Grilled beef sausages piled with fried onions in a slice of white bread, the sausage sizzle found at every Australian Bunnings and school fundraiser.
The sausage sizzle is an Australian institution, less a recipe and more a national ritual: cheap beef sausages grilled on a flat barbecue plate, served on a folded slice of white bread with a heap of fried onions and a squeeze of tomato sauce. The key technique is cooking the onions low and slow on the same flat plate the sausages will finish on, so they soak up rendered sausage fat as they soften and caramelize. Sausages are simmered briefly in water first at some sizzles, or simply grilled from raw over medium heat, turned regularly so the casing browns evenly without splitting and losing juice. The bread is never toasted β a single folded slice of soft white bread is the standard, chosen specifically because it can hold the sausage without falling apart. A fixture outside hardware stores, at school fetes and sporting events across the country, the sausage sizzle is community food at its simplest, built to feed a crowd fast and cheaply.
Serves 6
Heat oil on a flat barbecue plate or large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions with a pinch of salt and cook 15-18 minutes, stirring occasionally, until deeply golden and soft.
Push the onions to one side of the plate to keep warm.
Add the sausages to the cleared space and cook over medium heat, turning every 2-3 minutes, for 12-15 minutes until browned all over and cooked through.
Turn the sausages regularly rather than leaving them still β constant turning browns the casing evenly and helps prevent splitting.
Once the sausages are nearly done, mix the onions with a little of the sausage fat from the plate for extra flavor.
Fold a slice of white bread around each sausage, top with a generous pile of fried onions.
Finish with a squeeze of tomato sauce, and barbecue sauce if using, and serve immediately.
Cook the onions low and slow on the same plate the sausages will use β they pick up flavor from the rendered fat as they caramelize.
Turn the sausages often on the grill rather than letting them sit; frequent turning browns them evenly and reduces splitting.
Use soft white bread, not a crusty roll β it's the traditional format and folds around the sausage without tearing.
Swap beef sausages for pork or a spicier variety depending on preference.
Add sauerkraut alongside the onions for a tangier twist.
Use a soft bread roll instead of a folded slice for a slightly heartier sandwich.
Best assembled and eaten immediately. Grilled sausages and fried onions can be refrigerated separately up to 3 days and reheated on a skillet or grill.
The sausage sizzle became an Australian community fundraising tradition through decades of school fetes, sporting club barbecues and, most famously, weekend fundraiser stalls outside Bunnings hardware stores, making it one of the country's most recognizable pieces of everyday food culture.
Yes β bake at 400Β°F for about 20-25 minutes, turning halfway, though you'll miss some of the char a flat grill plate gives.
A large cast-iron skillet works fine on the stovetop for both the onions and the sausages.
This usually happens from cooking over too high a heat too fast β keep the heat at medium and turn the sausages often so they cook through gently without the casing bursting.
Per serving (220g / 7.8 oz) Β· 6 servings total
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