PoK-e-Jo’s Off-the-Menu Recipes: Sausage Fajitas
Have you ever wondered if the staff members at Pok-e-Jo’s ever get tired of the food? I bet you have, because I know I’ve been asked that question numerous times. Well, the answer is, “Never!” but that’s because a lot of times, we are cooking up new dishes with our ingredients to use in a fresh and interesting way! This post will be the first in a sporadically occurring series exploring these kitchen creations and how you can make them at home with our products! Today we will tell you how to use our beef sausage to make a delicious version of that Tex-Mex staple, fajitas.
To make about 10-12 Sausage fajita tacos you will need the following:
1 lb. Pok-e-Jo’s Original Beef Sausage, sliced. (make sure the sausage is still hot, either directly from the restaurant, or reheated.)
1 yellow or sweet onion, cut into strips.
1 green bell pepper, cut into strips.
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips.
1 doz. flour tortillas
1 tsp. ground cumin
Cooking Oil
Optional Condiments
- Shredded cheese
- Guacamole
- Pico de gallo
- Picante sauce
To prepare:
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Cut vegetables into strips and toss lightly with oil (or melted butter!) and the ground cumin
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Heat 1 Tbsp. Oil in a heavy skillet, add vegetables and sautee for 3 minutes
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Add the sliced sausage to skillet with vegetables, cook for 3 more minutes or until sausage is hot and
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Portion into tortillas and serve!
See? It’s that easy and a delicious twist on a classic dish! Try it out and let us know how you like it!
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PoK-e-Jo’s…That’s a Weird Name
We’re under no illusions or false pretenses. Pok-e-Jo’s is kind of a weird name. And some of the origin of the name remains a mystery, even to our owners! For instance, why is there no second ‘e’ after the ‘Jo’? What is with all of the dashes? I’m not sure we’ll ever know.
Here is what we do know: of the three original Pok-e-Jo’s owners, Porky Haberman, Joe Slaton, and Doug Bohne, only Porky and Joe’s names were used in forming the restaurant name. It stands to reason that Pok-e-Jo-Dug’s just didn’t sound good to them. I can’t imagine why.
To help us make sense of it all, our current owner Danny Haberman, son of original Pok-e-Jo’s owner Porky Haberman, had this to say about where the origin of one of the most recognizable and unique names in Central Texas BBQ:
“If I recall I believe there were some cold beers involved, but after some serious debate, Porky-Jo’s just didn’t roll off the tongue quite like Pok-e-Jo’s”
Shortening names by one letter. Adding in dashes. Sounds like “some cold beers” may have been an understatement! But regardless, our funky name has worked for us, and has led to a lot of happy and satisfied stomachs since 1979.
So here’s to the original owners; long live Pok-e-Jo-Dug‘s!
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Brisket: A Texas (and PoK-e-Jo’s) Tradition
A few facts about Texas: our summers are hot, our chili ain’t served with beans and our BBQ is built on brisket. Pok-e-Jo’s has been serving up traditional Texas BBQ since 1979, which means we’ve been smoking briskets for 36 years now and we’ve gotten pretty good at it too.
Our briskets are smoked in-house every day of the year at each of our locations so no matter which Pok-e-Jo’s you visit, you’re always getting high quality, hand crafted brisket made lovingly by one of our pitmasters. Our briskets are smoked uncut and untrimmed with no sauces or fancy mixes, just a black pepper dry rub that goes on before smoking and then we let the smoke do the rest. We cook our briskets for 14+ hours before they get trimmed and sliced up on the line to ensure that every slice is tender and has the taste of Texas in every bite.
If you’ve ever had brisket, you know that it has several different cuts of meat and that some are leaner than others. We serve 3 cuts of brisket at Pok-e-Jo’s: The Lean, The Moist and what we call “The End Cut”. The lean cut is the largest and has the least amount of fat or marbling (as you might of guessed by the name). This is the cut that most folks think of when they think of brisket and though it is lean, it is not lacking in tenderness and smokey flavor which is why it is our most popular cut. The Moist cut, also known as The Crown, Marbled or “That Good Part” is the upper cut of brisket and the meat has the most fat surrounding it before trimming so it retains much of the moisture and tenderness. However, this cut also has the highest fat content which may not be desirable for some. For others though, this cut is highly sought after and is the only cut of brisket there is! The third cut or “End Cut’ is a part of the brisket where the lean and the moist meet, and as such the meat is both tender and juicy like the moist but has a lower fat content more akin to the lean cut. We typically use this meat to make our Chopped Beef as it is a nice marriage of the two main cuts of brisket. If you’re not sure which cut to order or would like to try any of them, you can always ask for a sample from any Pok-e-Jo’s team member and they will gladly get you a sample of one, or heck try all three! Here at Pok-e-Jo’s, we offer up any cut, or combination of cuts, of brisket when you order with no extra fee ‘cause everybody has their own preference, and we think we’ve got a cut of brisket for just about everyone.
We offer up our brisket on plates, sandwiches, salads, on potatoes or just by itself ’cause, let’s face it, it’s the star of BBQ. Come on in to any Pok-e-Jo’s today and try out our take on Texas’ tastiest tradition!
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Menu Feature: Texas Style Pulled Pork
We are proud to announce the return of Texas-Style Pulled Pork to our menu, now as a permanent addition!
Our recipe is a new and improved twist on a traditional southern staple, featuring a slow-smoked pork butt, pulled, and mixed with our brand new Sweet and Spicy Peach Habanero BBQ sauce. It’s great on a plate, but we think it really shines in a sandwich with a side of fried okra or french fries! (Protip: add a half side of cole slaw on top!)
Come in today and your taste buds will thank you!
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