“Sausage is inspirational. I like to think of a composed dish, explode its individual components, and then reassemble it into a tube (sausage).” Those aren’t my words, but those of Bill Dumas, the “Sausage Sensei” at Liberty Barbecue in Round Rock and Brotherton’s Black Iron Barbecue in Pflugerville. However I agree completely with this sentiment AND that is the main reason I am starting this series on those individuals throughout Texas and beyond that are dedicated to creating unique scratch-made sausage.
Within this world of sausage making artists, Bill Dumas stands tall amongst the best and most creative. Moreover he is a kind soul that with an encyclopedic understanding of global cuisine (and music).
Be sure to follow Bill on Instagram HERE and without fail you can check out his weekly sausage specials at Brotherton’s Black Iron Barbecue in Pflugerville (@pftxbbq) and Liberty Barbecue in Round Rock (@libertybbqrrtx).
Below you can see the wide array of Bill’s sausage stylings. I have included complete descriptions (when possible) in Bill’s words. I will be adding to this often so be sure to check back to be inspired. I know you will be amazed by the creations.
Italian Beef Sausage: “Beef Brisket, Aus Jus, Giardiniera, Mozzarella Cheese, Fire Roasted Bell Peppers, and Amoroso’s Hoagie Rolls. This sausage really packs a flavourful punch and is a play on the wonderful Italian Beef Sandwich sandwich.”
Peach Cobbler Sausage: “I took some succulent pork shoulder and marinated it in Cinnamon, Allspice, Nutmeg and Brown Sugar. Then I added at least 5 lbs. of the most delicious “Sweet Heat” Peach Cobbler into the mix. Savory. Sweet. Delicious.”
Korean Spicy Pork Sausage (매운 돼지고기 소시지): “Succulent pork shoulder marinated in Dark Soy Sauce, Gochujang, Palm Sugar, Minced Garlic and Cayenne. I then mixed in chunks of Candied Pork and Jasmine Rice. Rich. Innovative. Juicy. A bit of Heat.”
South Texas Barbacoa Sausage: “Beef Cheeks as the base. To that I added: Chunks of Smoked/Confit Beef Cheeks, Oaxaca Cheese, and Fire Roasted Green Onions/Jalapeños. Perfectly seasoned. Pairs well with a Big Red Soda.”
Turkey Sausage: “My interpretation of the Turkey Sausage, served at Taylor Cafe for over 70 years, and in honour of Vencil Mares at Taylor Cafe (November 10, 1923-November 24, 2019 ). My Turkey Sausage is 100 percent dark meat Turkey ? No binders. No fillers. No additives or secondary proteins of any kind. Just Dark Meat Turkey with savoury spices. Very moist. Perfectly simple.”
Nashville Hot Chicken Sausage: “This rascal was perfect-texture was spot on, moisture level perfect and really packed the savory notes vs. heat elements.”
Al Pastor Sausage: “Succulent Pork Shoulder marinated for three days in a tangy blend of orange juice, pineapple juice, garlic, spices, achiote and ancho peppers. Coarsely ground like a traditional chorizo, and then I added chunks of fire? roasted pork al pastor, fire ? roasted red bell peppers, fire ? roasted onions and fire ? roasted jalapeños. All inside this sausage!”
Bacon Jam Cheeseburger ?Sausage: “I like to “deconstruct” and then “reconstruct” a dish or a recipe in the more unique sausages I make. This one is Beef Brisket based and seasoned accordingly like a good burger should be.”
Easter Ham and Smoked Scalloped Potato Sausage: “I smoked the Scalloped Potatoes in the bbq pit and then layered in a TON of Smoked Ham!!!”
Reuben Sandwich Sausage: “Prime Grade Brisket marinated lightly in pickling spice, coriander and fresh Black Pepper. I then added: Chunks of Smoked Pastrami, Pecan Smoked Sauerkraut, Pecan Smoked Marble Rye Bread, Toasted Caraway Seeds, Toasted Garlic, Swiss Cheese and a whole lotta love .❤️”
Central Texas “Hot Gut” sausage:
Smoked Beef Frankfurters: “The Frankfurters are a “proper” emulsified, 100 percent beef dog with Natural Sheep casings for a perfect SNAP! They are cold smoked to perfection and seared in brisket tallow and topped with Smoked Brisket Chili for plate service to the customer.”
