86R16155 SME-D
By: Hefner H.C.R. No. 122
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, For more than 120 years, the East Texas community of
Pittsburg has been recognized across the Lone Star State as the
premier source of the delicious sausages known as hot links; and
WHEREAS, This savory tradition began in 1897, when an
entrepreneur of German ancestry named Charlie Hasselback brought
his recipe for hot links to Camp County; at first he sold the links
raw from his butcher shop in Pittsburg, but in 1918, he began
selling them cooked and ready to eat; traditionally served on
butcher paper with hot sauce and crackers, these small, stubby
sausages won instant converts with their unique texture, crunchy on
the outside and soft on the inside, and their signature burst of
flavor; and
WHEREAS, Over the years, Pittsburg has been home to several
hot link businesses; O. O. Smith, who worked with Mr. Hasselback,
established his own hot link shop and later sold it to Johnny
Franklin, who ran it until the 1990s; the hot link joint started by
Henry James passed through several hands before it closed in the
1970s; Barney Warrick, who initially worked for Mr. James, went on
to set up his own hot link enterprise with his son, Gene; and
WHEREAS, In the 1970s, Gene Warrick and Jimmy Brooks founded
the B&W Meat Company and JB's Hot Links; Mr. Warrick took over the
businesses in the 1980s and changed the names to Pittsburg Hot Link
Restaurants, Inc., and Pittsburg Hot Link Packers, Inc., and he and
his wife, Madeline, purchased and renovated the building where
Pittsburg Hot Links has been managed by Teresa, Tina, Sala, and
Sonya Warrick, and is currently managed by Sabin and his sister,
Salina Warrick; and
WHEREAS, While there are hot link shops in many nearby
communities, including Mount Pleasant, Daingerfield, Gilmer, and
Winnsboro, Pittsburg remains the home of the hot link, drawing
visitors from all over the state and nation; Pittsburg Hot Links and
its adjoining Sausage Warehouse take up an entire city block of
downtown Pittsburg, and the warehouse produces more than eight
million links, or a million pounds of sausage, each year,
generating over $2.5 million in sales and $750,000 in payroll; and
WHEREAS, Often referred to as "East Texas caviar," Pittsburg
hot links are a source of pride and prosperity for the people of
Pittsburg as well as a significant contribution to the culinary
tradition of the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 86th Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby designate Pittsburg as the official Hot Link Capital of
Texas; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That, in accordance with the provisions of Section
391.003(e), Government Code, this designation remain in effect
until the 10th anniversary of the date this resolution is finally
passed by the legislature.