Origin: Australia
Method: Grill and Stovetop
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With elections tomorrow, I figured it was time to talk politics. Don’t worry I am not going to go off on a political rant, but I thought it would be fun to cover an “election day meal” before the election. Sadly, the U.S. does not really have a traditional election day meal, but there are plenty of others that do. One meal that has become inherently tied to elections in Australia is the Sausage Sizzle. With voter turn out for Australians at close to 96%, and election day always falling on a Saturday, it has become more of a social function as well. As a result there are now plenty of food venders present at the polling places. It is now tradition for hungry Australians to eat these “Democracy Sausages” while they wait to complete their civic duty.
The Aussies keep it simple with grilled sausages (typically beef) served upon a piece of white bread with grilled onions and some tomato sauce (ketchup). The story of Australian tomato sauce is interesting in itself as Heinz has tried for years to get the name ketchup to catch on there, but to no avail. Worry not ketchup lovers, Australian tomato sauce is the equivalent to American ketchup, just a different name. Our homemade ketchup is inspired by a recipe posted by Australian food critic Matt Preston.
Creating your own Sausage Sizzle
Pick out a high quality sausage, preferably beef, but pork has become common as well. Fire up your grill and get ready to cook.
If you want more great sausage recipes then check out our Grilled Sonoran Hot Dogs, Korean Corn Dogs: Gamja Dog, and Holiday Stuffing with Truffle Sausage.
A true sausage sizzle is not complete without grilled onions. I love my onions cooked directly on the grill, but the wife likes hers sautéed in butter on the grill. You can’t go wrong with either method.
Making the Homemade Ketchup
No Sausage Sizzle is complete without some high quality Australian tomato sauce (AKA ketchup). This recipe is really easy, and the majority of the cook time is down time while the sauce simmers. This gives you plenty of time to tend to your grill.
This recipe can be made with fresh tomatoes, but we chose to keep it simple this time and use high quality crushed tomatoes.
Combine the tomatoes, spices, garlic, and onion in a sauce pot and bring the mixture to a brief boil, then reduce the heat to simmer and cook for about one hour.
After an hour, stir in the malt vinegar and sugar.
Continue to simmer the sauce until it reaches your desired consistency, typically about another 30-60 minutes.
At this point, remove the cinnamon stick and blend the sauce in a blender or with an immersion blender until smooth.
Finishing Off Your Sausage Sizzle
Top your sausage sizzle with your grilled onions and homemade sausage. Serve it up with some Always Crispy French Fries, and a Smoked Arugula Salad With Bourbon Vinaigrette.
Thank you for taking the time to visit our blog. If you tried and enjoyed our recipe please share with others and please leave us a comment and review. We also love to see your pics so don’t forget to tag us @Carne_Diem_Culinary or #CarneDiemBlog. To be notified of future recipes please follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest, or sign up for our e-mail notifications. Until next time, Carne Diem!
Also, please get out and vote!
Sausage Sizzle with Homemade Ketchup
Equipment
- Grill
- Saucepan
- Blender
Ingredients
- 1 package Beef Sausages or Brats
- 1/2 Onion Thinly sliced
- 2 Tab Butter
- 1 Loaf High Quality White Bread
Homemade Ketchup
- 1 28 oz Can Crushed Tomatoes
- 2/3 cup Malt Vinegar
- 1 Small Yellow Onion diced
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1/2 Cinnamon Stick
- 1 Garlic Clove minced
- 3 Allspice Berries
- 3 Whole Cloves
- 3 Black Peppercorns
- 1 tea Sweet Paprika
Instructions
Homemade Ketchup
- Combine all of the ingredients except the sugar and vinegar into a sauce pot and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer.
- Simmer the sauce for 1 hour.
- Add in the sugar and vinegar and return to a boil for about a minute, then again reduce heat to a simmer. Continue to simmer until it reaches your desired consistency, stirring frequently. Depending on the amount of liquid in your tomatoes, this can take 30 minutes to an hour.
- Remove the cinnamon stick, then blend the sauce to a smooth consistency in a blender or with an immersion blender.
Sausages and Grilled Onion
- Heat grill to medium heat.
- Grill your sausages to your personal preference.
- Grill the onions in a small foil pan or boat with the butter, or directly on the grill until they are soft and slightly caramelized.
- Serve the sausages on a piece of high quality white bread topped with the grilled onions and homemade ketchup.
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