There’s something about the fall that’s perfect for sausages and smoked meats. Temps start dropping, football returns, Oktoberfest takes over the beer shelves. It’s the trifecta, and every year it points us back to the local star who does it best.
Uncle John’s Pride has been behind the best premium smoked sausages in Tampa for more than 50 years, a locally-run business that happens to make some of the best sausage anywhere in Florida. Uncle John’s was founded in Tampa and is available in stores throughout the region. If you’ve spent any time shopping for a cookout, you’ve seen that iconic logo peering out of the cooler.
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While the local employees are what keep Uncle John’s moving, it’s the supreme level of product standards that makes their smoked sausages so popular in the area. All sausage is made in small batches, cooked low and slow with natural hickory smoke. There are no fillers, no MSG, no gluten, and no tricks. Just 100% pork, carved from high quality cuts of meat.
When you’re getting ready for cookouts, or just when you’re getting groceries for the week, keep an eye out at major retailers (Walmart, Publix, Winn-Dixie) and local grocers alike. The hot smoked sausage is our go-to, if you like a little heat, but you can’t go wrong with any of it. The bun-length mild sausage is perfect for a hot dog upgrade. Find stores near you here.
Uncle John’s is a local success story (with a real Uncle John)
Uncle John’s Pride has been making sausage in Tampa since the mid-1970s. That’s 50 years before the city started showing up on everyone’s must-visit lists, before Water Street existed, and before half of what makes Tampa feel new today was even a thought. There’s something appropriate about realizing that the sausage sitting in your grocery store’s meat case, the one you’ve probably grabbed without a second thought, is actually a Tampa native. It’s been here the whole time.
To make the story even better: there really was an Uncle John. He was the company’s first smokemaster, and if you’re looking for the first link in this success story, it’s with him. He was the one who took personal pride in getting the craft right, batch after batch. When you see “Uncle John’s Pride” on the label, that’s not just branding. It’s the whole reason the name stuck.
After all the decades, this is still a local brand built by local employees, several of whom have stuck around long enough to know the process inside and out. The 20 longest-tenured employees represent almost 406 combined years of service. It’s the kind of tenure you don’t see much anymore, and it speaks the company and its product alike.
Uncle John’s Pride’s involvement locally goes well beyond the smokehouse, too. The company has partnered with local organizations such as the Marine Corps Toys for Tots and Faith Tampa Bay and supported causes like the Unity in the Community golf tournament and Brandon ECHO. It’s a reflection of their commitment to being an actual neighbor rather than just a name on a package.
So when you’re in the grocery stores, keep an eye out for the Uncle John’s Pride logo. It’s a piece of Tampa history in every bite. Find a store near you here.
