Texan-Style Hot Links Sausages 600g

Originating in New Orleans, variants of this iconic sausage - a classic staple of American soul food - are common not only in Texas but also in Louisiana and Chicago.

In Louisiana, the home of Cajun and Creole cuisine, a Hot Link in a bun is more commonly seen than a hot dog. Locally called chaurice in French, the name suggests a probable link to Chorizo, brought to colonial Louisiana by Spanish traders.

Hot Links are a popular ingredient in both gumbo and the wonderfully flavoursome rice dish jambalaya. In Texas, Hot Links are traditionally cooked using indirect heat (an offset smoker or ceramic Kamado are ideal) and served with white bread, sliced onions, pickles, and cheese.

Chef Val Warner inspires:
"Swaledale Hot Links Sausages are a hearty specimen that on biting into will leave any sausage enthusiast apoplectic with joy. A1, EXCELLENT, FAB! This is a flavourfully different sausage comprised of a blend of beef and pork mince mixed with spices, beer, mustard and attitude.

Grilled to done and its rich deep colour only hints at the robust and incredible taste that lurks within this dark brute. Truly fabulous it is and with full belief it would make any Texan feel a great job had been achieved in Yorkshire. Astonishing and addictive once bitten!

Hot Links would be fantastic crumbled and cooked in a gumbo or other rice dishes with shellfish and prawns. So too a blue cheese sauce would go well with such a sausage in a bun and certainly stand up to a complimentary strength of flavour.

Crumbled into lentils with mushrooms and sautéed cabbage, a good amount of paprika and caraway added would make for a delicious ‘hunter’s stew’ when dolloped with accompanying crème fraîche and perhaps a little freshly chopped dill.

Turning the Hot Link into a corn dog would be a supersized indulgence indeedy!"