# Best store bought sausage for smoking



## 1ray (Apr 5, 2018)

I live in Garland Tx and was wanting to know what would be the best store bought sausage to smoke? I have a Church picnic coming up this month for around 300 and some have requested sausage. I haven't had very much experience at sausage. We will also be having brisket & pork butt. I do have a Sam's account.
Thanks


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## Gwanger (Apr 5, 2018)

1ray said:


> I live in Garland Tx and was wanting to know what would be the best store bought sausage to smoke? I have a Church picnic coming up this month for around 300 and some have requested sausage. I haven't had very much experience at sausage. We will also be having brisket & pork butt. I do have a Sam's account.
> Thanks


Best sausage for smoking, I don't know if you would be able to buy any fresh sausage that has a cure in it.


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## SonnyE (Apr 5, 2018)

All you are wanting to do is add smokey goodness to it.
So pick what you like, and cook it in smoke.
Which I believe is going to have to have Mesquite in it. You *are* in Texas son.

You gotta have a fiddle in the band.

We love Kielbasa around here. ;)
Sweet Italian is great, too. :rolleyes:
Go see the Butcher. Or not.
You've got a lot of great choices there! In Garland, Texas.
Incidently if you ask to see the Manager and explain it's for a Church function, they may give you a better discount. :rolleyes:


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## SmokinAl (Apr 5, 2018)

I say hot or sweet Italian sausage links. Johnsonville is a real good choice. Their only product is sausage. Of course it's fresh so it will have to be hot smoked to an IT of 160.
Al


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## gmc2003 (Apr 5, 2018)

We're kinda spoiled around here, McKenzie meats makes great sausage as well as other items. Unfortunately they're not available everywhere. Like Al said, Johnsonville makes a good sausage. 

Chris


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## mds51 (Apr 5, 2018)

Check and see if Slovacek Sausage made in Snook, Texas is available in your area. There Smoked Sausages are very good and they make a really good Summer Sausage. We used to be able to get it up here in Oklahoma City but I have not been able to find it lately. They have a good website that shows you all of their products and a store open to the public.
mds51


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## bdskelly (Apr 5, 2018)

I know you’ve got an HEB in Garland or close.
Believe it or not. Any HEB store brands sausages are a high quality substitute if you don’t have time to squish your own. I use them all the time.


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## Locomotive Breath (Apr 5, 2018)

1ray said:


> I live in Garland Tx and was wanting to know what would be the best store bought sausage to smoke? I have a Church picnic coming up this month for around 300 and some have requested sausage. I haven't had very much experience at sausage. We will also be having brisket & pork butt. I do have a Sam's account.
> Thanks


Too far to go to get it, but many moons ago, I used to go on business trips to Wilmington, DE. There was a place in downtown Wilmington called Johnny's Market. They made an AMAZING fresh garlic Kielbasa there that was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. I'd love to get some of it. Alas, Johnny's owner was shot and killed in a robbery, the new owners ruined the place, and now it's closed.
https://www.yelp.com/biz/johnnys-fo...=yelp_feed&utm_medium=feed_v2&utm_source=bing

But this sausage had pork that was so fresh you should slap it and lots of garlic... and among the spices, I could taste coriander. It was in an awesome casing that snapped when you cut it. I'd buy a ring and put it in the suitcase till I got home (it stayed cold from PHL to DFW in the cold cargo hold on the plane). I'd bring that home to a hero's welcome LOL...


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## tallbm (Apr 5, 2018)

1ray said:


> I live in Garland Tx and was wanting to know what would be the best store bought sausage to smoke? I have a Church picnic coming up this month for around 300 and some have requested sausage. I haven't had very much experience at sausage. We will also be having brisket & pork butt. I do have a Sam's account.
> Thanks



As others are mentioning, raw store bought sausages do not have cure in them so you cannot smoke them like normal smoked sausages.  You would have to smoke them at much higher temps so that they reach 160-165F in under 4 hours.

If that is the case an option you have is to go to Hirsch's Meats in Plano TX.  He has a variety of fresh sausages.

They will also make any sausage you want if you provide a recipe and it isn't too exotic.  I bet that that if you asked him to make some sausage for you with cure#1 in it for traditional sausage smoking they would do it.  

Just know that their prices are a little higher but the quality seems to be there.  

Finally, at Hirsch's they have some already smoked sausages you just throw on the grill or heat up anyway you like.  If you wanted to buy one of those options you could basically get smoked sausage you just heat up for the event.  You throw them in your smoker and hot smoke them and give em some more smoke.  This way you get true smoked sausage without all the effort :)

I hope some of this info helps :)


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