About Our Sausage
In January of 2020, we were learning the art of smoking meats at Owlbear Barbecue under celebrated pitmaster Karl Fallenius. We noticed as we trimmed the briskets, spare ribs, and pork bellies each day that a lot of high quality USDA Prime beef and Duroc pork was going to waste. We proposed a sausage program to utilize the trim from our barbecue, then spent the next two years honing our craft.
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As the new ownership team behind Pit Fiend Barbecue, we resolved not only to carry over the sausage program we'd launched at Owlbear, but to expand it with new styles and unique recipes. Since then we've debuted a half-dozen brand new sausages in less than a year, as well as reviving and improving old standards from Owlbear like the Wisconsin beer brat and Colombian chorizo.
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Join us each week for a different sausage special drawing inspiration from global cuisines and sausage traditions throughout history. Custom sausage orders are available in bulk as part of our catering menu. Don't miss a single special - stay up to date with new sausage releases and seasonal offerings by following us on Instagram, and let us know which links are your favorites!
"As germans we were very surprised about the "Beserker" Thueringen style Bratwurst. Seriously, you have to look to get a sausage in this Quality in Germany!!!"
asgard696, Google Reviews
"I highly recommend the weekly sausage special,
they are all delicious."
Alex P., Google Reviews
"The sausages are all hand made in house and every
flavor has been incredible."
Delany S., Google Reviews
Making Sausage at Pit Fiend Barbecue
There's an old adage about seeing how the sausage is made that implies shady practices and unsavory ingredients. Here at Pit Fiend, we use only whole muscle cuts of USDA-certified Duroc pork, Prime beef, and other sustainably-sourced proteins. The only filler you'll find will include premium spices, fresh produce, locally-brewed beer, and authentic cheeses - no offal or grains.
We carefully select only the choicest pieces of meat, hand-trimmed to remove excess fat, and ground fresh weekly for maximum quality. Our sausages are hand-stuffed into natural hog casings and then hot smoked daily onsite over Colorado-grown white oak. Come taste the difference at Pit Fiend Barbecue!
As we prepare each cut for the smoker, we remove excess meat and fat from the edges for a more streamlined shape.
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This trim is then sliced into smaller pieces which can be ground for sausage.
Different sausages require different textures. Some of our sausages are ground coarse, like the Colombian chorizo, while others are finely ground and emulsified, like our beef hot link.
Some sausages, like our fan-favorite jalapeño cheddar, include fresh produce and premium cheeses. These are cut and incorporated by hand after the meat is ground. Liquid ingredients are also added at this stage, such as locally sourced craft beer or house-made pork stock.
We mix the sausage filling by hand until it forms a tacky mixture known as "farce". After allowing the farce to chill in the refrigerator, we pack it into a manual, handcrank-operated sausage stuffer and fill it into natural hog casings.
The sausages come off the stuffer in one long coil. We poke small holes in the casing to keep the links from bursting, then manually twist off each link to the proper length and weight. Our sausages typically measure 8-9" in length and weigh around 1/3 lb each.
We let our sausages rest overnight to dry out the casing so that it will snap when bit into. Some of our sausages go straight to the smoker, while others are first poached in beer for a deeper flavor and snappier texture. None of our sausages are smoked in advance and preheated. We smoke every sausage fresh daily.