History

Lockhart-style smoked sausage traces to the Czech and German immigrant meat markets that anchored Central Texas BBQ from the 1880s onwards. Kreuz Market, Black's and Smitty's (all 50km from Austin in Lockhart) defined the style. Austin's modern BBQ wave, from Franklin to La Barbecue and Micklethwait, all run a defensible ring sausage in the same tradition.

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Make it at home

Yield 8Hands-on 1 hrTotal 6 hrDifficulty Advanced

Ingredients

  • 1.4kg coarsely ground beef chuck (30 percent fat)
  • 600g coarsely ground pork shoulder (30 percent fat)
  • 40g coarse sea salt
  • 20g coarsely cracked black pepper (you read that right)
  • 20g garlic powder
  • 10g sweet paprika
  • 1 tsp pink curing salt #1 (Prague Powder)
  • 200ml ice water
  • 4 metres of natural hog casings (32 to 35mm), soaked overnight
  • Post oak or hickory wood, for smoking
  • Yellow mustard and white bread, to serve
  • Pickles and pickled jalapenos, to serve

Method

  1. Combine the ground beef and pork in a chilled bowl. Add the salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika and pink curing salt. Pour in the ice water.
  2. Mix with cold hands for 3 to 4 minutes until the meat looks sticky and ropey; this protein bind is the texture's foundation.
  3. Chill the mixture 1 hour. Meanwhile, rinse the soaked casings inside and out with cold water.
  4. Stuff the casings using a sausage stuffer (a stand mixer attachment works). Twist into 25cm rings. Hang in the fridge uncovered 4 to 12 hours so the casings dry; this is non-negotiable for a clean smoke.
  5. Prepare a smoker at 110C with post oak. Hang the sausage rings on hooks (or lay them on the rack with space between).
  6. Smoke for 2 to 2 1/2 hours until the internal temperature reaches 70C and the casings have a deep mahogany sheen.
  7. Brush with hot water at the 90-minute mark to bloom the colour and crisp the snap of the casing.
  8. Rest 15 minutes. Slice into 5cm chunks (the BBQ joint way) or serve whole rings.
  9. Plate on a sheet of butcher paper with white bread, yellow mustard, dill pickles and pickled jalapenos.

Tip from the editors. Pink curing salt is essential for the rosy colour and food safety in low-temp smoking. Post oak is the Central Texas wood; hickory works as a substitute.

Where to eat lockhart-style sausage

Lockhart-Style Sausage in Austin

Franklin Barbecue ★ 4.9

$ Street food

Franklin Barbecue in Austin is Aaron Franklin's 2009 East 11th brisket pilgrimage, the James Beard-winning shop that codified central Texas barbecue.

TrySmoked brisket

TipQueue from 09:30am or pre-order online for pickup; the brisket sells out by 14:00 on most days.

Directions

La Barbecue ★ 4.7

$ Street food

La Barbecue in Austin is Ali Clem's Cesar Chavez post-oak barbecue, a Michelin-recognised shop with a James Beard-recognised owner, sliced brisket.

TrySmoked brisket and house sausage

TipThe kitchen runs Wednesday through Sunday only; order online ahead to skip the queue at 11am open.

Directions

Micklethwait Craft Meats ★ 4.6

$ Street food

Micklethwait Craft Meats in Austin is Tom Micklethwait's BBQ smokehouse on Tanney Street, a Michelin Bib Gourmand kitchen relocated from the 12-year Rosewood.

TrySmoked brisket and house sausage

TipThe kitchen runs Thursday to Sunday; pre-order online to skip the brisket-and-sausage line.

Directions

InterStellar BBQ ★ 4.7

$ Street food

InterStellar BBQ in Austin is John Bates and Brandon Martinez's North-side smokehouse on RR 620, a Michelin Star 2024-25 BBQ shop in the former Noble Pig.

TrySmoked brisket and house sides

TipThe smoked-prime-rib special on Sundays sells out by 13:00; pre-order online for pickup.

Directions

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