Many excellent adjectives can be applied to a length of Louie Mueller's sausage, but tender is not one of them -- as evidenced by the damage done to one of the flimsy plastic forks when only a modest amount of pressure was applied. (Forks really are anathema in these meat-market style barbecues). The beef inside Mueller's sausage is nice and soft -- and insanely juicy -- but the natural casing that encloses it is tough. Chewy. Rugged. I love it that way, but there were some people on the Roadfood BBQ tour who expressed misgivings about just what a challenging chaw that casing is. Of course, if supreme tenderness is what you seek, Mueller's sliced brisket is just about the ultimate. Can you say melts in your mouth?