A hot link (also "red link", "Louisiana red hot" or "Louisiana hot link") is a type of sausage used in the

cuisine of the Southern United States The cuisine of the Southern United States encompasses diverse food traditions of several regions, including Tidewater, Appalachian, Lowcountry, Cajun, Creole, and Floribbean cuisine. In recent history, elements of Southern cuisine have sprea ...

, and a part of American barbecue,

soul food Soul food is an ethnic cuisine traditionally prepared and eaten by African Americans, originating in the Southern United States.Soul Food originated with the foods that were given to enslaved Black people by their white owners on Souther ...

, and

Cajun The Cajuns (; French: ''les Cadjins'' or ''les Cadiens'' ), also known as Louisiana ''Acadians'' (French: ''les Acadiens''), are a Louisiana French ethnicity mainly found in the U.S. state of Louisiana. While Cajuns are usually described as ...

and

Louisiana Creole Louisiana Creole ( lou, Kréyòl Lalwizyàn, links=no) is a French-based creole language spoken by fewer than 10,000 people, mostly in the state of Louisiana. It is spoken today by people who may racially identify as White, Black, mixed, and N ...

cuisines. It is also a part of

Texan cuisine Texan cuisine is the food associated with the Southern United States, Southern U.S. state of Texas, including its native Southwestern United States, Southwestern Cuisine of the Southwestern United States, cuisine influenced Tex-Mex foods. Texa ...

and the

cuisine of Chicago The culture of Chicago, Illinois is known for the invention or significant advancement of several performing arts, including improvisational comedy, house music, industrial music, Chicago blues, blues, hip hop music, hip hop, Gospel music, gospe ...

, Illinois. The hot link is usually prepared using pork, beef, or a combination of both. It is sometimes used as an ingredient in other dishes, such as

jambalaya Jambalaya ( , ) is an American Creole and Cajun rice dish of French (especially Provençal cuisine), African, and Spanish influence, consisting mainly of meat and vegetables mixed with rice. Ingredients Traditionally, the meat includes sau ...

and

gumbo Gumbo (Louisiana Creole: Gombo) is a soup popular in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and is the official state cuisine. Gumbo consists primarily of a strongly-flavored stock, meat or shellfish (or sometimes both), a thickener, and the Creole ...

. Hot link sausages are

mass-produced Mass production, also known as flow production or continuous production, is the production of substantial amounts of standardized products in a constant flow, including and especially on assembly lines. Together with job production and batch ...

by some companies in the United States.

Preparation

Pork or beef, or a blend of both, is typically used as the primary meat ingredient. The hot link can be spiced using red pepper flakes and cayenne pepper. Additional spices may be used, such as thyme, paprika, crushed bay leaves and onion flakes. Hot link sausages are sometimes

smoked Smoking is the process of flavoring, browning, cooking, or preserving food by exposing it to smoke from burning or smoldering material, most often wood. Meat, fish, and ''lapsang souchong'' tea are often smoked. In Europe, alder is the tradi ...

By location

Louisiana

In Southern Louisiana, where

Cajun cuisine Cajun cuisine (french: cuisine cadienne , es, cocina acadiense) is a style of cooking developed by the Cajun–Acadians who were deported from Acadia to Louisiana during the 18th century and who incorporated West African, French and Spanish co ...

and

Creole cuisine Creole cuisine ( French: ; Portuguese: ; Spanish: ) is a cuisine style born in colonial times, from the fusion between European, African and pre-Columbian American traditions. ''Creole'' is a term that refers to those of European origin who were ...

is abundant, a hot link sausage on a bun is consumed more frequently than hot dogs. Hot links originate in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

where they are called “hot sausage” by their English name while their French name is ''chaurice'', which derives from its origin, the chorizo sausage brought by the Spaniards to colonial Louisiana.

Texas

In Texas, the hot link is typically prepared with

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). In prehistoric times, humankind hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since that time, numerous breeds of cattle have been bred specifically for the quality or quantity ...

, and is usually cooked over indirect heat. Common sides to accompany the Texas hot link include sliced white bread, crackers, orange cheese, onion slices and pickles. In

Pittsburg, Texas Pittsburg is a city and the county seat of Camp County, Texas, United States. Best known as the former home of the giant poultry producer Pilgrim's and the home of racing legend Carroll Shelby, Pittsburg is also the birthplace of Cavender's Boot ...

, the hot link is a popular food and has been produced there since 1897. In Pittsburg, hot links are typically broiled or baked to the point of having a “half-burned look”. In 1983, Pittsburg Hot Link Packers, Inc., in Pittsburg, Texas, was producing 12,000 pounds of hot links per week. Almost all of the hot links produced by Pittsburg Hot Link Packers were consumed within 100 miles of Pittsburg during this time.

Illinois

In Chicago, Illinois, hot links are typically prepared using

pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the domestic pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooked and preserved; ...

, may be spiced with pepper, fennel and sage, and are typically covered with a barbecue sauce. They are commonly available at

barbecue restaurants on the city's

West Side West Side or Westside may refer to: Places Canada * West Side, a neighbourhood of Windsor, Ontario * West Side, a neighbourhood of Vancouver, British Columbia United Kingdom * West Side, Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland * Westside, Birmingham E ...

and South Side, often served with French fries and white bread. They may be slow-cooked in a

barbecue pit In the United States, barbecue refers to a technique of cooking meat outdoors over a fire; often this is called pit barbecue, and the facility for cooking it is the barbecue pit. This form of cooking adds a distinctive smoky taste to the meat; ...

References

External links

"Sausage City: Smoque's Barbecue Hot Links"

Serious Eats Serious Eats is a website and blog focused on food enthusiasts, created by food critic and author Ed Levine. A Serious Eats book was published by Levine in 2011. Serious Eats was acquired by Fexy Media in 2015 and then by Dotdash in late 2020. ...

. Cajun cuisine Charcuterie Louisiana Creole cuisine Meat industry Smoked meat Soul food American sausages