Black Tie or The Tuxedo Sausage: “A base of beef brisket as the “main vehicle”, seasoned with Kosher salt, black pepper, garlic, onion and paprika. Ok….now we got creative and made this sausage spectacular by prepping and adding the following inside this sausage: Perigord French Black Truffles (3-4 ounces), beef bourguignon (made fresh for this sausage), a copious amount of Chianti, Porcini, Wood Ear and Oyster Mushrooms, Roasted Chicken Stock Risotto, and a bit of Pecorino Romano/Parmigiano-Reggiano.”
Pimento Cheese Sausage: “Succulent smoked pork seasoned nicely and with a healthy wallop of my House-Made Pimento Cheese inside the sausage! Served with a portion of the Pimento Cheese to dip into.”
Jamaican Jerk Chicken Sausage: “Succulent Chicken Thighs marinated in Dark Soy Sauce, Allspice, Scotch Bonnet Peppers, Scallions, Minced Garlic, and a bit of Jamaican Yellow Curry. For additional flavour, Pigeon Peas and Rice are added for that “Island experience!” Dip this into my Jamaican Gold Hot sauce for a PUNCH ? of hot flavor”
Louisiana Crawfish Boil Sausage: “I made Tasso as the base for the sausage and loaded it up with Crawfish, Shrimp, Red New Potatoes and Smoked Baby Corn! BTW, Tasso ham is a smoked, spiced, and cured meat, a specialty of south Louisiana cuisine.”
Crawfish/Shrimp and Brisket Dirty Rice Boudin: “Smoked Crawfish tails, Smoked Shrimp, The Cajun Trinity and my very own Smoked Brisket Dirty Rice. Laissez les bons temps rouler!”
Shaken Beef (Bò lúc lắc) Sausage: “Cubed Brisket and Ground Brisket marinated with Scallions, Minced Garlic, Fish Sauce, Oyster Sauce, Palm Sugar, Dark Soy Sauce and then mixed into fragrant Broken Jasmine Rice!”
New Year’s Eve Sausage: “Smoked Pork Shoulder, Black Eyed Peas, Cabbage and Collard Greens all inside this succulent sausage.”
Mac n Cheese Sausage aka ‘Return of the Mac’: Smoked Pork Shoulder, Ancho Chili peppers, Chipotle Chili peppers, Smoked Garlic ?, and a TON of Macaroni and Cheese which uses a blend of Swiss, American and Mozzarella cheeses. This is NOT your Mom’s Mac n Cheese!!
Brunswick Stew Sausage – “I made and served this at both the Smoke+Mash event at Treaty Oak Distillery, hosted by Robert Lerma, as well as at Heritage BBQ’s “1 year anniversary party” in San Juan Capistrano California. Brunswick stew is a tomato-based stew generally involving local beans, vegetables, and originally small game meat such as squirrel or rabbit, though today often chicken. My sausage was LOADED with Pork Pic Nics that were cooked over live hardwood coals. — at Treaty Oak Distilling.”
Bill gave some additional information about sausage. You can learn so much from this man.
“The “word” sausage has a loooong pedigree. It started way back with the Latin word salus which means “seasoned with salt.” From Latin the word wormed its way through Late Latin, Old French, Middle English and finally Modern English (not the band Modern English who had a hit in ‘82 with the song “Melt With You.” Ha!!!).
When humans began to apply salt to meat, the foundational building blocks of sausage was established. At first, salt was applied to meats with a heavy hand, not just because it helped to preserve it, but it tasted good! And because every scrap of meat was precious, everything was salted and preserved. Scraps of meat were put into whatever vessel was available; it was immediately discovered that offal was readily available at the time of butchering, and provided the absolute best way to carry/store the salted meats: intestines, bladders, stomachs, etc.
It is accepted that the Sumerians, living in what is now Iraq, were making sausage as early as 3000 BCE. In approximately the 13th Century BCE, the ancestors of modern Chinese began using salt to preserve foods. In Chinese documents, dating to 589 BCE, a sausage of goat and lamb is described in detail. Sausages are also recorded in detail in Chinese paintings dated to around 500 BCE. In ancient Greece, Homer mentioned a type of blood sausage in his “book”, “The Odyssey.” Sausage became so popular at Roman festivals that the later conservative churches banned it. So…as you can see the humble sausage has a long and distinguished history!!! More tomorrow as we discover, together, the history of sausage!”
If you are interested you can check out my chat with Bill here: