Charles Hasselback is credited with creating the famous Pittsburg,
Texas hot links around 1897. However, his background as a traveling baseball player and "tin snip" (a skilled metal worker) raises the question: where did he learn the unique craft of sausage-making?
Research into the Hasselback family reveals no connection to the grocery or meat market trade. Instead, the answer may lie with his wife's family. After arriving in Pittsburg, Hasselback married Ms. Fred in 1895. Her father, H. Fred, owned a grocery store and meat market, providing the likely setting for Hasselback's training in meat preparation and the distinctive hot link recipe.
The signature characteristic of Pittsburg Hot Links is their hand-tied chain pattern – two links placed side-by-side, each about 3 inches long. This technique, passed down through generations, points to a unique culinary heritage.
H. Fred's family journey from Suwalki, Poland, to Canada, New Orleans, Jefferson, Texas, and finally Pittsburg suggests they brought sausage-making traditions from their Polish roots. It's probable that these skills and recipes were shared with Hasselback, shaping the iconic Pittsburg Hot Links we know today.
While Hasselback is celebrated for popularizing the hot links, the evidence suggests his father-in-law, H. Fred, played a crucial role in their origin, passing on the techniques and culinary heritage that distinguish these sausages.
2019 was our first year to have the Texas Hot Link Festival. One of our volunteers from the entertainment committee had volunteered to seek sponsors in Mt. Pleasant. She found support from a well known business in Titus County, Conroy Tractor. The only stipulation she said was Mr. Conroy wanted to display a tractor, I agreed.
After the festival I went by Conroy Tractor to say thank you and post it on social media. While thanking Mr. Conroy he told a story about how people bragged about his pork ribs, how good they were, and they would ask what his secret was. He told them he would cook our Pittsburg Hot Links on top of the ribs. This story was later verified by others that witnessed and participated in this unique process.
It is with great reverence and appreciation for Mr. Conroy, may he rest in peace, that we attempt to duplicate his unique process.