Last updated: October 27, 2026
In this guide:
- The short answer
- What a hot link is
- How to choose a hot link
- The Spicy Link at Under Construction Hot Dogs
- Hot link or brat?
- Plan your stop on Highway 50
- Quick answers about hot links in Pueblo
Search for hot link sausage in Pueblo and you will not find a ranking anyone can check. So this guide skips the crown and helps you choose, then shows you the spicy sausage on our menu.
The short answer
We could not find a verified ranking of hot link makers in Pueblo, so naming one winner would be a guess. Choose by what you like: smoky or fresh, beef or pork, mild heat or big heat. For a spicy sausage on a steamed bun, our menu has the Spicy Link.
What a hot link is
A hot link is a spicy sausage tied to Texas and Southern barbecue, and every maker sets their own recipe. One East Texas version uses beef and lamb with paprika, cayenne, black pepper and fennel seed, so the ingredient list tells you more than the name does.
One origin story comes from Pittsburg, Texas. It credits a local butcher, Charlie Hasselbach, with creating hot links in 1897 and selling them cooked about twenty years later, as told by Zingerman’s Roadhouse. That article calls it a story, not settled history.
It also describes hot links as a long-standing Texas tradition, especially in African American communities, and says that in Texas they are usually served with a bottle of hot sauce on the side.
How to choose a hot link
Judge a hot link on four things: the heat, the meat, the casing and the bun. Ask what it is made from, how hot it runs and how it is cooked. These are our own tasting tips, not rules from a source, so use them as a starting point.
- The heat. Good heat shows up after the first bite, not before it. If all you taste is burn, the seasoning is off.
- The meat. Ask whether it is beef, pork or a mix. You should be able to taste which one you are eating.
- The casing. Many people like a casing that gives a little and then breaks. A rubbery one is a sign it sat too long.
- The bun. A steamed bun stays soft and keeps the sausage warm, which matters when you eat standing up.
The Spicy Link at Under Construction Hot Dogs
The Spicy Link is the spicy sausage on our menu. The menu describes it as a link with just the right amount of heat, served on a steamed poppy seed bun, for $6.50. The menu says we serve Vienna Beef sausages. It does not name the maker or the meat for this link.
The menu calls it the Spicy Link, not a hot link, so we do not use that name for it. If you want more heat than the Spicy Link, our guide to spicy sausage in Pueblo covers the other options on the stand.
| Menu item | Menu description | Price* |
| Spicy Link | “Tempt your tastebuds with a Spicy link with just the right amount of heat. Served on a steamed poppy seed bun.” | $6.50 |
| Brat | “Juicy Bratwurst served on a steamed poppy seed bun.” | $6.50 |
| Cheddar Brat | “Savory cheddar bratwurst served on a poppy seed bun.” | $7.50 |
*Prices as listed on the menu on October 21, 2026. The menu is the final word on prices and availability.
Hot link or brat?
A hot link and a bratwurst are different sausages. The East Texas recipe above leans on cayenne and paprika for heat, while our menu describes the Brat as juicy and the Cheddar Brat as savory. If you want heat, order the Spicy Link. If you do not, pick a brat.
Both come on a poppy seed bun. For more on the brats, read our guide to the best bratwurst in Pueblo.
Plan your stop on Highway 50
You will find us at 1225 W U.S. Hwy 50 in Pueblo, out front at Lowe’s. The stand is open daily from 10 am to 3 pm and closed on Thursdays. Pick your sausage at the window, then add chips or a drink from the same menu.
To cool things down, the menu has chips for $1.50 and drinks including Arizona Iced Green Tea and Arizona Iced Arnold Palmer Half and Half, both $2.50. Want a hot dog instead? Our guide to the most popular hot dog in Pueblo covers the rest of the board.
Quick answers about hot links in Pueblo
Short answers to the questions people ask most about hot link sausage in Pueblo, CO. We cover who makes it, whether our stand sells one, what a hot link is made of and where to find us. Each answer comes from our menu or from the sources linked above.
We couldn’t find a verified ranking, so we don’t name one maker as the best. Taste is personal. Use the tips in this guide to compare, then try a few and decide for yourself.
The menu lists a Spicy Link, described as having just the right amount of heat, on a steamed poppy seed bun. It doesn’t use the name hot link, and it doesn’t say who makes it.
It depends on the maker. One East Texas recipe uses beef and lamb with paprika, cayenne, black pepper, fennel seed, anise, coriander seed, mustard seed and bay leaf.
The stand is at 1225 W U.S. Hwy 50 in Pueblo, CO, out front at Lowe’s. It is open daily from 10 am to 3 pm and closed on Thursdays.