 The company thought to be the originator of the sausage, Briggs & Company, was sold by its owner, Raymond Briggs, in 1950 without clarifying the origin of the name.The products sold under the name generally have a genuine or artificial smoke flavoring and coarser texture than a regular hot dog; these are the key features that distinguish them.The "original" half-smoke is considered to be the sausage distributed by D.C.'s Briggs and Co. meatpackers, originating in around 1950, though Raymond Briggs started selling his half-smokes in about 1930.