I spotted these a couple weeks ago, but didn’t pick any up until yesterday. They are a premium sausage, clocking in at about a buck each, and their dark color and a natural casing were the draw for me. These are apparently so new that they aren’t described on the manufacturer’s website, a suburban Chicago meat processor.
The ingredients listed on the label are very straight-forward, pork, beef, Monterey Jack cheese, and less than 2% of the usual spices, flavoring and salt; all in a pork casing.
Now if I would have read the label prior to purchasing, I would have passed, as I am not a fan of sausages with embedded cheese.
I simmered them in water on the stove top for awhile, and dropped them in a traditional hot dog bun with a squirt of plain yellow mustard. The result?
It’s a nice product. Very smokey, old-world flavor, similar to Polish sausage, and the cheese, I think, contributes to the juiciness factor, the flavor of the cheese is not overwhelming at all. My previous objection to cheese in sausage is hereby negated. It’s a slightly coarse grind, which I prefer, and it’s a great casing with good snap.
Good job, guys. I’ll buy them again.