Novosad's Bbq & Sausage Market

Novosad's BBQ and Sausage Market in Hallettsville takes great pride in continuing a tradition of doing things a little bit different than most of the other barbecue joints on the coastal plains of Texas. In this Czech community they like their smoked meats well done and juicy. Not an easy balancing act for even the most accomplished barbecue-pit bosses. "There are a lot of Czechs and Germans around here," says Nathan Novosad with a laugh. "And fortunately most of them like barbecue." His most obvious concession to local tastes is the German-style sausage that comes in pork or beef varieties. When you cut open the thick casing of the Hallettsville tube steak, the coarse-ground meat inside releases a flood of flavorful juices and aromas. Novosad's doesn't use any filler in their sausage; it is pure meat seasoned with garlic, salt, pepper, and "a couple of other ingredients." "People around here like to see what they're eating," Novosad says. "You grind the meat in the sausage too fine and they can't tell what it is they're putting in their mouths." The little barbecue stand half a block off the courthouse square also makes their own wieners and breakfast sausages, but the hot links are the most popular. Novosad's grandfather started the Hallettsville business in 1959. Jerry Novosad grew up around Caldwell. He opened his first meat market and barbecue stand in Taylor, but he sold out to the Mikeska brothers, who went on to establish a family dynasty of barbecue restaurants around Central Texas.