The Small-Town Company Cracker Barrel Gets Its Famous Country Sausages From

For those who love to travel the nation while simultaneously enjoying hearty plates of warm grits and eggs, Cracker Barrel may be their go-to establishment on the road. True to its roots, Cracker Barrel serves a huge number of travelers, given the company's strategic placement of restaurants along highway exits and entrances. Apart from the signature general stores and selection of candy at every location, people flock to these country establishments for Southern home-style cooking. Many people frequent Cracker Barrel for the all-day breakfast, which includes Grandma's Sampler featuring pancakes, eggs, fried apples, and bacon or sausage. With so many breakfast meats cooked day in and day out at the popular dine-in establishments, you may be wondering where the chain sources its famous country sausage. 

Cracker Barrel aims to provide customers with comfort food including hand-prepared biscuits and domestically sourced meats. As such, the seasoned sausage you know and love comes from the Purnell family farm in Simpsonville, Kentucky.

Cracker Barrel customers are such fans of these patties that they've taken to social media to strongly voice their opinions. But what is it that makes Purnell's country sausage so unique as to warrant such dedication?

Among the foods you should be ordering at Cracker Barrel, the establishment's breakfast meats are not only tasty but also reliable. Sure enough, Cracker Barrel has been sourcing its country sausage from Purnell's for over 40 years to date, including both pork and turkey varieties. What sets Purnell's country sausage apart is in production. Unlike standard commercialized sausage products that may contain some undesirable extras, Purnell's whole hog sausage often includes all the premium cuts of the animal including shoulders and tenderloins leaving the consistency perfectly moist. What makes the Purnell sausage business a perfect match for Cracker Barrel?

The partnership between Cracker Barrel and Purnell's country sausage remains long-lasting due to both companies' values and dedication to offering quality country foods. Both brands also advertise their relatively humble roots and seem intent on serving well-made cured pork products. Not only are Cracker Barrel customers dedicated to this breakfast meat mainstay, but the chain's homegrown mentality and history extend beyond Purnell's country sausage as well.

You might not remember that time Cracker Barrel was called "woke" for serving plant-based sausage, but it exemplifies the country store's customers allegiance to American-raised meats. Cracker Barrel made efforts to quelch the controversy by further welcoming the restaurant's first plant-based meat alternative on social media platforms like Instagram. Whether customers' initial biases against the pork sausage alternative came from judgment or sincerity, the truth remains that Cracker Barrel is a business committed to sourcing most of its ingredients from producers across the United States. 

As a matter of fact, Cracker Barrel favors businesses that are transparent about their animal care practices in particular. The Southern-bred establishment has even made a commitment to source only cage-free eggs by the end of 2026. Besides taking strides in the world of animal welfare, Cracker Barrel also purchases select ingredients based on location such as apples from Northwestern states and maple syrup from the Northeast. Purnell's country sausage is just one of many companies committed to helping Cracker Barrel maintain its authenticity as a time-tested American company.