Meat Market
Top dogs Colin Fassnidge and Anthony Puharich go over the history of the humble sausage, and come up with a recipe that’s a guaranteed banger.
The chef and butcher hit a snag.
C: Come on, what’s good about sausages now? I want to know. A: Sausages 10 years ago were all the offcuts. Whatever was on the ground, they scraped it up and made it into a sausage. Whereas now, a really good sausage is just as much as a good steak. C: How do people know? A: If you’re buying sausages, there are two things to look for: if you can see chunks of meat, it’s always a good sign. Then check that they have natural casings. You don’t want synthetic. It’s plastic. C: It’s edible plastic. A: It’s still plastic! You know where they got the name ‘bangers’? C: No, where? A: During World War II, with rations and people struggling, sausages were the absolute cheapest food you could buy because they were made from all the leftover stuff. There was water in them, and filler. And because they had all of that bad stuff in them, they used to pop and explode when you cooked them. Bangers! C: That’s a good story. There’s no better party food than hotdogs. A: That’s why we decided to do a hotdog for the 18th birthday party! C: Alright, so we’ll use pork and fennel. A: I’ve never liked pork and fennel! C: Why? A: The fennel, it gets stuck in your teeth. Pork is always the best sausage, but no fennel for me. A Cumberland sausage, or maybe a Toulouse sausage. C: My favourite hotdog I have ever had was on the Circle Line ferry in New York. I’d never had one before. A: Definitely New York. They make the best hotdogs in the world. What are your favourite condiments? C: Mustard, onion, ketchup. Obviously we’ve got to trendy it up here for the delicious. 18th birthday though! A: I like cheese and bacon bits. C: I have manchego on this one. A: Ohhh yeah. But I don’t like the fennel. Let’s just go with pork. I like lamb and rosemary, too. Everybody loves sausages. And everyone has their favourite. C: Pork and sage with caramelised onion. If I was a sausage, that’s what I would be. A: I would be… C: …annoying. A: Hilarious. I’d be pork and apple cider. C: With a bit of black pudding seasoning. A: Maybe we should start a sausage line.
HOTDOGS WITH SPICY SLAW SERVES 6
300g red cabbage, trimmed, shredded 1/4 cup (60ml) sriracha
11/ 2 tbs caster sugar
1 tbs rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup each loosely packed flat-leaf parsley and tarragon leaves, roughly chopped
2 tbs vegetable oil
6 pork sausages
6 brioche hot dog buns, halved
lengthwise, warmed
1 Lebanese cucumber, thinly sliced
lengthwise
4 eschalots, shaved (we used
a mandoline)
50g finely grated manchego cheese Selection of your favourite mustards,
to serve To make the spicy slaw, place the cabbage in a large colander set over a large bowl, scatter over 1 tbs sea salt and toss to combine. Stand at room temperature for 1 hour to salt and drain. Shake off any excess liquid and place in a clean bowl. Add the sriracha, sugar, vinegar and herbs, and toss to combine.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a large frypan over high heat. Cook the sausages, turning frequently, for 4-5 minutes until cooked through. Rest for 5 minutes.
Spoon some spicy slaw over the base of hotdog bun and scatter some of the sliced cucumber and eschalot. Place sausage on top and scatter with manchego. Repeat with remaining pickle, cucumber, eschalot, sausage and cheese. Spoon over your favourite mustard and serve.
BUTCHER’S CUT SAUSAGES
Made from chopped, seasoned meat, sausages are one of the most economical meat products. But as our resident butcher Anthony Puharich says, you can now get sausages that are just as good as a top-quality steak.
From handmade lamb merguez and wagyu sausages, to organic paleo varieties, the humble snag now caters for every taste and budget. Whatever flavour you decide on, just be sure it’s made from quality meat with a natural casing.