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How It’s Made: Football Sausage
Meet the Wisconsin original that brings Old World flavors — and game-day fun — to every spread.
Sep 03, 2025
What's the point of watching the football game if you can't enjoy a tasty treat at the same time?
Whether you're tailgating in a stadium parking lot on a crisp Sunday afternoon or kicking back on the couch in front of a 75-inch 4K screen, football is meant to be savored with all your favorite indulgences. That means chips, burgers, wings, beer or wine, and an incredible meat and cheese tray.
Of course, every champion charcuterie board also deserves its own MVP. Our pick? A hearty novelty with serious culinary roots: the football-shaped summer sausage!
A sausage four generations in the making
Although it might sound like something ripped from your Instagram feed, this savory sausage — complete with laces (Would Ray Finkle eat this “laces out”?) — isn't some viral gimmick. It's actually been in production for over 20 years by Usinger’s Famous Sausage in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In fact, it's a fall staple for a company that's been perfecting world-class sausage making since 1880!
German immigrant Fred Usinger brought his artisanal sausage-making skills, a pocketful of recipes, and $400 in cash from his home in Wehen, Germany (about an hour west of Frankfurt) to “Brew City” more than 145 years ago. Flash forward to today, and the company is still family-run and operating out of its same historic, landmark downtown location, which is famed for its marble counters, immaculate tile floors, and murals of sausage-making elves.
“It’s sort of become an institution over the years, especially if you grew up in Milwaukee,” says Fritz Usinger, the company’s fourth-generation president. That legacy is also something he couldn’t be prouder of, he says. “We get to do things differently than a lot of bigger processors, and that’s allowed us to also keep our quality so high.”
That philosophy has also made room for one of the company’s quirkiest — and most beloved — products: the football-shaped sausage.
Gridiron goodness
According to Fritz, the idea for this meaty “one-off” started on a bit of a lark. While summer sausage is normally stuffed into tubular fibrous casings, a nearby supplier decided to try cutting sheets of that same material into panels, then stitching them together to create football shapes, complete with decorative laces. It’s an incredibly labor-intensive process, but one that has been well worth the effort, he adds with a laugh.
“We decided that we’d like to try the footballs out to see how they would sell, and they did quite well,” Fritz says.
READ MORE: Is Summer Sausage the Great Snack of All Time?
What began as a seasonal product eventually became a year-round item, as demand kept growing. Today, Usinger’s makes thousands of these football sausages for both Harry & David and its own local customers.
Not surprisingly, sales tend to track with local sports success. “If the Wisconsin Badgers or the Green Bay Packers are doing well, the sales are up,” Fritz says. And when another team’s having a great season, he and his team can always tell right away from the location of the orders coming in.
The winning cure
When you’re ready to slice into this kickoff-ready sausage — think the heft of an oblong, one-pound softball — you’ll find a classic, carefully crafted blend of beef and pork plus natural spices. And nothing else! No fillers, never frozen, always fresh. “We buy all fresh ingredients,” Fritz says. “That’s something we’ve always insisted on.”
In addition to top-tier ingredients, the real magic of the football sausage, he adds, is the way it's smoked and cured — the same way Usinger’s has been crafting sausage since the 19th century. To start the process, the casing panels are stitched together using the same casing material, just a bit thicker and woven in like stitching. Then they are hand-filled on a stuffing machine with a mixture of seasoned beef. Then, the sausages are loaded onto racks — up to 600 at a time — and wheeled into Usinger’s towering two-story brick smokehouses (recently rebuilt in the exact style of Fred’s original) to preserve the cured meat’s iconic flavor.
For the next 18 hours, the little “pigskins” essentially bake and cure in this “chimney-style” setup while hanging over smoldering hardwood shavings, slowly taking on a rich, campfire-like flavor from the smoke going up around it. At the same time, natural sugars in the recipe transform, creating a subtle tang that balances beautifully with the peppery, savory spice blend Usinger’s complete line of summer sausage is also known for.
Top flavor plays
Putting together a charcuterie board is always a win — no need to overthink it. Still, Fritz (a self-described “sausage nerd”) has a few pro tips to make sure your football sausage — or any summer sausage — delivers big flavor every time.
He only has one rule: Never serve it ice cold. Let it sit for about 30 minutes before slicing. The aroma sharpens, the flavors deepen, and the smoky, savory profile comes alive at room temperature, Fritz says.
For pairings, keep it simple and regional. Think Wisconsin classics: sharp cheddar, creamy Gouda, or Havarti; sturdy crackers like water crackers or multigrain crisps (get ‘em all in the Football Sausage and Cheese Gift). You can also add a touch of mustard or sweet jam, the tang of dill pickles or pickled jalapeños, and pretzels or marinated olives for even more crunch and color. Or, try the Hometeam Snack Box, which pairs the football sausage with Moose Munch classic caramel popcorn, cheese, crackers, black bean and corn salsa, and super party snack mix in one instant end-zone favorite.
As for the football’s pointed ends? That’s your secret game-winning play. Fritz suggests buying a few footballs, serving the uniform slices, then keeping those little nubs for yourself. “Peel the casing off, dice them up, and throw them in with scrambled eggs and cheese the next morning. It’s delicious!” He even has a name for it: “The Wisconsin Scrambler.”
And for Fritz, it’s just one more reason why he considers these tailgate-ready sausages such a star.
“You get the classic sausage flavor we’ve always made, but in a shape that makes people smile. It’s a serious sausage — but it doesn’t take itself too seriously.”
Tailgate Like a Pro
All the recipes and setup essentials to score a touchdown at your next pregame party.
AUTHOR
Brian Good is a writer, editor, and project manager with more than 20 years experience in publishing. He's written for some of the country’s biggest magazine brands including Men’s Journal, Men’s Fitness, Shape, Men's Health, Muscle & Fitness, US Weekly, AARP: The Magazine, and websites including Mashed, Health Digest, DiversityInc and others. Good specializes on topics including lifestyle, travel, pop culture, health, food and nutrition, spirits, products, politics, and activism.
