Catalog Critic: Casing gourmet sausages
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The good old American hot dog is looking more like a sausage lately.
Over the last few years, sausages have become more popular, while hot-dog sales have slowed. Supermarket sales of dinner sausages reached $1.5 billion last year, up almost 17 percent from 2000, according to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, an industry-sponsored research group based in Washington, D.C. During the same period, sales of frankfurters (a type of sausage that is generally smoother in texture) dropped slightly.
But, as grilling season fires up, why stop at one kind of sausage? We've noticed a range of variety packs, some with five different types of links, sold by mail-order retailers. We ordered five by phone, including a few with hot dogs, and enlisted Adam Perry Lang, chef and owner at Daisy May's BBQ U.S.A. in New York, to grill them up for a blind taste test.
First, we learned a trick. Before the grilling started, the chef placed most of the sausages in a pan of warm (but not boiling) salted water for a couple of minutes, and then crisped them on the grill. The water bath helps kick off the cooking, reducing the time on the grill. The longer it's on the flame, the higher the risk that the casing will burst -- and if that happens, the expert said, "you lose all the juiciness."
Dryness was a problem for the Edwards Smoked Sausage Sampler for $20 from Virginia Traditions, which had three 12-ounce packages of smoked sausages. Mr. Perry Lang liked the seasoning, but found the links too greasy and crumbly. One delivery note: Unlike the other four, this box had no cooling pack or dry ice. (The company says smoked products don't require refrigeration and are ready to eat out of the package.)
The chef didn't love Nueske's Favorite Links Sampler, for $23, either. The three-pound package had bratwurst and some pork-and-beef wieners that had a nice applewood smoke flavor, but he found the super-porky ham and bacon sausage too salty and grainy.
Mr. Perry Lang did like the chunky texture and flavor of the $40 Grilling Sausages from Dean & DeLuca, especially the pork with ricotta, spinach and pine nut. But with just three varieties, including a pound each of veal and chicken jalapeno, the quantity was limited. Plus, these were the only sausages we ordered that were fresh instead of precooked. That meant skipping the water bath (which wouldn't efficiently cook the meat) and instead, heating them carefully on the grill so the skin wouldn't burst.
Allen Brothers' Our Sausage Sampler, for $50, had the widest and biggest selection of sausages, weighing in at five pounds. The five varieties -- two types of bratwurst, a Polish sausage, an Italian sausage and "Steak Dogs" -- could easily feed a crowd, with 22 links in all. Though Mr. Perry Lang thought the textures were a little too smooth, he called the seasoning excellent. It's our Best Value.
Best Overall goes to Lobel's $59 Four-Pound Variety Pack. It had four kinds of flavorful sausage, with 18 fat links in all, and plenty of variety in taste and texture, including a spicy andouille, a juicy knackwurst, a chunky kielbasa and a well-seasoned chicken. "Really nice," Mr. Perry Lang said, as he bit into the andouille. The real indication that Lobel's was the winner? In the midst of tasting almost 20 kinds of sausage -- enough to make any barbecue fan ask for mercy -- the chef went back for seconds.
STORE/PRICE/PHONE: Lobel's Four-Pound Variety Pack, $58.98, lobels.com, 877-783-4512
QUALITY: Best Overall. The variety pack lived up to its name and was the most flavorful of all. With a pound each of andouille, knackwurst, kielbasa and chicken.
SHIPPING COST/TIME: The company ships all sausage orders overnight, for $25.95. Ours was delivered on time.
RETURN POLICY: For refund or credit if dissatisfied. All five companies say returns generally aren't required.
PHONE/WEB EXPERIENCE: Of the three companies that asked for our email address, Lobel's was the only one to send an electronic confirmation.
COMMENT: Lobel's, a New York butcher shop, offers a number of specialty sausages, including an apricot-cranberry bratwurst. Site also lists sausage recipes.
STORE/PRICE/PHONE: Allen Brothers, Our Sausage Sampler, $49.95, allenbrothers.com, 800-957-0111
QUALITY: Best Value. A big, well-seasoned selection, if a little smooth in texture. Includes one pound each of bratwurst, turkey bratwurst, Polish, Italian and Great Steakhouse Steak Dogs.
SHIPPING COST/TIME: We paid $26.95 for next-day delivery, which came on time. Two-day air for $11.95 is also available.
RETURN POLICY: Satisfaction is guaranteed, for refund or credit.
PHONE/WEB EXPERIENCE: Eager. When we called, customer service picked up the phone before it even rang once. Rep offered to send a gift card. Order came with a booklet with tips on handling and preparation.
COMMENT: Company says all sausages in this sampler are made in the Chicago style, and its International Sausage Sampler (including wild boar, apple and red wine sausage) has more textural diversity.
STORE/PRICE/PHONE: Dean & DeLuca, Grilling Sausages, $40, deandeluca.com, 800-221-7714
QUALITY: Lost by a snout. Chef gave high ratings to the gourmet fillings: veal and sun-dried tomato, chicken jalapeno and pork with ricotta, spinach and pine nuts.
SHIPPING COST/TIME: Dean & DeLuca requires overnight shipping. We paid $24.50 and the sausages arrived on time.
RETURN POLICY: You have 30 days to make an exchange or request a refund.
PHONE/WEB EXPERIENCE: Site has several sausage and salami choices. These are not sold individually.
COMMENT: Sausages, made by New York's Salumeria Biellese, were the only fresh (not pre-cooked) links we ordered. They took a few minutes longer to cook.
STORE/PRICE/PHONE: Nueske's, Favorite Links Sampler, $22.95, nueskes.com, 800-392-2266
QUALITY: The three different kinds (bratwurst, wieners, and ham and bacon) were smoked over applewood. Mr. Perry Lang found the last one too salty and the texture slightly grainy.
SHIPPING COST/TIME: Express shipping cost us $34.95. Two-day shipping is $9.95.
RETURN POLICY: For refund, credit or exchange "if you're not delighted with your purchase in every way," site says.
PHONE/WEB EXPERIENCE: Ordering was easy and quick. Rep pointed out that shipping cost more than our order. The site has a number of sausage variety packs.
COMMENT: The company says the ham and bacon sausage is popular, and that it will make exchanges if a customer is not satisfied.
STORE/PRICE/PHONE: Virginia Traditions, Edwards Smoked Sausage Sampler, $19.95, virginiatraditions.com, 800-222-4267
QUALITY: The greasiest of the sausages we tasted, with a crumbly texture. Pack included smoked sausage, hot and spicy smoked sausage and smoked Italian sausage.
SHIPPING COST/TIME: On-time express shipping cost us $27.95. Standard shipping costs $7.95.
RETURN POLICY: Refunds or exchanges can be made within 14 days.
PHONE/WEB EXPERIENCE: A rep contacted us after we placed the order to make sure we needed next-day shipping, saying that cheaper options were available.
COMMENT: On the greasiness, a spokesman says that "real meat has fat in it," and adds that the sausages are "just the way they made them in 1930."
First Published June 9, 2006 12:00 am
