Log in
There is a particular sound the front door at Opa's makes on a busy Saturday —practiced, quick, the swing of wood against a frame that's been swinging for decades. On a Saturday morning, that sound doesn't stop. Coolers open. Somebody points at a link behind the glass like there's no decision to make, because there isn't — they've been buying the same sausage for fifteen years. Their parents bought it before them. The woman behind the counter already knows what they want before they say it.
I've watched people walk into this deli who haven't been to Fredericksburg in a decade, and the first thing they do is look at the case. Not the market shelves, not the knives on the wall, not the gift baskets. The case. Because that's where the thing they came for lives — the sausage that tastes exactly the way they remember it. That kind of consistency doesn't happen because someone got lucky. It happens because the recipe was worth protecting and the people making it cared enough to leave it alone.
Opa's has been making smoked meats in the Hill Country since 1947. Because this is where that tradition belongs — Texas-German families who brought their craft with them and built something that outlasted the reasons they left home in the first place. What follows is the whole picture: every product line, how to cook them, how to serve them, and where to find them.
Opa’s smoked sausage is on shelves at major grocery chains across Texas and surrounding states; find your nearest location using the store locator. The full lineup, including the heritage products you won’t find in grocery, is available at the Fredericksburg deli and ships nationwide from opassmokedmeats.com.
The Sausage Line — Where Most People Start
If you've never tried Opa's, you'll almost certainly start here. Smoked sausage is the center of what we do, and the first thing most people taste. Natural pork casings, because the snap when you bite in is part of the point. Coarse grind, because you should taste real texture, not a paste pretending to be sausage. And a smoke profile that hasn't drifted in anyone's memory.
The lineup is wider than people expect. Here's how it breaks down.
Jalapeño Cheddar is the sausage people come back for. The heat is real but not aggressive — present enough that you know it's there, balanced enough that nobody pushes their plate away. The cheddar melts into the meat during the process, so there's a creamy richness in the finish that you don't get from cheese stuffed in after the fact. This is our best seller, and it has been for a long time. Grill it or pan-sear it until the outside is golden and the inside is still juicy. Either way, you'll understand why people drive to Fredericksburg specifically for this one.
Country Blend is Opa's at its most elemental. Beef and pork, a heritage spice blend that's been the same since 1947, and a rich, well-balanced smoke flavor that never tries too hard. No heat, no gimmick; just a sausage that tastes like it came from a place where people have been making sausage for a very long time. If you want to know what Opa's tastes like at its most classic, start here.
Beef Sausage is for the person who wants beef-forward flavor without competition. The spice plays support. The finish is clean. One of our most consistent sellers on grocery shelves, and the kind of sausage that doesn't need to explain itself.
Jalapeño Sausage is the heat without the cheddar softening the edges. The jalapeño is more present, more direct. If someone at your table wants it louder, hand them this one.
Hatch Green Chile is earthy, bright, and different in character from anything jalapeño-based. The roasted Hatch chile brings a rounded, layered warmth; less sharp, more complex. It's available year-round, and it's consistently one of the most pleasant surprises for first-time buyers who take a chance on something they haven't tried. People who discover it tend to keep it in the rotation permanently.
Habanero is the newest flavor in the lineup, and it was built for people who mean it when they say they like spice. Real habanero heat that builds and stays; not a gimmick, not a dare. Still balanced enough to eat as a proper meal. Just bring something cold to drink.
Bratwurst is a traditional German sausage. Pork and veal, lighter in color and finer in grind than the other smoked links. If you've spotted the lighter-colored link in the case and wondered what it was, this is it. The seasoning is traditional German, the texture is smooth, and it's one of the most direct connections we still have to the old-world craft that started everything. If your only bratwurst experience has been the mass-produced version from a grocery store cooler, ours is a different thing entirely. Grill over medium heat.
Knackwurst is the fine-ground link in the lineup; smooth and dense where the others are coarse and textural. A traditional German style that most Texans haven't had made properly. Serve it on rye with stone-ground mustard and pickled onion, and you'll understand why it's been on the menu longer than most people realize.
