Wanting to make some Lockhart style C-Link sausage

[Dustin Dorsey]

I've been making sausage for 5 or 6 years now as an extension of my barbecue hobby. I make a Texas style Hot Guts sausage and the Lockhart style is very similar. From what I understand it's salt, black pepper, cayenne. From what I've read they used Bull Meat Binder as well, or at least they used to. I picked up from Bull binder from these guys:

Ken's Bull Binder (per lb)

nwbutcher.supply

Where I'm torn is whether or not to used Cure#1. I typically do, but I'm not sure that Kreuz and Smitty's do. I think they just hot smoke the sausage and so the cure is not necessary. The other question I have is that they seem to use butcher's twine to tie the links in to that "C" shape. Does anyone have any insight as to how to do this? A special knot or anything? I saw a Chud's BBQ video where he made a similar sausage and he just tied it off with the casing. I'm going for more authentic if possible.

 

[Dustin Dorsey]

I found a video with an old timer using half-hitch knots. A butcher's knot would only tie one side. Here's a link to an article in Texas Monthly talking about different sausages in Central Texas by Daniel Vaughn.

What Is Texas-German Sausage?

Last week I spent some time in West Texas eating barbecue. I've done a few tours through the area already, so I know not to get excited when I see "German

www.texasmonthly.com

I think I'm going to go with all beef even though Kreuz does 85% beef 15% pork. Blacks seems to use all beef with the bull binder. I'm leaning that way. I'm not seeing where anyone uses cure #1. As much as I prefer cured I think I gotta go fresh for this one.

 

[Dustin Dorsey]

I made the sausage this weekend. I didn't use cure and I cooked it at barbecue temps.

I used a hunk of flat and some brisket fat I had in the freezer.

I made a 5 pound batch. Here's my cubed up meat and fat.

I ground it with my #8 big bite LEM on the 10mm plate.

Mixed up with the seasonings.

Here's my worksheet. This recipe was adapted from a Chuds BBQ recipe and TheHojo who posts on BBQBrethren.

Linked up sausage.

Tied up into horseshoes

Cooked on the Kettle indirect just to try it out at 250 to 275.

Finished sausage.

Sliced sausage. It's kind of brown in the center due to the lack of cure, but has a slight smoke ring. It'll probably look better cooked in the offset. The sausage tasted fantastic. I really happy with it. Thanks for looking!

 

[Gonna Smoke]

I've just recently ventured into fresh sausage making, bulk, and last week stuffed my first, an onion sausage. Smoked sausage is next...

 

[Brokenhandle]

Looks good! Even better you thought it tasted fantastic!

Ryan

 

[chopsaw]

Looks really good . I use cure in grilled sausage . I like it like that .

 

[Dustin Dorsey]

Looks really good . I use cure in grilled sausage . I like it like that .

I like my sausage cured as well. I agonized over the decision to use it or not. I think the appearance is better with cure but I was trying to go more authentic to what they do at places like Kreuz, Smittys and Black's. It's a very specific central Texas thing.

 

[chopsaw]

I was trying to go more authentic to what they do at places like Kreuz, Smittys and Black's. It's a very specific central Texas thing.

OK , I get it . It looks great . I'm grinding 2 butts tomorrow and Marianski's Texas hot link is on the list . That's an uncured formula . It's good .