Our Editors Take on Mecklenburg Gardens’s Terminator Sausage, And Live To Tell The Tale

Chronicling defeat at the hands of a monstrous sausage.
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For our July 2017 issue, we celebrate The Golden Age of Hot Dogs.

12:15
On the drive, I contemplate whether or not I could consume the entire 38-inch monster myself. “It’s like eating three foot-long hot dogs, which seems doable,” I reason. Senior editor Justin Williams scoffs.

[38 Inches – Length of the Terminator sausage, made for Mecklenburg by Wassler Meats in Bridgetown]

The Terminator sausage

Photography by Luane DeMeo


12:30
Upon arrival, the four gastronauts tasked with consuming this monstrosity (editor-in-chief Jay Stowe and friend of CM Scott Girdler join us) prepare like any competitive eaters would: by ordering beers. I won’t need much help, anyway.

From left, friend of CM Scott Girdler, Senior Editor Justin Williams, Associate Editor Adam Flango, and Editor-In-Chief Jay Stowe

Photograph by LuAnne DeMeo


[5 Minutes – Length of time Mecklenburg cooks the Terminator in boiling water when prepared at the restaurant. Each side of the sausage spends roughly the same time on the open-flame grill as well.]

12:55
The sausage arrives to audible gasps. It’s immediately obvious no one human can tackle it. It’s easily twice the girth of your standard foot-long and piled with onions and peppers. Hubris tastes sour.

Photograph by LuAnne DeMeo


[6 Pounds – Total weight of the sausage as served at Mecklenburg: a two-pound hot mett, a two-pound bun (made by ServatIi), and two pounds of grilled peppers, onions, and sauerkraut]

12:57
The sweats come immediately. We aren’t prepared for how spicy this mett is. Beers are chugged. Eyes water. Burps and hiccups erupt, and our odds of finishing decrease with each passing second.

Photograph by LuAnne DeMeo


[60 Minutes – Length of time allotted for the Terminator Challenge, available to any diner hungry/brave/deranged enough to face the sausage alone. Victors receive a T-shirt and photo displayed for posterity. Plus, the bill is on the house.]

1:12
After absorbing that initial shock, the flavors settle in as we begin to enjoy the literal hot mess in front of us and admire the engineering behind the perfectly portioned meat and bun.

Photograph by LuAnne DeMeo


[50 Dollars – Cost of ordering a Terminator sausage. (Stomach pump not included.)]

1:40
We tap out admirably, leaving approximately one standard mett (and a heap of onions and peppers) on the wooden serving plank. Four grown men of considerable gustatory capabilities could not tame the Terminator. Our failure, however, was delicious.

Photograph by LuAnne DeMeo


[1 Champion – Prior to being featured on Food Network’s Ginormous Foods in February, Mecklenburg added a few degrees of difficulty to the Terminator Challenge. Since then, there have been four challengers. Only one has prevailed.]

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