Tamworth, Gunnedah, Tenterfield and Inverell butcheries shared the honours this week when the NSW Sausage King competition was decided for the New England region.

About 40 butchers took part in seven categories with Tenterfield butcher Tim Rose from Premier Meats taking home three firsts while Luke Orchard of Namoi River Meats at Gunnedah took two top spots and Mick Newton of Mick’s Meathouse and Chris Bruton of McWilliams Meats at Calala won the honours in other continental gourmet categories.

Lennons at Inverell, Wizards at Tenterfield and Penrose Meats from Tamworth also collected placings in the competition, with Brian Penrose getting a second and third in the Best Butcher’s Burger section which was won by Tim Rose with a lamb and mint burger.

Gunnedah meatman Luke Orchard won first and second in the traditional sausage category and took out the poultry category too, with his chicken and wood-smoked bacon snag. 

The makings of a good traditional sausage are lean, fresh meat, good sausage meal, no herbs or spices, and yes, there is a magic ingredient, but that’s Luke’s secret.

The humble snag isn’t so humble anymore, the butchers all say, and while they’re cheaper than steak, these days you can get more exotic and gourmet tastes in sausages that take them to the top of the table.

And their experiments with herbs and spices and continental and gourmet flavourings are bringing exotic snags to regional plates.

Mick Newton took top spot for the lamb snag this year – he’d been the pork king for the past two years, but he’s still tickled pink.

Calala butcher Chris Bruton says the secret to a good sausage is top quality meat, whether it’s lamb, beef, pork or chicken, and then there’s about 30 or 40 flavourings the sausage maker can use.

“It’s not about using scraps and leftovers, it’s using top quality meat,” Mr Bruton said.

A young family man, he started out cooking with a school-based apprenticeship, even baking for a while, and then became a chef at Calala Inn, until a couple of years back.

“But working at night was hard on the family and I love doing things in the food industry, but I was always interested in butchering and so I jumped the fence and went to the butcher shop next door,” he said.

Now he spends a lot of time in Peter McWilliams’s shop experimenting and reckons most of his work day is value adding to selling meat. He’s into pre-made meals, creating everything from pizzas and roasts made in the back of the butchery for time-poor and more experimental customers.

And he still helps out publican Daniel Camelleri in the pub bistro some nights.

Both he and Northgate butcher Mick Newton, who also has a shop in Southgate, say customers are now more adventurous and family butchers are getting people out of their comfort zones and into trying more exotic varieties.

But the traditional snag still grabs a big slice of the market. They sell more thick sausages in winter and thin ones walk out of the shop in summer. 

Mr Orchard says thin is best on the barbie. Mr Bruton reckons you have to slowly cook them so they cook from the inside out, turn them constantly, and don’t cook them on a char grill over an open flame.

And all three of them are as one when it comes to the super sausage secret: don’t prick them. Ever. 

All of the first placegetters in each category will go to the state finals in November.