage
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon nutmeg

Mix well and stuff into casings. Grill or fry until done.

As you've seen, Texas sausage can come in many forms. And there are others that have strong Mexican roots like Chorizo. There are not many hard rules for making Texas sausage. Experiment and add spices that you like to the mixture. Most important...have fun and enjoy the sausage.

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