Best of Sydney: where to find the best snags in the west
Australia Day is around the corner and snags will be on the menu for many of us. Here’s where to find the best ones in Sydney’s west.
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With Australia Day around the corner, we’re celebrating the humble snag.
The iconic Aussie sausage sanger is a simple dish but the key to making it really sizzle starts with a great butcher.
Whether you prefer a classic beef or a gourmet twist on Aussie classics – lamington and meat pie are just some of the unusual flavours on the menu this year – Sydney’s west is home to some of the most delicious snags in the state.
We asked for our readers help to find the best in town and after counting your nominations and votes, the results are in.
Here are the best snags in western Sydney as voted by you.
5. Tender Gourmet Butchery, Macquarie Centre
Shop 3354 Macquarie Centre, North Ryde
Tender Gourmet Butchery are so popular in Sydney that many of their stores were voted in as the best across the state.
Paul Brady runs the Macquarie Centre butchery and is an expert in all things snags – he even represented the country at the World Butchers Challenge in Belfast last year.
Their pork, truffle and provolone cheese sausage was awarded the world’s best pork sausage in the challenge, so it is little wonder it is one of the most popular products at Macquarie Centre.
Claire, one of the many customers who nominated the store as the best snags in Sydney, said Paul and his team were “fab”.
“They know what they’re talking about and they are really helpful,” she said.
The shop has a full-time sausage maker in store to keep up with demand and will sell tonnes of snags over summer.
Mr Brady said balance was key to making a great snag.
“It’s getting the balance of your seasonings (and) your meat, and just selecting the right ingredients,” he said.
“Not to overpower it too much or overcomplicate it too much – sometimes you just have to keep it a little simple.”
4. Baker Crescent Meats
32 Baker Crescent, Baulkham Hills
Owner Craig Horner has long been known as the ‘Sausage King’ to the many loyal customers who frequent his Baulkham Hills shop.
The dedicated butcher’s sausages have won countless awards over the years, including his Australian plain beef and English pork sausages – both were named the second best in the country at the Australian Meat Industry Council’s Sausage King competition.
Mr Horner said high quality ingredients were an important aspect of all of Baker Crescent Meats’ sausages, which are made with traditional natural skins instead of artificial collagen-based ones.
“The collagen, synthetic sort of skin is almost plastic-like – it’s a cheaper way of making a sausage,” he said.
The shop’s plain beef, lean chicken, pork and spicy The Godfather sausages are the favourites with customers at the moment but Mr Horner said some of their more experimental flavours such as san choy bow and Mexican jalapeño are popular too.
“We sell a great deal of our sausages – I can’t keep up with the supply and demand at the moment,” he said.
“Some Saturday mornings we can go through 100kg of sausages.”
Mr Horner’s tip for cooking sausages is to follow your instinct.
“Everyone’s got their own way of cooking sausages,” he said.
“We like to let people do their own thing.
“Just put them on a nice, gentle heat and don’t pierce them.”
Customer Richard nominated Baker Crescent Meats as the best in Sydney for their “old school customer service.”
“The guys give you the time and care that’s evident in their fantastic product,” he said.
3. Munro’s Quality Meats
Shop 2, Wilberforce Shopping Centre, King Rd, Wilberforce
The passion for providing the Hawkesbury community with top quality produce runs deep at Munro’s Quality Meats.
Craig Munro, who manages the Wilberforce butcher shop with his father Barry, said his grandfather first opened the shop in 1985.
“Our traditional country beef sausages are actually my grandfather’s recipe that we’ve been making for the past 30 years,” he said.
He credits the quality of their snags to the fact that their meat is sourced from some of the top livestock producers in NSW.
“We use Cowra lamb and Watervale Beef. The relationship that we have with our farmers helps to produce the best product,” he said.
Mr Munro said the shop’s lamb sausages have been a top seller in the lead up to Australia Day.
“We’ve had a lot of interest in our lamb, pumpkin and feta sausages and also our honey, mint and rosemary lamb sausages,” he said.
“They have won lots of awards in the past and have become really popular with customers.”
When it comes to cooking a great sausage, Mr Munro recommends starting with a high heat.
“You will get a nice seal on the skin which will help retain the moisture,” he said.
“Then turn the heat back down so that they don’t burn.”
Customers love the friendly service at Munro Quality Meats including Cassie, who nominated them as the best place to buy sausages in Sydney.
“They are always so friendly and helpful. They recommend different ways to cook their meat to get the best result!” she said.
2. North Epping Uppercuts Butchery
8/288 Malton Rd, North Epping
North Epping Uppercuts Butchery has quickly built up a loyal following in the four years since owner Ryan Nichols opened the shop with his wife.
Their award-winning sausages are a big drawcard for customers, and they sell around 400kg a week in summer.
Getting creative with new sausage flavours – which currently includes Australia Day-themed ones such as lamb-ington and Aussie meat pie – is a challenge that Mr Nichols loves to take on himself.
“We generally have about 18 to 20 flavours each week on display,” he said.
“I love mixing them up and it’s really rewarding to do everything from scratch.
“I use all the good quality cuts to make them nice and moist.”
Mr Nichols said their wild boar sausages were a current bestseller along with their trademark Uppercuts snag – a beef sausage with beetroot, caramelised onion and tomatoes.
“It tastes like you are eating a hamburger,” he said.
Their lamb sausage has also been a hit, taking out second place last year in the Australian Meat Industry Council’s NSW Sausage King State Final.
Colleen, who nominated North Epping Uppercuts Butchery as the best in Sydney, said their customer service is always cheerful and welcoming.
“Meats are amazingly fresh, lean, lovingly prepared and they’ll even give recipes and cooking tips,” she said.
1. East Blaxland Butchery
43-65 Old Bathurst Rd, Blaxland
East Blaxland Butchery celebrated its fourth birthday at the end of December and has become known for its gourmet sausages and American-style barbecue cuts.
The shop recently won the 2019 People’s Choice Award for Butchery of the Year, as voted by members of the Australasian Barbecue Alliance.
The accolades continue with the shop now being voted in as the best snags in Sydney’s west.
The butchery’s main man, Scott Evans, attributed the shop’s success to making sausages “with love and care”.
“We just try to make a good, honest sausage,” he said.
“We don’t put any crappy binders in our sausages. There is a lot of crap out there that can be added to sausages that we don’t use.”
Many customers travel long distances just to buy from East Blaxland Butchery, including Craig who nominated them as the best snags in the state.
“Scott and the team go above and beyond,” he said.
“I drive an hour to buy all my meat (from them).”
East Blaxland Butchery offers their award-winning snags alongside a large deli meat range, rubs and sauces, as well as local and imported cheeses.
But by far the most popular products in store are the traditional thick and thin sausages.
“(They) would be our best and most consistent seller,” Mr Evans said.
“But every eight weeks we also do a special batch of jalapeño and four cheese sausages, which we take orders of for up to 300kg at a time.”
The shop even has a Facebook group that allows customers to be notified when the delectable special is available for purchase.