Gipps St Butcher's Venison Sausage

Gipps St Butcher’s Venison Sausages

This is the final report on the three different types of sausages I recently purchased from the Gipps St Butchers. These venison sausages are made of 80% venison and 20% pork. The shoulder of pork is used in making this sausage. In discussing this with the butcher he says you need to have the fat content from the pork to bind the meat together. It also reduces the gaminess of venison. The taste of these sausages has a piquant of venison, it is a venison sausage but does not have the full on venison flavour. The venison flavour does kick in as an aftertaste. It is a medium ground sausage.

 

 

My son thought that they were quite good, and he went back to another sausage. I would buy these again.

 

 

Cost per kilo: Need to add

Gipps St Butcher's Pork and Fennel

Gipps St Butcher’s Pork and Fennel

I purchased these during my recent visit to the Gipps St Butchers in Karori

This is a finely ground sausage, the aroma of the cooked sausage had a pronounced fennel smell. Once you taste the sausage the fennel is not as strong as the aroma suggested. My wife who likes a pork and fennel sausage described it as nice, but says she prefers the Island Bay Butchery pork and fennel sausage. My son concurred with his mother.

 

 

The fennel taste is subdued. If you compare this with other pork and fennel sausages previously reviewed, Island Bay, see link, Harmony see link, and Harrington’s, see link, the Gipp St along with Harmony have the least pronounced fennel taste, Harrington's has a stronger flavour of fennel with Island Bay at the top end of fennel spectrum. It then comes down to an individual’s preference for the level of fennel flavour they prefer.

 

We use to live in  a house that had a steep untamed bank at the bottom of the section. This was were we ran what we called our "organic garden." If the plant was supposed to grow there it did. Once a year or so I would venture into the morass of vegetation and do a bit of a cull, keep the weeds down etc. This included fennel that could grow almost as high as I stand. I do consider fennel to be a bit of a weed.

Personally I would go for a Harmony or Island Bay sausage, but all the reviewed sausages are quality meaty sausages.

Cost per kilo: Need to add

Gipps St Butcher's Pork Sausage

Gipps St Butcher's Pork Sausage

I was passing Gipps St Butchers on a Saturday around midday. I decided to pop in. I do not think I have visited this shop for about a year. It is in a back street in Karori, a bit off the beaten track. It has the feel of a proper, or as some people would say a traditional butcher’s shop. There were about six people in shop. All the customers had a chat with the butcher about the meat they were buying, tips for cooking were dispensed. This was good old fashioned service. Not fast, but with a focus on the customer and getting the best out of the meat being brought.

I brought a small sample of three types of sausage. These were cooked up after a Sunday morning run. By 1pm all the sausages had disappeared. In our house a quality sausage will not last long. This review is of the pork sausage.

Pork Sausages:

 

 

These are a plain pork sausage. This is not the kind of sausage I would normally buy. It is a medium grind sausage, it cooked up nicely. A bit of sausage meat oozed out of the casing during cooking. A nice level of caramelisation added the flavour. For people who like a nice pork banger they will enjoy this quality sausage. Young kids would love this sausage.

 

 

 

So I recommend that if you are the back streets of Karori, check out the friendly team, and the sausages at Gipp St Butchers.

Cost per kilo: $18.95

Beef Bangers from Gipp St

Gipps St Butchers Beef Bangers

Had these today. These are good solid kiwi bangers. They would go great with mashed potato. Not the most outstanding sausage you will sample, however they are solid and meaty. I thought they were a bit bland, however the kids liked them. They are ground to a fine consistency and have a lower fat content.  

To buy these again there would have to be a limited choice. There are lots of better sausages around.

Gipps St Butchers is a quality butchers shop, they provide friendly service and are very helpful. The cumberland suasage is a better buy though.  

Cost per kilo: $16.99

It is not all beer and sausages

It’s not all beer and sausages

Yesterday I competed in the Tararua Mountain Race. This is a race across the Southern Crossing route, usually a long two day, or three day tramp. There was 2250m of vertical climbing over the course. The track is rough and rugged. As the Italian runner, who had only just arrived in New Zealand, said to me in broken English as we struggled up the steep ascent to Alpha Hut, “There are so many tree roots in the jungle. I have never seen anything like it. I fell over four times.” Welcome to mountain running in NZ I thought, quickly followed by, we don’t call it jungle - we call it bush. However the nuances of language are not a topic of conversation as you are pushing it hard uphill. After 8½ hours I was knackered and delighted to have reached the finish line. There is a trophy for the first masters male. I only have to take nearly 3 hours off my time to claim this prize. Am I deluded or what? 

Below are a couple of photos the Italian guy took during the race. These were taken going over the tops between Alpha and Kime Huts. I am the wearing the red pack in the second photo. Here is a video of the 2011 event.

 
In some posts I have talked about the joy of the solitude of the NZ bush. I like being in the outdoors. Yesterday, however, it was hard work, pain and battling the mind during the harder sections of the course. The cloud was down, it came and went, so visibility was often down to around 30-50m on the alpine section of route from Alpha Hut to just before Field Hut, and the wind was blowing. It was not strong enough to blow you over (I have been in some events where this has occurred), but was strong enough to slow you down, or disrupt your balance at times. This chart gives you and indication of the ups and downs of the route.

 

Anyway at the end of the event, for those who run at the back of the field, what are the rewards? The ethereal satisfaction of achieving your goal; or on a more base level:  beer and sausages. I came home to snack on Gipp St Butchers German Bratwurst and Pale Whale Ale from the Mussel Inn in Golden Bay.

 

The German Bratwurst are made with 8kg of pork, 4kg of lean beef and secret spices according to the butcher. They are nice to eat and have a pleasant meaty taste. Cooking them on the barbecue they oozed quite a bit of fat. I would buy these again, however the family agreed that the bratwurst from Park Avenue Butchers are superior and they are cheaper too.

Cost per kilo; $22.95

 

I had a Pale Whale Ale from the Mussel Inn in Golden Bay to wash the sausages down and replace some sugars and carbohydrates. There’s nothing like an energy drink after a hard days running! This beer is a slightly cloudy pale ale. It is made from organic hops and malt. It has a mild hoppy and yeast taste with a stronger aftertaste. A satisfying and refreshing drink to wind down after an exhausting day.  Alcohol content of this beer is 7%. 

If you are ever in Golden Bay, the Mussel Inn is a must visit venue. It’s a relaxed converted farmhouse or woolshed, with rustic food and beer. They brew their own beer and also had their own range of non-alcoholic drinks for the kids and those so inclined. There is large outside area with a fire, and a big tractor tyre swing for the kids. Live music is performed there most nights, and the time we went there the place was rocking with a big local crowd turning out to see a Wellington gypsy brass band. It was great fun.  

So all in all, a very good weekend. The Hurricanes beat the Crusaders convincingly on Friday night 29-28. The Tararua Mountain Race was successfully completed and the highlight was, of course, the beer and sausages.

And to see links to other parts in this series.

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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.