This Texas Town Has Been Crowned Sausage Capital Since 1882

About 25 miles east of Austin, there’s a small town where the smell of smoked meat drifts through the air, and friendly debates about which sausage is better have been running for decades.

Elgin, Texas—officially proclaimed the “Sausage Capital of Texas” by the state legislature in 1995—has been producing some of the state’s most celebrated links since the 1880s.

Come explore Elgin with me, and let’s go on a sausage-filled culinary journey.

Location and Background

Where Elgin Is

Elgin sits at the intersection of U.S. Highway 290 and State Highway 95 in Bastrop County, about 25 miles east of downtown Austin and 18 miles north of Bastrop.

The town serves a broader trade area of over 55,000 people, though Elgin itself has a population of around 10,000.

Most visitors arrive via Highway 290, making it an easy day trip from Austin or a convenient stop for travelers heading between Austin and Houston.

The historic downtown district, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, centers around Depot Street—named for the original train depot that created the town.

More than 100 locally owned businesses now occupy the area, from antique shops to cafes to the meat markets that made Elgin famous.

Historical Roots

The town of Elgin owes its existence to a flood. The Houston and Texas Central Railroad originally planned to run its tracks through McDade, 10 miles to the east, but a devastating Colorado River flood in 1869 forced a route change.

On August 18, 1872, the railroad platted a new town and named it for Robert Morris Elgin, the company’s land commissioner.

Many early residents came from nearby Perryville, nicknamed “Hogeye” after the only tune the local fiddler knew. The Hogeye name stuck—today it’s celebrated every October at the town’s annual festival.

The sausage story began in 1882 when William J. Moon, a butcher from Hogeye, started selling meat door-to-door. Without refrigeration, any meat that didn’t sell had to be smoked or lost.

Moon ground his beef trimmings, added salt, black pepper, and cayenne, stuffed the mixture into natural casings, and smoked it.

The first Elgin sausage was born.

Famous Sausage and Local Cuisine

Signature Sausages

Elgin sausage follows the Texas-German style: coarsely ground meat (traditionally beef, though pork versions exist), seasoned simply with salt, black pepper, and sometimes cayenne for heat, stuffed into natural casings and smoked over wood.

The texture is distinct—you can see and taste the individual pieces of meat rather than the smooth, uniform grind of grocery store sausages.

The term “hot guts” earned its name from the spicy kick and the use of natural casings. The recipe credited to Bud Frazier, who worked at Southside Market from 1902 to 1971, remains the template for authentic Elgin sausage.

Southside’s version uses beef and beef tallow; Meyer’s recipe, brought from Germany by Henry Meyer in the 19th century, features pork. Both approaches have passionate defenders.

Where to Try It

Southside Market & Barbeque claims to be the oldest barbecue joint in Texas, operating since 1882 (though the “Southside Market” name dates to 1918).

The Bracewell family has owned it since 1968, and it now occupies a renovated bank building on Highway 290. The restaurant produces approximately one million pounds of sausage per month and ships nationwide.

Beyond sausage, the menu includes brisket, ribs, smoked mutton, and sides like potato salad and pinto beans.

Meyer’s Elgin Smokehouse, located just down Highway 290, opened its restaurant in 1998, though the Meyer family has been making sausage since 1949. R.G.

Meyer started with his father Henry’s German recipe, selling to Austin grocery stores before his grandsons Gregg and Gary expanded into a full restaurant operation. Their jalapeño cheese sausage and Hot Guts are particular favorites.

Locals will tell you to try both and make your own decision. The smart move is a “sausage crawl”—order a few links at each, compare, and declare no winner.

Best Time to Visit

The Hogeye Festival in late October draws thousands and offers the full Elgin experience, but expect crowds.

For quieter visits to the meat markets and downtown shops, weekdays work best—especially mid-morning when the sausage is freshest off the smokers.

Elgin’s proximity to Austin makes it an easy half-day or full-day trip. Combine it with nearby stops in Bastrop (16 miles south) or the Lost Pines area for a Central Texas excursion.

Where Tradition Lives On

Elgin’s sausage legacy isn’t just about meat. It’s about a community that turned necessity into craft, then craft into identity.

The same recipes that William Moon and Henry Meyer developed more than a century ago still guide production today, adjusted perhaps but never abandoned.

The same friendly arguments about beef versus pork, Southside versus Meyer’s, continue in line at both establishments.

The Texas Legislature got it right in 1995. If you want to understand what sausage means in Texas—how a simple combination of meat, salt, and smoke became something worth driving for—Elgin is where you go.