Red Rose imitation smoked sausage was originally produced by the Jackson Packing Company, which from 1945 to 1990 sold processed meats from their plant on South Gallatin Street. Red Rose was marketed under the company’s flagship “Magnolia” brand, which was purchased by Polk’s Meat Products in Magee. Red Rose at home is usually sliced into sections, split, fried or grilled and served with beans or potatoes. Two Jackson restaurants, the Beatty Street Grocery and the Big Apple Inn on Farish, feature Red Rose sandwiches.
This recipe comes via Thomas Price, a man of many parts and infinite goodwill. It’s a riff on the sausage sandwiches served at the Big Apple Inn on Farish Street, the innovation here is combining the coleslaw with the sausage stuffing, which works beautifully. Peel the casings from the sausages, break the filling into a heavy skillet—chopped onion would be a nice option—and cook until heated through, drain thoroughly and continue cooking until most of the grease is cooked out. Drain and add about 4 ounces of slaw, which works out to about half a large container from KFC, which is recommended. Serve warm with a sprinkling of black pepper, buns—Bunny burger or slider—with Crystal hot sauce.
