The cased link is its own Austin food, and the jalapeno cheddar variant is the critical one: pepper heat and melted cheese inside the casing. Order Parish Barbecue's jalapeno cheddar boudin, Churchrow's habanero and Oaxaca cheese link folded into the Sur-Tejas taco, or the split link at Briscuits under sweet jalapeno habanero jelly.
The smoked sausage link.
The guide
Austin's barbecue pitsThe Infatuation's brisket guide puts LeRoy and Lewis first in Austin and Franklin second, and the board at the top pit runs past brisket into beef cheeks out of a tallow confit, whole hog butchered on site and a link cased that morning. So order across the tray, and run the day in the order the sell-outs allow: the full board early, a short weekday queue in the middle, and one of the few rooms still cooking in the evening.
The rooms, best first
- LeRoy and Lewis Barbecueverified
The pit cases its own daily: a Citra hop kielbasa, a Japanese currywurst special, and a daily link MICHELIN's inspector found studded with Hatch green chiles and mozzarella.
- Parish Barbecueverified
Jalapeno cheddar boudin sits on a Central Texas tray beside a house cured ham, at a trailer holding a MICHELIN Bib Gourmand from the 2025 Texas guide.
- Interstellar BBQverified
The pit cases its own: a jalapeno popper link of beef and pork loaded with cheese sits on the everyday board beside a beef kielbasa, and the Frito pie sausage turns up as a special.
- Briscuitsverified
The link is split for the snap and dressed with sweet spicy jalapeno habanero jelly. Daniel Vaughn picks the blueberry-Gouda version, thyme in the grind and smoked blueberry jam over it, in Texas Monthly's 2025 Top 50.
- Churchrow Tejas BBQvisited
The habanero and Oaxaca cheese sausage link eats best folded into the Sur-Tejas taco, which is Texas Monthly's barbecue editor talking after four visits.
- Mum Foods Smokehouse And Delicatessenverified
Travis Crawford's ring links are a finer grind than the Lockhart originals they salute, and the jalapeno cheese version carries chunks of barely melted cheddar.
- Sí Baby-Qverified
Two sausages made in-house, a classic beef version from brisket trimmings that Daniel Vaughn calls nicely spiced, and a rotating second link stuffed with cheese and green chiles from Steelbow Farm in Manor. Order the second one when it is on.