Dating back to 1882, Southside Market was opened by William Moon in Elgin. He delivered meat by horse-drawn wagon and sold it door-to-door. The smoked sausage and BBQ was created out of necessity since there was no refrigeration available.
Ernest Bracewell bought the business in 1968 and began expanding the business by selling meat to area grocers, including H-E-B. The famous Elgin Hot Sausage became available to purchase in local stores and Elgin’s status as the “Sausage Capital of Texas” began to grow.
In 1991, Southside Market moved to its current location on Highway 290. The Bracewells remodeled an old bank building and opened to the public in June of 1992. New menu items were also added, rounding out the original meat by the pound menu. Still going strong today, Southside Market is the self-proclaimed “Oldest BBQ Joint in Texas”.
Southside Market was designated a Texas Treasure Business in 2022.