'It's Dynamite' — The Texas BBQ Spot Guy Fieri Praised For Its In-House Sausage

Guy Fieri has been to hundreds of establishments across the U.S. touting his jacked-up version of the standard foodie show, and you can bank on this new one only featuring high-octane flavors. Notably, The Pit Room in Houston, Texas, is one of those spots that fits perfectly in Fieri's wheelhouse; it's loved for its Texas-style barbecue ribs and brisket, among other menu items. But Fieri focused on the housemade sausage when the restaurant was featured on his long-running Food Network show. While The Pit Room doesn't make Mashed's cut for Texas as the best "Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives" restaurant in every state, it did make it to our list of the best DDD restaurants in Texas.

Tasting the restaurant's signature jalapeño cheddar sausage, Fieri said, "It's dynamite. Just the right amount of heat in my opinion. Great snap to it." You can see part of the episode on Food Network's YouTube post about the best Texas triple-Ds for a close-up look at the sausages. While Texas smoked barbecue is primarily known for its focus on large cuts of beef (mainly brisket), The Pit Room's smoked sausages combine the full-on Texas tradition with some other ingredients for an unforgettable flavor that brings in a bit of south-of-the-border heat and some cheese that pairs perfectly with a sausage.

In the "Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives" episode, Fieri shows just exactly how the sausage is made by Pit Room owner and pitmaster, Michael Sambrooks, a Houston native who has dedicated his career to mastering the art of the smoke. While filming for DDD might be hectic, Sambrooks appears to be cool as a cucumber throughout the segment. To make his famed sausage, he starts with pork butt cut into cubes that is then covered in a dry spice mix of cayenne pepper, kosher salt, paprika, and black pepper. It's then cured overnight (to let the flavors set in) before grinding. Once the pork and spices are all ground together, Sambrooks adds some pickled jalapeño brine "to help the fat bind with the protein," then tosses in some chopped pickled jalapeños and small cubes of "restricted melt" cheddar cheese.

Now, this restricted melt cheese is designed to provide a creamy mouthfeel but still hold its shape under heat, and it just might be the key ingredient that brings it all together. "It'll get warm. It'll get creamy," Fieri says on the episode. "But it won't melt and dissipate throughout the sausage." The sausages are first smoked at low temperature (under 175 degrees Fahrenheit) for two to three hours, then cooked in the higher temperature smoker for around 30 minutes. 

The whole plate includes two quarter-pounder sausage links topped with signature barbecue sauce, plus some housemade chicharrones drizzled in hot sauce. Not only was the meal a big hit with Fieri, but the patrons featured on the episode certainly agreed, too.