A hot link (also "red link", "Louisiana red hot" or "Louisiana hot link" [1] [2] ) is a type of sausage used in the cuisine of the Southern United States, and a part of American barbecue, soul food, and Cajun [3] [4] and Louisiana Creole cuisines. It is also a part of Texan cuisine [5] [6] and the cuisine of Chicago, 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 and gumbo. [7] [8] Hot link sausages are mass-produced by some companies in the United States. [6] [9]
Pork or beef, or a blend of both, [10] [11] is typically used as the primary meat ingredient. [5] [12] The hot link can be spiced using red pepper flakes and cayenne pepper. [2] [12] Additional spices may be used, such as thyme, paprika, crushed bay leaves and onion flakes. [2] Hot link sausages are sometimes smoked. [10] [13]
In Southern Louisiana, where Cajun cuisine and Creole cuisine is abundant, a hot link sausage on a bun is consumed more frequently than hot dogs. [4] Hot links originate in New Orleans 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.
In Texas, the hot link is typically prepared with beef, [6] [14] and is usually cooked over indirect heat. [14] Common sides to accompany the Texas hot link include sliced white bread, crackers, orange cheese, onion slices and pickles. [6] [14] In Pittsburg, Texas, the hot link is a popular food and has been produced there since 1897. [6] In Pittsburg, hot links are typically broiled or baked to the point of having a "half-burned look". [6] In 1983, Pittsburg Hot Link Packers, Inc., in Pittsburg, Texas, was producing 12,000 pounds of hot links per week. [6] Almost all of the hot links produced by Pittsburg Hot Link Packers were consumed within 100 miles of Pittsburg during this time. [6]
In Chicago, Illinois, hot links are typically prepared using pork, may be spiced with pepper, fennel and sage, and are typically covered with a barbecue sauce. [14] An important part of Chicago-style barbecue, they are commonly available at soul food barbecue restaurants on the city's West Side and South Side, [14] often served with French fries and white bread. [14] They may be slow-cooked in a barbecue pit. [14]
Cajun cuisine 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 cooking techniques into their original cuisine.
The cuisine of the Southern United States encompasses diverse food traditions of several subregions, including cuisine of Southeastern Native American tribes, Tidewater, Appalachian, Ozarks, Lowcountry, Cajun, Creole, African American cuisine and Floribbean cuisine. In recent history, elements of Southern cuisine have spread to other parts of the United States, influencing other types of American cuisine.
A sausage is a type of meat product usually made from ground meat—often pork, beef, or poultry—along with salt, spices and other flavourings. Other ingredients, such as grains or breadcrumbs, may be included as fillers or extenders.
Louisiana Creole cuisine is a style of cooking originating in Louisiana, United States, which blends West African, French, Spanish, and Native American influences, as well as influences from the general cuisine of the Southern United States.
A blood sausage is a sausage filled with blood that is cooked or dried and mixed with a filler until it is thick enough to solidify when cooled. Most commonly, the blood of pigs, sheep, lamb, cow, chicken, or goose is used.
Chorizo is a type of pork sausage originating from the Iberian Peninsula. It is made in many national and regional varieties in several countries on different continents. Some of these varieties are quite different from each other, occasionally leading to confusion or disagreements over the names and identities of the products in question.
Peasant foods are dishes eaten by peasants, made from accessible and inexpensive ingredients.
Boudin, black pudding in English, is essentially pig’s guts filled with blood and other ingredients, such as onions, spinach, etc. The added ingredients vary in French, Luxembourgish, Belgian, Swiss, Québec, Acadian, Aostan, Louisiana Creole, and Cajun cuisine.
Dirty rice is a traditional Louisiana Creole dish made from white rice which gets a "dirty" color from being cooked with small pieces of pork, beef or chicken, green bell pepper, celery, and onion, and spiced with cayenne and black pepper. Parsley and chopped green onions are common garnishes. Dirty rice is most common in the Creole regions of southern Louisiana; however, it can also be found in other areas of the American South and referenced as "chicken and rice," "Cajun rice," or "rice dressing".
Barbecue varies by the type of meat, sauce, rub, or other flavorings used, the point in barbecuing at which they are added, the role smoke plays, the equipment and fuel used, cooking temperature, and cooking time.
Longaniza is a Spanish sausage (embutido) similar to a chorizo and also closely associated with the Portuguese linguiça. Its defining characteristics are interpreted differently from region to region. It is popular in the cuisines of several regions of Spain, Argentina, Uruguay, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico and Chile. In the Philippines, it is called longganisa and has hundreds of variants with different vernacular tastes and forms due to the 144 ethno-linguistic groups of the archipelago. Longaniza essentially tracks the spread of Latin culture around the world. Longaniza derives from Lucanica, a sausage from Lucania in Southern Italy that was adopted by the Latins of Ancient Rome through military contact. From there it spread to Spain, and from Spain, centuries later, to every place in the world with modern "Latin" culture.
Hungarian sausages are sausages found in the cuisine of Hungary. Hungary produces a vast number of sui sausage types. They may be boiled, fresh or dried, and smoked, with different spices and flavors, "hot" or "mild". Many were influenced by their neighbors and brethren.
Texas Barbecue refers to methods of preparation for barbecue unique to Texan cuisine. Beef brisket, pork ribs, and sausage are among the most commonly known dishes. The term can also include side dishes that are traditionally served alongside the smoked meats.
Texan cuisine is the food associated with the Southern U.S. state of Texas, including its native Southwestern cuisine–influenced Tex-Mex foods. Texas is a large state, and its cuisine has been influenced by a wide range of cultures, including Tejano/Mexican, Native American, Creole/Cajun, African-American, German, Czech, Southern and other European American groups. The cuisine of neighboring states also influences Texan cuisine, such as New Mexican cuisine and Louisiana Creole cuisine. This can be seen in the widespread usage of New Mexico chiles, Cayenne peppers, and Tabasco sauce in Texan cooking.
A barbecue sandwich is a sandwich that is typically prepared with barbecued meats. Several types of meats are used to prepare barbecue sandwiches. Some varieties use cooked meats that are not barbecued, but include barbecue sauce. Many variations, including regional variations, exist, along with diverse types of cooking styles, preparations and ingredients.
The cuisine of New Orleans encompasses common dishes and foods in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is perhaps the most distinctively recognized regional cuisine in the United States. Some of the dishes originated in New Orleans, while others are common and popular in the city and surrounding areas, such as the Mississippi River Delta and southern Louisiana. The cuisine of New Orleans is heavily influenced by Creole cuisine, Cajun cuisine, and soul food. Later on, due to immigration, Italian cuisine and Sicilian cuisine also has some influence on the cuisine of New Orleans. Seafood also plays a prominent part in the cuisine. Dishes invented in New Orleans include po' boy and muffuletta sandwiches, oysters Rockefeller and oysters Bienville, pompano en papillote, and bananas Foster, among others.