Best of Illawarra: where to find the best snags
Australia Day is around the corner and snags will be on the menu for many of us. We’ve rounded up where to find the best ones in the Illawarra as voted by you.
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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 twist on Aussie favourites – Vegemite and cheese or lamb and rosemary are both popular options this year – the Illawarra is home to a variety of award-winning snags.
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 the Illawarra as voted by you.
5. Hastie’s Toptaste Meats
89/91 Auburn St, Wollongong
Third generation butcher John Hastie is famous for his snags, winning the national Sausage King title in 2018.
His traditional Australian Beef snags are a local favourite, with Hastie’s Toptaste Meats selling up to two tonne of their delicious sausages per week.
A butcher for 36 years, Mr Hastie knows the secret to success is the fresh meat used in all their sausages.
“We are a family run business and I think what keeps people coming back is the consistent, fresh meat we use, and the flavour that brings,” he said.
While Australia Day brings wacky flavours like cheese and Vegemite or crocodile and beer to the shelves, it is their classic flavours customers come back for.
“We’ve got a pork toulouse, pork and apple cider, worcestershire and black pepper and lamb, mint and rosemary that do really well,” Mr Hastie said.
Knowing how to cook Hastie’s famous snags is key to enjoying them, Mr Hastie said.
“Don’t ever have a really hot pan or barbecue because you can burn them pretty quickly,” he said.
“And don’t ever prick a sausage. A sausage needs a certain amount of fat inside it or it’ll be too dry.”
Hastie’s has been a part of Wollongong’s landscape since 1978, and it is their “old-fashioned” service that keeps customers like Tia coming back.
“[They have] old-fashioned service and great advice,” she said.
“Always smiling and happy”.
4. Hamilton’s Quality Meats
71B Central Ave, Oak Flats
When John and Deb Hamilton bought their butchery less than two years ago, they had one focus – to create top quality food.
That philosophy has resonated with customers, who nominated their sausages as the best in the Illawarra.
What makes the Hamilton’s sausages different is that they are all gluten free.
“Before we took over this was a family-owned business for 30 years and they only made one sort of sausage which was wheat based,” Mr Hamilton said.
“Then when we started we had a lot of customers asking if we could do ours gluten free, so we did a bit of research and found it we could do it really well.”
As well as plain beef snags, Hamilton’s stocks a number of different flavours, including Texas barbecue, honey and macadamia, chicken and chives and wild tomato and black pepper.
Mr Hamilton has been a butcher for 40 years and said he and his wife have been growing a “really good little business” in Oak Flats, selling up to 300kgs of sausages every week.
“We have a great customer base, this is a really good little town,” he said.
“Customers just want a good butcher shop and hopefully we deliver that for them.”
It seems they have, with customer Ashlee labelling the butchery “just wonderful”.
3. Purebreds Meats
277-279 Lawrence Hargrave Drive, Thirroul
Top quality produce and secret family recipes are the key to Purebred Meat’s award-winning sausages, according to owner Peter Deiure.
Mr Deiure, who has owned the Thirroul village butchery with his wife Marian for the past six years, has a long family history in the industry.
Many of his sausage recipes were passed down from his parents, who also owned a butchery.
“We’ve got several flavours that are our great sellers, made with only fresh, top quality produce,” he said.
“My favourite flavour of our sausages are the Italian chilli and fennel, which is a family recipe from Puglia in Italy.”
The fennel and chilli sausage is also a crowd favourite, as is the Pork and Tasmanian Apple Cider; both have been named finalists at the upcoming Australian Meat Industry Council National Sausage Titles.
The sausages have won state titles before, but Mr Deiure is confident they could win the crown of best in the country.
“You’ve got to be optimistic,” he said.
“Even if we don’t win, it’s a great effort.”
Selling an average of 500kg of snags a week is no easy feat, and Mr Deiure said he would not be able to do it without his dedicated team of staff.
“Without them we wouldn’t have a business,” he said.
“Our staff are very passionate about their jobs and the industry.”
Loyal customer Craig is a big fan of Purebred’s snags, voting them as the best in the Illawarra.
“They go above and beyond to deliver an outstanding product every time,” he said.
2. Superior Meats on Addison
3/20-26 Addison St, Shellharbour
Over any given summer month, Superior Meats on Addison sells more than 25,000 sausages to its loyal customers.
Butcher Tim Ball and Tina Hendersen started the business four years ago, and their sausages quickly became a Shellharbour favourite thanks to their high quality produce.
“The most important thing when you make a sausage is good quality, fresh ingredients,” Mr Ball said.
“You’ve got to start with prime cuts of meat – if you start with the right base, the sky’s the limit.”
Mr Ball says the classic beef snag is a local favourite, and around 80 per cent of customers prefer thin sausages.
“I’m quite partial to thick sausages but we know our customers love the thin,” he said.
As well as classic beef, Superior Meats on Addison has up to 30 flavours on constant rotation, such as cheesy jalapeño and chicken and chive.
“The variety is so far and wide these days,” Mr Bell said.
“I try and keep to more traditional sausages, then put our own twist on them.”
The secret to the perfect sausage also lies in the cooking according to Mr Bell, who recommends a “low and slow” process.
“You’ve got to cook them slowly,” he said.
“Always put them into a cold pan or barbecue.
“I cook a sausage for about 30 minutes and keep turning them to get a nice char on the outside; it also stops the skins from splitting.”
Mr Ball also attributed the shop’s success to its customers, and said he and Ms Hendersen “couldn’t do it without them”.
“We’ve done a lot of hard work to ensure we have good quality products and it means a lot for us to have happy customers,” he said.
Nick is one of those happy customers and believes his local butcher’s service is a cut above the rest.
“The best staff and service you could ask for,” he said.
“They even carry boxes to our car!”
1. Christian’s Premium Meats
2/19 Walker St, Helensburgh
The verdict is in – Christian’s Premium Meats sells the best snags in the Illawarra.
With a chef cooking sausages out the front every Saturday and Sunday, it is no wonder the Helensburgh butchery has become famous for its snags.
Owner Christian Rowe started his apprenticeship at 16 and has been a butcher ever since, taking over the shop three years ago.
In that time he has developed a reputation for his sausages and while classic beef is a fan favourite, he has another 15 gourmet flavours on constant rotation.
“We’ve tried all sorts of things from beetroot, leek and fetta,” he said.
“We’ve added the world’s hottest corn chips, we even do a san choy bau sausage with hoisin and water chestnuts.
“We try to keep the same flavours but we rotate them around to keep that variety.”
The shop, which has 10 hardworking employees, sells 300-400kg of sausages on average per week.
Mr Rowe credits his success to fresh and quality ingredients and said the best way to make the sausages shine is on the barbecue.
“Gordon Ramsay likes to oven bake his sausages, but I don’t think that’s the way to go,” he said.
“On the barbecue is obviously the best, but they are just as good on the stove during the week.”