Five of the best sausages

There’s nothing more Australian than throwing some snags on the BBQ. Why not look beyond the supermarket shelves and try sausages created by some of the Tassie’s best butchers.

Chef Ben Milbourne cooks up some of Vermey’s fine sausages. Picture: MATHEW FARRELL

There’s nothing more Aussie than throwing a packet of snags on the barbecue to feed family and friends. Why not look beyond the supermarket shelves this summer and try sausages created by some of the Tassie’s best butchers.

Vermey’s Quality Meats Butcher, 180 Sandy Bay Rd, Sandy Bay

Whether it’s beef, pork, lamb or chicken, the Tasmanian produce used in Vermey’s snags is always fresh. The folks there aim to make everything from scratch using a huge array of herbs and spices. One to try this summer is the award-winning butter chicken sausage ($14.99/kg). These sausages are made with a beautiful butter chicken sauce and a selection of herbs and spices, including turmeric, cayenne pepper, cumin and several more secret seasonings. Vermey’s can also custom-make sausages to meet the tastes and dietary needs of customers.

Tom Patman serves up some of Vermey’s fine sausages. Picture: MATHEW FARRELL

Nigel’s Gourmet, Shop 20 Meadow Mews, Kings Meadows

You would be hard-pressed to find a bigger selection of unique-flavoured sausages anywhere in Tasmania. Nigel’s Gourmet makes and stocks about 30 different flavoured snags each week, and about 20 of those are new creations. Some particularly unusual options are the seafood sausages and the chocolate sausages. Popular and award-winning flavours to try include pork, pear and parmesan, and the chunkier bratwurst-style Italian pork, beef and brown mushroom, or the lamb, beetroot and feta. Gourmet snags are $14.99/kg, seafood are $18.99/kg and plain beef are $12.99/kg.

West Hobart Gourmet Meats, 125 Hill St, West Hobart

No matter what type of sausages you are after, every option at West Hobart Gourmet Meats is made using free-range meat. The sausages have won an array of awards, including Best Beef Sausage this year. They are made from locally sourced ingredients. Experience and customer feedback have helped West Hobart Gourmet Meats shape the perfect beef sausage ($14.99/kg). In summer the sausages are made for the tough conditions of an Aussie barbecue with thicker skins.

King’s Feast, 24B King Edward St, Ulverstone

The motto at King’s Feast is: “If we don’t make it, we don’t sell it.” They make and sell a huge variety of gourmet sausages unique to Tasmania’s North-West Coast. All the sausages at King’s Feast are gluten-free and made using fresh ingredients, including pork, chicken, beef, lamb and venison and a huge array of herbs and spices from their packed pantry. One to try this barbecue season is the Tuscany pork sausage ($15.35/kg). This flavoursome sausage is made with mozzarella cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and basil.

Robbo’s Chicken ’N Meat, 1 Innes St, Glenorchy

You can be sure Robbo’s sausages are perfect for barbecuing because Robbo supplies most of the snags for the local Bunnings sausage sizzles. The store turns over three tonnes of high-quality, gluten-free produce every week, including 16 varieties of sausages for about $8/kg. One of the most popular options through summer is the pure chicken and cranberry sausage. Other gourmet options include the ever-popular pure pork sausage, the minted lamb sausage, and the tomato and onion sausage. Robbo’s also takes special orders for custom-made sausages.