News

The Sideboard: Boards Before the Bird
5 min read
The Sideboard: Boards Before the Bird

A Thanksgiving appetizer board with nothing to cook: four smoked and cured meats, how much to put out, and how to set it up the night before.

How Long Does Smoked Sausage Last?
5 min read
How Long Does Smoked Sausage Last?

Every storage figure in one place: refrigerator, freezer, opened, and the cooler rule.

How to Warm a Ham Without Drying It Out
5 min read
How to Warm a Ham Without Drying It Out

Every Opa’s ham is fully cooked, so the job is warming, not cooking: gentle heat, water in the pan, a foil tent, and the two mistakes that dry a ham out.

Texas Smoked Sausage vs. Andouille: What’s the Difference?
5 min read
Texas Smoked Sausage vs. Andouille: What’s the Difference?

Two smoked sausages, constantly swapped, not the same thing. The five differences and the honest substitution answer.

Holiday Gift Planning Starts Now
4 min read
Holiday Gift Planning Starts Now

Every November a customer walks in with a folded list and leaves with fourteen names crossed off. This is their playbook: who gets the sampler, who gets the subscription, how corporate orders work, and why November is the easy month.

5 min read
What “Wurst” Means — and Why Texas Still Says It
Wurst is the German word for sausage. Here is what the word covers, which kinds made it to Texas, and what Opa’s makes in Fredericksburg, Texas.
What Goes on a Texas BBQ Plate
6 min read
What Goes on a Texas BBQ Plate

The plate, the sides that make it work, the order most people eat it in, and where tradition ends and your table begins.

The Holiday Centerpiece: Whole Smoked Turkey or Ham?
7 min read
The Holiday Centerpiece: Whole Smoked Turkey or Ham?

“Should I get the turkey or the ham?” The counter’s answer is a question back: what does your table remember? The honest comparison, the both-table move, and the math — early enough to order calm