I’m a BIG fan of spicy food. The spicier the better. I’m not a good person to ask if something is spicy because more times than not, it’s not spicy enough in my book.
In fact, most times when someone has a product that they claim is spicy, I’m still left disappointed…my husband is convinced that I’ve burned off all of my taste buds over the years.
When I found out about the Wicked Hot Ghost Pepper Sausage from Queen City Sausage, I was cautiously optimistic.
I was invited by Ohio Pork to join a few other influencers on a tour and tasting at the Queen City Sausage headquarters.
I was familiar with the name before the tour but I really became a fan after I learned more about the heart and soul of the company that has been around since 1965 with Founder and President, Elmer Hensler who still actively leads the company and even gives personal tours from time to time.
Cincinnati has a history when it comes to pork. It was even given the nickname “Porkopolis” due to its pork producing history that goes back to the early 1800s.
In the 1960s there were 39 other Sausage Companies around Cincinnati when Queen City Sausage started but Queen City Sausage is the only one still remaining today. Queen City Sausage takes pride in partnering with master sausage makers to create Authentic German Recipes.
The Factory Tour
Yes, I saw how the sausage is made, and yes, I still like sausage! Your imagination is definitely worse than the reality, it’s really not that big of a deal…. and you have to love an adventure that involves a hairnet and a lab coat.
We walked each step of the process and my favorite room by far was the spice room. I WISH that I could share with you how AMAZING that room SMELLS!
We also got to meet Art (the spice master) who made my day!
Did you know that Queen City hand mixes their spices? They prefer to blend the fresh spices themselves versus purchasing pre-blended.
They also infuse their slow-cooked sausage with flavor from real hickory wood smoke (liquid smoke doesn’t cut it) and I saw the wood chips to prove it!
Queen City Sausage also takes pride in the details like small batch production to provide excellence and attention to every product they produce from mixing the meat, adding the fresh spices, stuffing the sausages, and slow cooking their sausages.
Let’s Talk About What’s NOT in the Sausage
Sometimes you would rather NOT know what companies put in their products but Queen City Sausage keeps it simple with only the best meats, fresh spices, and fresh garlic and onions.
They don’t use fillers, MSG, or Mechanically Separated Poultry in their products which makes putting their product on your dinner table guilt free.
Quick Protein/Easy Dinner Ideas
With two boys in sports, I need meal ideas that are quick and easy to create on practice and game days. Queen City Sausage comes precooked so all you need to do is heat it up.
You can add green peppers and onions to your sausage for a meal on the run, add cherry tomatoes for a kabob, or add broccoli, rice, and teriyaki sauce for a stir fry variation.
Keep it Simple and Delicious!
The Recipe
QUEEN CITY SAUSAGE “WICKED” STIR FRY
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 Package Queen City Wicked Jalapeno (or Ghost Pepper or Chipotle) Sausages, cut diagonally
- 1 Medium Onion, sliced
- 12 oz baby portabella mushrooms
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup Craisins
- 2 heads of broccoli
- 3 Tablespoons of Italian dressing
- 1 Teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups of your favorite rice – cooked according to package directions
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a large electric skillet, add olive oil and set the temperature to medium. (You can also make on top of the stove in a large pan.)
- Add sausage links and stir while they brown 2-3 minutes
- Add onions & mushrooms, stir and brown 2-3 minutes
- Add Italian dressing, Worcestershire, and craisins. Stir and cover for 8 minutes.
- Add broccoli and stir. Cover for 5 minutes more.
- Serve on top of cooked rice.
A Few More Favorites
Queen City Sauage also has a variety of products including Goetta. If you are not familiar with Goetta it’s extremely popular in the greater Cincinnati area.
It was formerly a peasant dish of German decent that has ground meat, pinhead oats, and spices. You definitely need to try if you haven’t before.
I was pleasantly surprised that the “Wicked” Ghost Pepper sausage had flavor first and then a great amount of heat. I found the spice level respectable (I told you that I’m a spice level snob) and I was told that other die-hard crazy spice level fans like myself even add sriracha mustard to make the heat level perfect for their crazy spicy hot preferences.
If you want a milder variation, try the Chipotle or Jalapeno “Wicked” flavors, my family loved both of those. Queen City Sausage also sells hot dogs and Bratwurst so there is something for everyone.
More Information
You can find out more about Queen City Sausage from their website.
Thanks again to Ohio Pork for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.
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