SAUSAGES throughout the South West will be put to the test at this year’s Brunswick Show.
The inaugural Italian sausage competition will pit hundreds of meat logs against each other for its biggest prize – bragging rights.
A pool of $1000 in prize money is also up for grabs.
Italian sausage making is an ancient tradition usually involving a one to three day group effort.
Traditionally, families buy a pig and process the meat together along with fennel and other seasoning.
Recipes are often closely guarded between families.
Contestant Zane Jones will enter his banger in the competition’s dried sausage category.
“We’ve been making sausages for a long time now as my in-laws are Italian – we buy about one pig’s worth and mix it all up together,” Mr Jones said.
He said he enjoyed the camraderie brought on in the production process.
The competition will be run jointly between Pete’s Chop Shop and the Brunswick Agricultural Society, organisers of the show.
Society president Michael Partridge said he decided to organise the event after witnessing a growth in the popularity of sausage making in the South West.
“There has always been a cooking show but I just wanted to embrace something a bit different,” Mr Partridge said.
Pete’s Chop Shop owner Peter Gianfarancesco said Italian sausage making had been wholly embraced in Australia.
Fresh or dried sausages can be entered in either a mild or hot category.
Mr Gianfaranceso, Radio-west presenter Doug Terry and chef Theo Kalogeracos will decide which sausages come out on top during the show.
To enter a sausage visit Pete’s Chop Shop.