If like us at Porc Blasus you love eating sausages, you probably already recognise your favourite producers and brands already – but do know what technically constitutes a top quality banger?
Proud producers across Wales frequently submit their sausages for judging to win a whole host of awards, usually at shows such as the Royal Welsh and for international awards such as Great Taste. Producers must submit both raw and cooked sausages, and the judging is a three stage process that takes account of a range of factors.
So for any producers reading this, or for regular consumers who simply enjoy a good sausage, we’ve put together this handy guide about how those sausages get officially judged by the experts.
Stage one: raw sausages
- Appearance: how attractive it looks, and that it is finished off with nice tight ends
- Size: judges especially check that the sausage is an even width all along its length
- Filling: whether the sausages are well filled with good quality meat and other ingredients, are packed consistently, and that there are no breaks in the filling which could cause the sausage to burst during cooking
Stage two: cooked sausages
- Appearance: has the sausage cooked nicely, does it look appealing and tasty?
- Shrinkage: if the sausage has shrunk too much from its raw size during cooking, points are deducted because this usually means there’s a bit too much fat in the sausage in the first place
- Splitting: if the skin has split during cooking, points may be deducted
Stage three: tasting the sausages
- Texture: judges consider how the sausage feels in the mouth – whether it is too course, or leaves a greasy aftertaste
- Smell: do the sausages smell appealing, and if it’s a flavoured sausage, do the key ingredients come through in the smell?
- Flavour: most importantly of all – is it nice and tasty, and if it’s a flavoured sausage, do the flavours work well together?
If you fancy getting stuck into some top quality, tasty sausages after that, visit our recipes page for recipe inspiration and our online directory of producers to get your hands on some of the best sausages near you.