Chicken Sausage with Poblano Chile and Monterey Jack is the lighter option that doesn't feel like a compromise. The poblano brings a gentle warmth, the Monterey Jack adds richness, and together they give the chicken enough character to hold its own alongside the rest of the lineup. This is the surprise of the case for a lot of people, and it's quietly become one of the most popular sausages we make — and most who try it at the tasting station walk out with a package.
One thing worth knowing if you're shopping for a family or a mixed group: not every sausage in the lineup brings heat. Country Blend, Beef, Bratwurst, and Knackwurst are all built on the heritage spice profile with no heat at all — the sausages the whole table can eat, kids included. Chicken Sausage is mild enough for most people who prefer less spice. You don't need everyone at the table to agree on a flavor. Just buy a few and let them choose.
Summer Sausage — A Different Kind of Snap
Summer sausage earns its place differently than the smoked links. It's cured, semi-dried, and built for slicing cold — on a board, from a cooler, or straight from the package when you just need something good and don't want to turn on the stove.
It comes in a chub you slice yourself, which lets you control the thickness, and a pre-sliced format for the days when even that feels like too much work. The Jalapeño Cheddar version follows the same flavor logic as the smoked link: balanced heat, creamy cheddar, clean finish. The original is classic: beef and pork with the same heritage spice profile that runs through the whole lineup.
Summer sausage travels beautifully. It's one of the best things to pack for a winery day, a road trip, or a Hill Country picnic where the nearest kitchen is an hour away. It ships well too, arriving cold and ready to eat.
Cured Meats and Jerky — Peppered Beef and Turkey, Done Right
If your only reference point for cured meat is the jerky on a gas station rack, set that aside for a moment. Opa's Cured Peppered Smoked Beef and Cured Peppered Smoked Turkey Breast are our peppered versions of jerky with a higher moisture content — closer to proper charcuterie. Refrigerated, tender rather than tough, and the flavor is deep and developed in a way that dry, shelf-stable products simply cannot match.
Slice thin. Pair with stone-ground mustard and a sharp aged cheddar. Add something pickled for contrast. They hold up on a board as well as anything you'd find in a specialty shop and they pack well in a cooler for a day on the wine trail. Keep them cold, and they deliver exactly what they should.
The Deli Classics — Head Cheese and Liverwurst
These are the products that show what Opa’s actually is; the deepest roots of the Texas-German tradition, and the kind of thing most smokehouses stopped making generations ago. They’re still here because the people who know what they are won’t let us stop making them.
Head cheese is not cheese. It never was. It's a terrine: slow-cooked pork and beef, including pork cheek meat, pork skin, and pork hearts, set in a rich, natural broth and sliced cold. Firm. Savory. Nothing like what you're imagining if you've never had a good one. Thin slice, whole-grain mustard, rye bread. That's the whole plate. Skeptics become regulars faster than you'd think.
Liverwurst at Opa's is more than fifty percent liver, which is the way it's supposed to be made. The result is a country-pâté style product: firm, sliceable, deeply flavored, with more in common with a French pâté de campagne than with the mild, forgettable supermarket liverwurst most people have encountered. Slice it onto rye bread with thin-sliced onion and a sharp mustard. If you've written liverwurst off based on something you tried twenty years ago, ours is worth another look.
We've been making both for generations. Not because they're trendy — they never will be. Because they're part of what Texas-German food actually is.
Tenderloins — Slow-Smoked, Ready When You Are
A properly smoked tenderloin doesn't announce itself. It just delivers — quietly, consistently, and in a way that makes people stop what they're doing and ask where you got it.
Both the beef and pork versions come fully cooked. The flavor opens up at room temperature, which makes them ideal for boards, dinner parties, or any meal where you want the food to feel more considered than the effort it actually took. Slice thin against the grain. Serve simply. Let the smoke do the talking.
The Peppered Smoked Tenderloin Combo, one beef, one pork, ships as a pair and is one of the strongest gift options we carry for someone who already has everything except a reason to slice into something this good.
Hams — Not Just for Easter
Seven hams across three different styles — each with genuinely different character.
Bone-in Hickory Smoked Ham is the classic. Deep, savory smoke with no sweetness — built for people who want their ham to taste like the smokehouse, not the glaze. Spiral sliced, available in half and whole.
Bone-in Honey Glazed Ham is the holiday centerpiece option. The sweetness is restrained rather than cloying, and it warms up beautifully. Spiral sliced, available in half and whole.
