Super Sausage -- Seattle's Link To The Old South

A WISE MAN ONCE said that if you love sausages, you should never see one being made. In other words, it's generally not a pretty sight.

Perhaps he had not peeked in the window of Incredible Link at the Pike Place Market where the Dorsey family, originally from New Orleans, set up their sausage shop exactly one year ago. Inside the refrigerated room, glistening with stainless-steel counters and efficient-looking machines, one can observe the fresh meats being trimmed of any excess fat and mounds of colorful red and yellow onions, garlic, bright green herbs and scarlet red peppers and spices. It's colorful enough for a still-life. And if that's not enough to set those taste buds quivering, behind the retail counter next door Robert Spivey, an employee, is grilling up plump, juicy sausages and offering bites to curious market shoppers.

It's a far cry from the Old South, where sausage making was all part of hog-butchering day on the farm. Yet that is where Jimi Dorsey, who with his younger cousin Frank started Incredible Link, first learned about sausages.

"When I was a young boy in New Orleans, my mother and my grandfather ran a small sausage shop," recalls Jimi. "I was weaned on Louisiana hots."

Jimi's mom, known to the family as "Sweet Lorraine," taught her son all about Cajun-style sausages which, besides the old style Louisiana hots from her secret recipe (11 different spices), includes the classic boudin, a peppery little number made from beef, pork and rice. As it turned out, the Louisiana hots became and have remained the top-selling sausage over the market counter. The shop's name, incidentally, is supplemented by the title "A Cajun Occasion," referring to the Dorsey's roots. The Cajun people, often confused with Creole, trace their origins to France and later to Nova Scotia before they migrated down the St. Lawrence River and ultimately settled in Louisiana. Their cooking reflects this varied history.

But Jimi and Frank were not content to merely cash in on family recipes. Their imaginations soon had a whole selection of never-before-seen sausages with catchy names that put a smile on the faces of Market shoppers. Sailboat Salmon is a nod to the Northwest, using smoked salmon with a Louisiana twist. They came up with Italian Stallion, Chi-Chi Chorizo and even English bangers (an English breakfast sausage). There are also smoked turkey sausages, vegetarian versions and one of their most original culinary inventions, Luscious Lamb, a very low-fat but tasty item they describe as "jammin' without the chops." The latest addition is a tasty little number called Chicken Italian that contains a touch of apple.

"We don't use preservative, nitrates, fillers or MSG," says Jimi. "The sausages are 95-percent fat free."

Mostly fans of Incredible Link go home and grill the sausages outside on the Weber (see tips). But the sausages can be used in a variety of dishes including those supreme Southern concoctions, gumbo, jambalaya and red beans and rice.

How did the Dorseys, along with Jimi's 23-year-old son, Massai, end up in Seattle?

"Actually we were just here for the weekend and absolutely fell in love with the place," says Jimi. "We saw this empty stall in the Market (a former butcher shop) and thought it might be the place for us."

They quickly put together a proposal to the PDA (Preservation and Development Authority), were accepted and opened up Sept. 10, 1993. The success has been phenomenal, with customers generally lined three deep at the counter.

Oh, yes, there was another motive. "We're both single," says Jimi, "and thought we might meet wives."

Has that worked out? Frank shrugs his shoulders. "We've been too busy."

Their creative minds work overtime. Next on the agenda is finding a spot somewhere else in the city where they can serve their product in a real sit-down situation. Right now they are allowed, under Market rules, only to offer up a freshly grilled sausage ($3.79), which they serve on a hoagie onion roll and douse with Dijon mustard.

Dorseys' sausage-grilling tips

1. Grilling on charcoal or gas barbecue grills works best.

2. Do not boil first in water as Incredible Link sausages are nearly fat free.

3. Do not pierce sausages before cooking and do not separate links from one another.

4. Cook sausages, turning frequently over a medium fire, about 10 to 13 minutes, or until done. Pork can cook slightly longer.

5. If you cook sausages on a kitchen stove, put them in a shallow pan with an inch or so of water. Cover and let simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove cover, let water evaporate and brown the sausages a few minutes until they are done.

6. Don't use a microwave.

Tom Stockley is a freelance writer and Seattle Times wine columnist. Mike Siegel is a Seattle Times photographer.