Any BBQ lover knows the process of preparing and smoking meats is akin to an art form. For pitmaster Bill Dumas, his approach to his creative cylindrical concoctions is similar to a form of martial arts in terms of kitchen discipline and his dedication to his disciples, earning him the title of Sausage Sensei.
I sat down with Bill at Schulze’s Pit Room where he was the pit master at the time. Laid before us was a barbecue spread fit for a king. The aroma of perfectly smoked meats filled the air as a landscape of flavors overflowed from the steel tray. Tackling the meat mountain with us was owner Sherry Schulze and photographer Christopher Paul Cardoza. Nothing brings people together more than sharing a meal. Cuisine connections cross all borders and boundaries and lets people share their love through your stomach.
Bill has been honing his craft since starting his barbecue journey in 2012. His specialty is in his name. His passion for sausage experimentation is on madscientist levels. Name a food and Bill has probably put it into a sausage. From kangaroo during his Australian travels to sweet Beaver Nuggets from Buc-ee’s, Bill finds a way to mix flavors in a way that balances yet surprises whoever has the pleasure to take a bite.
Above, Bill Dumas poses at the pits. Below, Handcrafted sausage by the sensai. Photos by Christopher Paul Cardoza
The sensei portion of his name comes from his love of teaching, sharing his sausage sensibilities with those eager to learn. Photographer and friend Christopher Paul Cardoza actually coined the name Sausage Sensei. In a light-bulb moment destiny and dreams intersected and Bill’s mission became clear, to share his sausage skills with those willing to take the time to learn the art of stuffing and smoking.
“Sausage making is an applied food science. There’s specific things you have to pay attention to, because at its heart it is a temperature-sensitive meat emulsion through every step of its life cycle, from creation to service on the plate,” Bill explained. “It operates in the same spectrum as that of artisanal baking, where weights and measurements and temperature in this case, are key, if you understand that and how to work with it, and can do it consistently, then you can start to manipulate things.”
He emphasized that once you understand the process and balance of creating a meat emulsion, then you can explore any dish and reconstruct it to fit in a tube.
“There’s ways of manipulating ingredients to suspend those visual and textural elements inside so you see them and you experience them, and it reinforces the overall flavor profile,” Bill said.
”I think the magic of it is that people have gotten to know the artistry [of sausage making] by him and now people have become curious; to hear him explain it makes sausage making an event,” Cardoza said.
Bill’s passion for barbecue started in North Texas where he grew up spending a lot of time with his grandfather. After retiring his grandfather started a side hustle of cooking chickens over direct coals and basting them with a homemade molasses-and-coffee barbecue sauce. “I just connected with him on that and it kind of got in my blood,” Bill said.
Bill’s journey took him from the Marine Corps to commercial driving across the country where he missed the terrorist attacks of 9/11 by just a few days.
“I’ve done a lot of things, but the thing that always connects me is this [barbecue], so I wanted to get back into it, because I wasn’t happy with anything that I was doing,” Bill said.
After the unexpected death of his son, Bill sought therapy in the culinary world of barbecue. He found himself leading the operations at the food truck Smokey Denmark’s in Austin, which led him to the Stiles Switch team where they were nominated as one of Texas Monthly’s Top 50 BBQ Joints. Through his work there, he developed a deep bond with the late John Brotherton of Brotherton’s Black Iron Barbecue. His sensei sensibilities took off as he found himself traveling to over five countries to teach the art of sausage making.
Bill’s passion for sausage making is almost a spiritual duty.
”If someone doesn’t do it, it just dies,” Bill said. “It’s important because of its relevance in respect to our cultural food history.”
Throughout his travels and teachings one thing has remained the same, barbecue brings people together. Bill’s passion explodes out of his heart and his flavor-packed sausages. He sees barbecue as more than just a meal but consumable art.
“I like to push the boundaries and challenge people and therefore put whole dishes inside of a tube and make it make sense,” Bill said.
To follow Bill’s barbecue journey, or take a sausage- making class of your own, explore his website at sausagesensei.com.
Bill Dumas showcases a barbecued meat. Photo by Christopher Paul Cardoza
Bill’s famous deviled egg sausage. Photo by Christopher Paul Cardoza
