The Smallest Sausage Factory in Wellington

The Smallest Sausage Factory in Wellington

Today I went to the Gipps St Butchers in Karori to buy some sausages. The Gipps St Butchery has a very good reputation for the quality of the meat it sells. Although we do not live in Karori, if you want a particular cut of meat it is well worth the extra travel knowing you will receive a quality product and great service.

 

In winter we often cook a brisket and beetroot soup. It is hearty and filling. This is colloquially known in our family as “pizzle soup.” It's a long story how it got this name, however if you are unsure of the word pizzle, it would be best to look it up in a quality dictionary. Brisket is not sold in the supermarket meat section, so I sourced this from Gipp St. The butcher asked me if I was going to feed it to the pets. I told him what I was going to cook and he was quite interested, and cut the meat from a carcass he had out the back of the butcher’s shop. This is great, friendly service. Brisket is an underappreciated cut of the meat, and makes great eating especially during the colder months.

Anyway to get to the point of the posting, today at Gipp St I bought some German Bratwurst and Cumberland Sausages. Bill, the butcher, told me they make all the sausages on site, in the smallest sausage factory in Wellington. He motioned to the back of the shop, indicating where the sausages were made.

 

Tonight for dinner I cooked the Cumberland sausages from Gipp St, along with some Chorizo Criollo, from Park Avenue. These were cooked on the barbecue. I oven roasted baby potatoes, zucchini, onion and yellow capsicum, and boiled some broccoli.

 

It was a very pleasant summer meal.

The Cumberland sausage was good. It is a coarse sausage that is easy to eat. It has a soft texture. The flavour is meaty and nice. It is a plain sausage that would appeal to a wide section of population. Kids would be very keen on these, as I am assured my nieces are – they feast on them regularly. They make for good eating.

 

 

Cost per kilo: $16.95

The Chorizo Criollo has previous been reviewed on 9 January 2013. The family liked these sausages and both the boys, who are not keen on sausages at the spicier end of the spectrum, enjoyed eating them.  

 

Before Cooking

 

 

                                                              After cooking

Other reviews from Gipps St Butchery to follow.

And for those who want the recipe for Pizzle Soup:

Serves 6-8

This is a one pot meal, serve with toast, or bread.

 

450g of beef brisket

2 litres of water

1.5 l of beef stock

30g unsalted butter

½ onion, finely diced

700g beetroot (peeled and cut into 5cm long strips and 5mm thick)

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons sea salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1.5 litres reserved liquid from cooking bisket

¼ cabbage, finely shredded

110g ham (this is optional)

4 parsley stalks

4 bay leaves

2 tablespoons chives, finely sliced

 

To cook the brisket: place the brisket into medium size pot with water and beef stock, place on high heat. Bring to boil and remove the scum from the surface. Reduce heat, cover the pot with a lid and simmer for 4 hours, or until the brisket is very tender and beginning to fall apart. You may need to add more water to keep the brisket covered while cooking.

Drain and reserve the cooking liquid. Cool the brisket and cut into 1cm pieces.

Place a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add butter and melt. Add onion and cook for 4-5 minutes or till onion is soft but not browned.

Add beetroot, vinegar, sugar, tomatoes, salt, pepper, and 100ml of the reserved brisket cooking liquid.

Cover with a lid and simmer for 50 minutes, or until the beetroot is tender.

Tie the parsley stalks and bay leaves together and add to the saucepan with the remaining 1.4 litres of reserved brisket cooking liquid plus the cabbage, ham and brisket.

Place over a medium heat and bring to boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.