New Zealand's best sausage, or should we say sausages, for 2018 have been announced in the annual Devro Great New Zealand Sausage Competition.
With the results fittingly revealed on National Sausage Day, this year the judges simply couldn't choose between two top snarlers: Westmere Butchery in Auckland's beef and mushroom sausage and an Angus beef sausage from New World Te Rapa in Hamilton. So they were crowned joint winners in what is believed to be a first for the competition.
David Rossiter, owner of Westmere Butchery, has been in the industry for over 45 years and said his sausage victory is a dream come true: "It's fantastic to win this award. It's a dream come true, not just for me but for all the boys at the shop and every staff member. We'll be celebrating for sure."
Westmere Butchery's sausage also won the People's Choice Award, a rare achievement to take our two of the supreme awards.
Joint winner, Chris Nicol, who heads up the butchery team at New World Te Rapa with his 25-years experience, said of his store's win: "We have won a couple of awards in the Devro Great New Zealand Sausage competition but never taken the top spot before. It's an unbelievable feeling. It's come at a tough time for us, we've been short of staff and we've needed people to step up and they did. It makes me so proud of my team and to be part of the industry."
The two bangers beat out 480 other entries, from over 90 stores to take the top honours from a judging panel that included butchers, foodies and chefs.
Head "Aesthetic" judge, bite food writer and author Kathy Paterson, noted the standard of this year's winners - and the entry level across the competition - was incredibly high.
"Throughout this year's competition, the standard has been phenomenal. Flavours have been well thought through, the quality of the butchery has been impeccable and as a result it has created a really tough, but enjoyable, job for the judges.
READ MORE: Get the best sausage recipes from bite.co.nz
"In the past we've always had a sausage that has stood out but trying to find an outright Supreme Award winner this year was near on impossible. The panel of judges could make compelling cases for both winners and in the end we knew the fairest thing to do was crown them both."
The Devro New Zealand Wildcard winner was Peter Timbs Meats in Christchurch for their Hot Chorizo sausage, produced in a Devro casing.
As we head in to the first official weekend of summer, you'll do well to take note of the list of winning wieners to try on the barbie.
2018 Supreme Award
• New World Te Rapa, Angus Beef
• Westmere Butchery, Beef and Mushroom
2018 People's Choice Award
• Westmere Butchery, Beef and Mushroom
2018 Devro NZ Wildcard Award
• Peter Timbs Meats, Hot Chorizo
Category: Beef
Gold: New World Te Rapa Angus Beef
Silver (joint): Hellers Ltd Hellers Angus
Silver (joint): Leonard's Superior Smallgoods Old English Beef
Bronze: Countdown Angus Beef
Category: Pork
Gold: L'Authentique Pure Pork
Silver: The Kiwi Butcher Shop Pure Pork
Bronze: Moos Baas & Oinks Pure Pork
Category: Poultry
Gold: New World Stonefields Smokey Chicken, Coriander & Garlic
Silver (joint): New World Stonefields Chicken, Coriander, Garlic & Mild Chilli
Silver (joint): Grey Lynn Butchers Free Range Chicken and Truffle
Bronze: Raeward Fresh Tower Junction The Senorita
Category: Pre-cooked
Gold: Cattermoles Butchery Kaiapoi Smoked Saveloy
Silver: Akaroa Butchery & Deli Cotechino
Bronze: Morepork BBQ Pork Hot Dog
Category: Flavoured
Gold: M & M Master Butchers Pork Flavoured
Silver: Esk Valley Meats Lamb & Mint Flavoured
Bronze (joint): Hellers Ltd Hellers Pork Flavour
Bronze (joint): New World Greenmeadows Pork Flavoured
Category: Continental Fresh
Gold: PAKn'SAVE Riccarton Italian Casalinga
Silver (joint): Foodstuffs South Island/ Pams Italian Lamb
Silver (joint): New World Stanmore Italian Pork
Bronze (joint): Aussie Butcher New Lynn Bratwurst
Bronze (joint): Avon's Butchery Italian Fennel Pork
Category: Continental Ready-to-Eat
Gold (joint): Zamora Picante Salami
Gold (joint): Peter Timbs Meats Hot Chorizo
Silver: The Butchers Block & Beef Classic Salami
Smokehouse Wanaka
Bronze: Ashby's Butchery Bell's Original Pepperoni
Category: Pre-cooked
Gold: Leonard's Superior Smallgoods Black Pudding
Silver: Cameron Harrison Butchery Black Pudding
Bronze: Wild Game Salamis Wild Venison French Black Pudding
Category: Traditional
Gold (joint): M & M Master Butchers Cumberland Pork
Gold (joint): L'Authentique Pork & Fennel
Silver: Raeward Fresh Queenstown Free Range Pork, Fresh Apple & Toasted Fennel Seeds
Bronze: The Produce Company Pork & Fennel
Category: Gourmet Beef
Gold (joint): Westmere Butchery Beef & Mushroom
Gold (joint): New World Stanmore Roast Beef, Horseradish & Beetroot
Silver: New World Greenmeadows Beef, Truffle & Parmesan
Bronze: Hellers Ltd Hellers Sticky Ginger Beef
Category: Gourmet Pork
Gold: Whenuapai Meat Merchant Free Range Pork, Sweet Gala Apple & Sage
Silver (joint): Aussie Butcher New Lynn Ben's Jalapeno & Smokey Cheese Sausage
Silver (joint): Avon's Butchery Pork & Cranberry
Bronze (joint): New World Bishopdale Pork Breakfast
Bronze (joint): New World Havelock North Pork & Paua
Category: Pre-cooked
Gold: Eastbourne Village Meats Red Roma
Silver: Euro Gourmet Meats Drunken Lamb & Onion
Bronze: Aussie Butcher New Lynn Moroccan Lamb
Category: Gourmet Beef
Gold (joint): Sausages by Design Naked Pure Pork
Gold (joint): Agora - Butchery & Deli Lentil, Kumara & Masala
Silver: PAKn'SAVE Cameron Road Vegetarian
Bronze: Grey Lynn Butchers Goan Chourico
Plus, Beauden Barrett's new side hustle.