Bruce Aidells’ Complete Sausage Book

by Bruce Aidells and Denis Kelly

Ten Speed Press, 336 pp., $21.95 (paper)

Bruce Aidells and his co-author Denis Kelly have released the definitive sausage bible, containing descriptions of every type of link, the historical background and method of making each, and their favorite recipes using them. Everything a true sausage fan could hope to know is found within.

Aidells and Kelly grew up worshipping sausages in their myriad forms and have traveled all over the country and the world seeking them out. They recount those exploratory journeys, thus forming the entertaining glue that binds the book together, making for a fascinating read.

But the true meat of the matter rests in the simple and easy-to-follow method Aidells has developed for making sausages and the delicious worldwide dishes made from them. The recipes are written in a manner that renders them a breeze for even the most challenged of cooks, and they produce food that lures one to consume the book from cover to cover.

Bruce began the Aidells Sausage Company in 1983 in the Bay Area and has developed a national reputation as the Sausage King. His company makes a large line of different sausages, ranging from gourmet to basic. They can be found in Austin at Sam’s Clubs, Central Market, and at some Albertson’s and Randalls locations, and you really should seek them out.

On Feb. 11, Aidells will be teaching a meats and sausage class at Central Market Cooking School, which will include a segment on sausage making. He is an engaging and entertaining wealth of knowledge, and from the voice of experience we can tell you that his food is some of the best produced at the school.

Reservations for the Central Market Cooking School can be made by calling 206-1000.

This article appears in January 11 • 2002.

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Mick Vann is a retired Austin chef who is a food writer and restaurant critic, cookbook author, restaurant consultant, and recipe developer. He moonlights as a University of Texas horticulturist with a propensity for ethnic eats and international food, particularly of the Asian persuasion, but he also knows his way around a plate of soul food or barbecue.