Boneless Peppered Ham is the boldest of the three styles — the pepper adds bite and makes it the most interesting option for a charcuterie board or cold slicing. Easy to slice without a bone to work around, and great on sandwiches. Available in three sizes: Holiday Ham (2–3 lbs), Half Ham (3–4 lbs), and Whole Ham (5–8 lbs).
All seven are fully cooked. All work year-round. Ham doesn't need a holiday as an excuse and the people who've figured that out tend to keep one in the refrigerator as a matter of course.
Poultry — Smoked and Ready
Whole smoked chicken, whole smoked turkey, and turkey legs — all fully cooked, all having been through the smokehouse. Two things worth knowing: first, they just need a gentle warm-through, not a full cook. Second, you may see pink near the bone, especially on the chicken. This is completely normal with smoked and cured poultry; it's a result of the smoking process, not a sign that anything is undercooked.
Turkey legs at Opa's aren't a fair food novelty. They're proper smoked poultry; pull them for tacos, pile them into sandwiches, or serve them simply alongside something sharp and vinegary. The whole smoked chicken is one of the most underappreciated products in the entire lineup. It's a complete weeknight dinner that requires almost no effort — and one of those things people wish they'd discovered sooner. If you want a raw bird for your own smoker, fresh chickens are available at the butcher counter.
Bacon — Know Before You Cook
Two bacon products, and they require different handling. This distinction matters.
Canadian Bacon is fully cooked. Cured, smoked, and ready to eat. A quick pan sear or a low oven brings out the best flavor. Overcooking dries it out — treat it gently.
Peppered Bacon is raw. It must be fully cooked before eating — pan, oven, or grill until it reaches a safe internal temperature.
If you're building a breakfast spread for company and you're not sure which one you have, check the label. One is ready to serve. One isn't.
The Butcher Counter — Fresh Cuts for the Grill
The deli is also a full butcher counter — boneless pork, BBQ cuts, pork chops, fresh chickens, and ribeye steaks in both choice and prime. Real cuts from a real counter, not pre-packaged product under plastic wrap.
For everyday quantities, walk in and take what's available. For larger orders — a whole pork shoulder, bulk chops, event quantities — call at least 36 hours ahead so the team can pull, prep, and hold your order. When you arrive, it's ready.
Prepared Foods — Made In-House
The deli makes a short, rotating lineup of prepared foods daily. Deviled eggs by the six-pack. Potato salad. Pasta salad. Honey chicken salad. Smoked chicken salad. Pimento salad. Made fresh, priced simply, and the kind of thing regulars know to grab alongside whatever else is going on the grill that night.
The sandwich counter builds to order from the full Opa's lineup — smoked meats, fresh-sliced deli, and a menu of named sandwiches that includes a Reuben worth the drive. The daily lunch special — any made-to-order sandwich with chips and a drink, a dollar off, plus a free cookie — is a permanent offering, not a promotion. Just walk in and eat.
The Tasting Station
In the center of the store, a dedicated tasting station runs four rotating sausages on the griddle at all times. This is how most people figure out what's going home with them. You walk in for a look around, catch something cooking on the griddle, try a sample, and the decision makes itself. The selection rotates, so what's on the griddle today may be different from last time. Ask the staff what's running, they'll tell you exactly what it is and hand you a slice before you've finished the question.
The Market
The market side of the store carries a full Opa's branded grocery line — BBQ sauces (including honey habanero and sweet fire), peach products (preserves, salsa, peach butter, spiced peaches, hot peaches, cobbler), pickled items (okra, asparagus, quail eggs, garlic, carrots, green beans, snow peas, and pickles in several styles), salsas, dressings, fig preserves, and honey. The peach products move fastest in spring and summer when Hill Country peach season runs from June through August. All are sold under the Opa's label — a curated selection that extends the brand into a grocery format that travels well and makes strong gift basket material.
The condiment shelf carries Dusseldorf mustard, hot Bavarian mustard, stone-ground German mustard, and a selection of Fischer & Wieser sauces and preserves — another Fredericksburg original. Premium crackers in several styles fill out the pantry section.
