New Zealand's best bangers revealed - and the butchers behind them

There are few foods that embody New Zealand’s character better than the humble sausage.

Weet-Bix? Too mushy. Chocolate fish? Too exuberant. But a sizzler? It’s the perfect combination. Unassuming and easy going, but bursting inside with subtle complexity and casual charm. It’s us.

Which is probably why we care so much about them. This is no average bag of pig bits. This is the key to the nation’s soul – and more importantly – to every successful summer mixer.

So you can imagine how seriously butchers take their entries to the Great New Zealand Sausage Competition. There was a record-breaking number of entries this year; 605 from 99 sausage producers across 17 categories.

Snarlers big and small put themselves forward, all hoping to win the love of the judges. It was like The Bachelor for Bratwursts.

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After five days of brow-crunching intensity, a crack team of butchers, chefs and industry heavyweights on Tuesday night announced they had awarded their bronze, silvers and golds. Each gold medallist banger in each of the 17 categories was re-judged against the other, and the winning snag crowned New Zealand’s Top Sausage.

This year a svelte Swedish sausie, the Isterband​, claimed the title.

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

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

The sausage itself is a tangy, muscly sucker punch of a banger. Lean as a bodybuilder’s bottom, and just as tasty, the succulently dense pork is balanced out by delightfully unexpectedly squishy barley bits. It’s coquettishly moreish – you’ll eat at least five in a row before drawing breath.

It’s lovingly made by aunt and nephew team, Lucia and Eddie Rodrigues, who run the award-winning Grey Lynn Butchers in Auckland’s inner-west.

The self-taught Rodrigues’ are originally from Goa, India, a region known for its version of chorizo, the spicy, smoky sausage brought there by Portugese colonisers in the 16th Century.

Lucia Rodrigues was a district health nurse for 14 years before swapping bed pans for butchering and buying the local Grey Lynn joint.

She’s gone on to revolutionise the popular shop, taking it from the flabby-lamb-flap 90s to a vibrant, internationally focused destination butchery. (Latin Americans commute to Grey Lynn from all over Auckland for their famous Brazilian linguica​ sausages.)

Eddie Rodrigues likewise completed a double degree in politics and geography before succumbing to the call of the sausage. He’s been crafting them for almost 10 years, spurred on by perfectionist precision. “If it’s going to be done, it needs to be done right,” he said.

The nation's best banger started life as a commission for Swedish cafe Snö, in Remuera, Auckland. The pair had been asked for a traditional breakfast sausage – typically served sliced, cooled and alongside mustard – but Eddie thought it could do with more vavavoom.

“We wanted to create something everyone would enjoy but would keep the old spirit and flavour of the Isterband,” he said. “The traditional one doesn’t have too much flavour, it’s just with pork and fat, so I added barley to take away the fattiness, and the spice blend of pepper and ginger to get it that 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 they enter it in the awards. “We wouldn’t have thought to do it otherwise!” Lucia said.

Eddie has some winning advice for BBQ enthusiasts looking to avoid split sausage schmozzles over summer.

“Most people cook sausages too hot and too quickly on the BBQ causing the skin to split,” he said. “Grill or hotplate, doesn’t matter, but the best technique is to cook them on a low heat for longer.”

And for the love of God, don’t prick them. “No!” Lucia and Eddie shake heads unanimously at the suggestion. “It lets the juices out!” Stick to the low, slow sizzle.

A new award was announced at this year’s competition, one that recognises the competition’s most seasoned competitors.

The inaugural Producer of the Decade award was judged by event organisers Retail Meat New Zealand. Company representatives looked at the results from the past decade and allocated points for a Supreme and People’s Choice win, as well as gold, silver and bronze medals.

Intergenerational sausage connoisseurs, Christchurch’s Peter Timbs Meats, won the prestigious prize.

“After collating results from the last 10 years, we are delighted to recognise Peter Timbs Meats as the recipient of this new award,” event organiser Megan Claxton said.

“They have consistently produced high quality, medal winning sausages over the last decade and have helped raise the standard of the competition.”

The Timbs family have been carving up the scene since Samuel Timbs opened his first butchery in 1886 in Oxford, England. Now established for three generations in Christchurch, current Timbs owner Chris has claimed 42 medals in the last 10 years of the competition.

“The awards are a big deal,” said a thrilled Timbs, “and we’re incredibly proud of what we do.”

Winning medals has always been a big deal for the family-owned business.

“The year we won Supreme Winner with the chicken, mango, chilli sausage, we went from selling 25kg a week to 1000kg!”

They’ve never been afraid to get fruity with their snags either, championing off the wall winners such as the intriguing Banana Curry – “It’s lovely!” – and Hot Hungarian. “[That’s] my personal favourite,” said Timbs.

They’ve also become known over the years for high-end, intricate offerings. They famously hand nurse their prima donna salamis for 30 days, painstakingly drying them from the inside out.

The Timbs’ technique for a winning banger is all about the meat ratio.

“We go for 85 per cent visible lean meat, to 15 per cent fat,” said Timbs.

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

The co-owner of gold medallist butcher Hardy St Quality Meats also has a different theory on the winning ratio.

“It’s 70 per cent meat,” said Kyle Bevan, who has run the Lower Hutt shop with best mate and co-owner Deane Johnson for over 20 years. “The rest is fat and seasoning but you need that in there otherwise it’s too dry.”

Bevan and Johnson grew up next door to one another and when Johnson bought the shop at 21 years old, he trained Bevan as his apprentice.

“They call us the old married couple,” Bevan said. (The pair work different half days to avoid bickering.)

This year their specialist snag, black pudding, was a gold medal winner. They sell about 50kg of the cult favourite a week. It’s most popular among older Scots, Brits and Irish locals.

“We’re known for it around here,” says Bevan. “People travel from all over to get their hands on it – from all over Upper Hutt, Lower Hutt, Kapiti...”

The secrets of the small good have been fermented over 20 years. After inheriting the recipe from the boss when Johnson took over, they’ve gone on to add, tweak and perfect it since. Its winning formula is a closely guarded secret.

They hadn’t entered in 20 years, but what with the rough ride that was 2020, Bevan thought they should give it a crack. “We’re stoked.”

And despite the prospect of mass making black puddings on top of the 150kg of sausages every week in the Christmas season, he’s still excited.

“This year has been tough so obviously we’re rapt to win.”

Of course they are.

Winning their way into the judge’s scores, and the public’s heart in time for the summer rush, is exactly what all these meat magicians need right now.