The Best Sausages in Dallas

Photos by Scott Mitchell

Though the finicky weather of North Texas denies it, winter is approaching. And whether that winter lasts a month or three, you're going to need to be prepared to make the seasonal food and drink switch. That means transitioning away from that iced coffee into something a little more hot and seeking out those foods which help you to gain that insulating layer of winter fat.

As far as filling, hearty foods go for those of the carnivorous inclination, a well made sausage is hard to beat. Something about a sheath of animal casing stuffed to bursting with a ground up amalgamation of meat cooked to perfection has a way of getting you to that food-coma breaking point so vital during the coming winter months.

Luckily, quite a few restaurants around Dallas have the sausage-making thing down. And even more luckily, we went out and ate these sausages to give you a list of best damned sausages in Dallas.

The White Lightning at Scotch & Sausage (above)
Scotch & Sausage, the new haunt on Oak Lawn, may be a fresh face but it already boasts an extensive, sausage-centric menu. Thanks to founding chef Trevor Ball and his sausage-making heritage, Scotch & Sausage went into business with a solid menu of links. And though their sausage menu is vast, you quickly find the sausages they do just right. (Ball has been replaced by and current chef Dylan Elchami). Easily one of the best is their White Lightning.

The sausage itself is a blend of pork and beef. They serve this sucker split down the middle and topped with pepper and 'slaw, all inside a bun. The combination creates a subdued sausage with great flavor support from the toppings. Oh, and it comes with their fries, which we're totally crazy about, so that's a plus.

The Hot Link at Cattleack BBQ
Cattleack should be your favorite barbecue joint. Not necessarily because it serves the best barbecue, but because it's still at that delicate point of under-the-radar popularity where you can get some seriously amazing barbecue without waiting in a line for a half hour.

And while your barbecue intuition may tell you to order as much brisket as you can fit in your stomach, you'd be remiss if you skipped the sausages here -- specifically the hot link. It's a blend of pork and beef stuffed inside a thick pork casing formed into long, narrow links. The mixture isn't quite as potent as you might expect from a hot link. Instead of peppery hotness assaulting your taste buds, you get a more subdued spice which allows the smoked meat to shine. The casing is thick and holds in all the grease and fat, ensuring that you'll get some thick brown grease splattered on your chin. Don't eschew the house barbecue sauce, either. It doesn't matter if you're a 'cue purist, the sauce is fierce. It's bold and adds some flavor complexity to create an even more gratifying experience.

The Sausages at CBD Provisions
CBD Provisions is an even hotter spot now that the renovations at The Joule are complete. Their menu boasts some of the best meat and comfort food offerings in town, and chef Michael Sindoni has created one of the most robust sausage offerings in town. So instead of telling you which one sausage to try, we're just going to tell you to go there and try 'em all.

Standouts are the breakfast sausages, specifically the chicken breakfast sausage. Mild yet flavorful, it lacks the charred pork aftertaste of its hog-sourced cousin. The sausage and pretzel balls are also a great option if you're searching for a supporting cast for your link. If you're into hotdogs, they also have house made hotdogs which are much more complex than a Ballpark Frank.

Any Seasonal Sausage at Blind Butcher
Blind Butcher is the meat whisperer of Dallas. From sourcing meat all the way down to choosing which wood chips to smoke with, you can trust these meat masters to make something great to satisfy your protein deficiency. And while their menu staple sausages are great, their creativity really shines with their seasonal sausages.

Currently their menu boasts a chicken and pecan sausage. While all of their sausages boast the tender, moist meat that only Blind Butcher can cook, this one tastes like Texas. The smooth ground chicken is intermixed with the occasional crunch of a ground up pecan. Once you get your first hint of pecan, your memory swims with images of rustling cattle and watching a sunset across a plain, wearing a cowboy hat. And you don't even have these memories.

Yes, Blind Butcher can give you memories you never had.