The cheese case runs deeper than people expect. Smoked gouda, smoked cheddar, jalapeño cheddar, creamy white cheddar, specialty flavored bars, imported cheeses including Havarti with caraway, and rotating artisan options from Texas producers. If you're building a board with Opa's meats, you don't need to make a second stop.
The beverage case is curated with the same regional emphasis: Texas teas, craft sodas, and the standard cold-case standbys. Deep enough that most people find something they haven't seen before.
Knives, Apparel, and Gifts
The market carries a selection of premium kitchen and butcher knives — serious tools for cooks, hunters, and anyone who appreciates a blade that earns its spot on the counter. Two magnetic display strips hold the current selection, including olive wood and walnut handle options across a range of styles. Victorinox steak knife sets are available as well.
Opa's branded apparel, t-shirts, trucker hats, wine tumblers, and stickers. are available in the market. The classic maroon t-shirt with the Opa's character and "Since 1947" is the one most people walk out with.
Custom gift baskets are built by hand from the market inventory — smoked meats, specialty cheeses, branded items, premium crackers, mustards, and whatever else fits the occasion. Walk in, describe who you're shopping for, and the team handles the rest. Custom baskets are available for in-store pickup only and cannot be shipped. For gifts that do ship, the full product lineup is available at opassmokedmeats.com — nationwide delivery, a personal message card included, and a keepsake ornament during the holiday season.
Where to Find Opa's
Three ways to get what you came for.
The Fredericksburg deli and market sits at 410 S Washington Street — just off Highway 87, two blocks from Main Street. Open Monday–Friday 8 AM–5:30 PM, Saturday 8 AM–4 PM. Call 830-997-3358. This is where the full lineup lives — the counter staff, the tasting station, the butcher case, and everything you'd expect from a proper Texas-German smokehouse that's been here since most of Main Street was still dirt.
Major grocery chains across Texas and surrounding states carry the Opa's core sausage lineup. Use the store locator at opassmokedmeats.com to find the nearest location carrying Opa's.
Online at opassmokedmeats.com — every product ships directly to your door, anywhere in the U.S. This is the option for anyone who's moved away from an area where Opa's is on the shelf and needs a taste of what they grew up with, or for anyone who wants to stock the freezer without making the drive. Gift orders include a personal message card; during the holiday season, a keepsake ornament goes in the box.
Small batch. Craft made. German tradition — since 1947.
Explore the full Opa's lineup at opassmokedmeats.com. Ships nationwide.
Visit Opa's Deli & Market at 410 S Washington St in Fredericksburg — open Monday–Friday 8 AM–5:30 PM, Saturday 8 AM–4 PM. Call 830-997-3358.
Find Opa's at a grocery store near you — use the store locator.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Opa's smoked sausage fully cooked?
Most Opa's smoked sausage products, including all smoked links, summer sausage, Canadian bacon, and smoked poultry, are fully cooked and safe to eat without additional cooking. Peppered bacon is the exception: it is a raw product and must be fully cooked before eating. When in doubt, check the label.
Where can I buy Opa's smoked meats near me?
Opa's products are available at major grocery chains across Texas and surrounding states. Use the store locator at opassmokedmeats.com to find a store carrying Opa's near you. The full product lineup is available at the Fredericksburg deli and market at 410 S Washington St, and online at opassmokedmeats.com for nationwide shipping.
Does Opa's ship nationwide?
Yes. Every product on the website ships directly to your door anywhere in the U.S. at opassmokedmeats.com. Gift orders include a personal message card; during the holiday season, a keepsake ornament is included.
What's the difference between Opa's smoked sausage and summer sausage?
Smoked sausage links are designed for the grill or stovetop — they're fresh-packed and built to be cooked. Summer sausage is a cured, semi-dried product designed to be eaten cold, sliced directly from the package. Both are refrigerated. Summer sausage comes in a sliceable chub or pre-sliced format and is particularly well-suited for charcuterie boards and cooler provisions.
How do I cook Opa's sausage?
Grill over medium heat, turning every few minutes to develop an even golden exterior. Or pan-sear in a cast iron or stainless pan over medium heat with a small amount of oil. Both methods produce the casing snap and golden color that make Opa's sausage worth eating. Avoid high heat, which rushes the exterior before the interior is ready.