A guide to sausage in Texas barbecue

[Onkel Neal]

Man, I'm hungry now!

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/ent...e-15739977.php

The Texas trinity of brisket, ribs and sausage represents the diverse influences of smoked meats in the Lone Star State.

The story of how German butchers in Central Texas co-opted the cattle business of the area to create beef-centric meat markets, and later cooked meat, is well-known.

Pork ribs can be traced to Southern U.S. and African-American cooking traditions where whole hog cookery is still the primary focus of barbecue joints there.

And what about sausage? At most barbecue joints in Texas, ordering sausage is mostly an afterthought. If we are given any options, it might be between “regular” and “jalapeño.” Beyond that, we are at the mercy of the pitmaster as to the exact nature of those small discs of compressed meat that inhabit our tray next to the brisket and ribs.

Not surprisingly, the story of sausage in Texas barbecue is long and complex. But for the average diner, all we need to know is that the typical sausage served at our favorite barbecue joint originated from the area of Europe that is now Poland and the Czech Republic.

Although German immigrants to Texas get most of the credit for popularizing Central Texas-style barbecue, Polish and Czech immigrants also had a big influence, especially when it comes to sausage.