New Zealand’s best bangers revealed, and the butchers behind them

Few foods better embody New Zealand character than the humble sausage.

Weet-Bix? Too soft. Chocolate fish? Too exuberant. But a sizzle? It is the perfect combination. Simple and straightforward, but packed inside with subtle complexity and casual charm. We are.

That’s probably why we care so much about them. This is not a normal bag of pork cuts. This is the key to the soul of the nation and, more importantly, of every successful summer mix.

So you can imagine how seriously butchers take their tickets to the Great New Zealand Sausage Contest. This year there were a record number of entries; 605 of 99 sausage producers in 17 categories.

Grunts large and small introduced themselves, all hoping to win the love of the judges. It was like The Bachelor for Bratwursts.

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After five days of intense intensity, a team of butchers, chefs and industry heavyweights announced Tuesday night that they had awarded their bronze, silver and gold medals. Each gold medalist banger in each of the 17 categories was re-judged against the other, and the winning obstacle crowned the New Zealand Top Sausage.

This year, a slim Swedish sausage, the Isterband, claimed the title.

“This was a really delicious sausage where everything was in harmony,” said Judge Kathy Paterson.

Paterson also praised the elegant Swede’s originality and technical brilliance.

The sausage itself is a spicy, muscular hit from a banger. Lean as a bodybuilder’s butt, and just as tasty, the succulently dense pork is balanced with deliciously soft and unexpected chunks of barley. It’s flirtatiously delicious – you’ll eat at least five in a row before you breathe.

It is lovingly made by the team of aunts and nephews, Lucia and Eddie Rodrigues, who run the award-winning Gray Lynn Butchers in Auckland’s inner-west.

The self-taught Rodrigues hail from Goa, India, a region known for its version of chorizo, the spicy, smoked sausage brought in by Portuguese colonizers in the 16th century.

Lucia Rodrigues was a district health nurse for 14 years before swapping out the bedpan for the butcher shop and buying the local joint from Gray Lynn.

She has revolutionized the popular grocery store, taking it from the 90s to a vibrant destination butcher shop with an international focus. (Latin Americans travel to Gray Lynn from all over Auckland for its famous Brazilian linguica sausages.)

Eddie Rodrigues also completed a double major in politics and geography before succumbing to the call of the sausage. He’s been crafting them for almost 10 years, driven by perfectionist precision. “If it is to be done, it must be done well,” he said.

The best banger in the country was born as a commission from the Swedish café Snö, in Remuera, Auckland. The couple had been asked for a traditional breakfast sausage, which is usually served sliced, chilled, and accompanied by mustard, but Eddie thought he could make it with more vavavoom.

“We wanted to create something that everyone would enjoy, but that would keep the old spirit and flavor of Isterband,” he said. “The traditional one doesn’t have much flavor, it’s just pork and fat, so I added barley to remove the fat and the pepper and ginger spice mix to take it to the next level.”

There were a few more secret tweaks, and the sausage is now flying off the plates at Snö. So much so that customers insisted that he be entered in the awards. “We wouldn’t have thought of doing it any other way!” Lucia said.

Eddie has some winning tips for barbecue enthusiasts looking to avoid split hot dogs during the summer.

“Most people cook their hot dogs too hot and too fast on the barbecue, which causes the skin to split,” he said. “Grill or griddle, it doesn’t matter, but the best technique is to simmer them for a longer time.”

And for the love of God, don’t poke them. “Not!” Lucia and Eddie unanimously shake their heads at the suggestion. “Let the juices out!” Stick to the slow, low sizzle.

A new award was announced at this year’s competition, one that recognizes the most experienced competitors in the competition.

The inaugural Producer of the Decade award was judged by the organizers of the Retail Meat New Zealand event. Representatives of the company looked at the results of the last decade and assigned points for a supreme and popular victory, as well as gold, silver and bronze medals.

Intergenerational sausage connoisseurs Peter Timbs Meats from Christchurch won the prestigious award.

“After compiling the results of the last 10 years, we are delighted to recognize Peter Timbs Meats as the recipient of this new award,” said event organizer Megan Claxton.

“They have consistently produced high quality, medal winning sausages over the past decade and have helped raise the bar for the competition.”

The Timbs family has been dividing the scene since Samuel Timbs opened his first butcher shop in 1886 in Oxford, England. Now established for three generations in Christchurch, current Timbs owner Chris has won 42 medals in the last 10 years of the competition.

“The awards are very important,” Timbs said excitedly, “and we are incredibly proud of what we do.”

Winning medals has always been a big problem for the family business.

“The year we won the supreme prize with chicken, mango and chili sausage, we went from selling 25 kg a week to 1000 kg!”

They also haven’t been afraid to go fruity with their downsides, defending wall winners like the scheming Banana Curry: “It’s lovely!” – and hot Hungarian. “[That’s] my personal favorite, ”said Timbs.

They have also become known over the years for their intricate high-end offerings. They are famous for hand-feeding their prima donna salamis for 30 days, thoroughly drying them from the inside out.

The Timbs’ technique for a winning banger has to do with the meat ratio.

“We opted for 85 percent visible lean meat, up to 15 percent fat,” Timbs said.

They like to keep them lean, gluten free and add a touch of their special spice blends, sourced from Germany.

The co-owner of the gold medalist butcher Hardy St Quality Meats also has a different theory about the win ratio.

“It’s 70 percent meat,” said Kyle Bevan, who has run the Lower Hutt store with best friend and co-owner Deane Johnson for more than 20 years. “The rest is fat and seasoning, but you need it there, otherwise it’s too dry.”

Bevan and Johnson grew up side by side and when Johnson bought the store at age 21, he trained Bevan as his apprentice.

“They call us the old couple,” Bevan said. (The couple works different half days to avoid disputes).

This year, his specialty problem, blood sausage, won the gold medal. They sell around 50kg of the cult favorite a week. It is most popular with older Scottish, British and Irish citizens.

“We are known for that here,” says Bevan. “People travel from everywhere to get their hands on it, from all over Upper Hutt, Lower Hutt, Kapiti …”

The secrets of the small good have been fermented for 20 years. After inheriting the recipe from the boss when Johnson took over, it has been added, modified and refined ever since. Its winning formula is a closely guarded secret.

They hadn’t gotten into 20 years, but with the rough ride that was in 2020, Bevan thought they should give it a try. “We are excited”.

And despite the prospect of making black pudding on top of 150kg of hot dogs every week in the Christmas season, he’s still excited.

“This year has been difficult, so obviously we are delighted to win.”

Of course they are.

Winning your way through the judges’ scores, and the hearts of the public in time for the summer rush, is exactly what all of these meat wizards need right now.