Barbecued Snags with Fried Onions (Aussie Sausage Sizzle)

About This Recipe

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 — 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.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 12beef sausages
• 3yellow onions(thinly sliced)
• 3 tbspvegetable oil
• 12 slicessoft white bread
• 0.5 cuptomato sauce (ketchup)
• 0.25 cupbarbecue sauce(optional)
• 1 tspfine sea salt

Instructions

1. 1

   Start the onions

   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.

2. 2

   Push onions aside

   Push the onions to one side of the plate to keep warm.

3. 3

   Grill the sausages

   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 — constant turning browns the casing evenly and helps prevent splitting.

4. 4

   Finish the onions

   Once the sausages are nearly done, mix the onions with a little of the sausage fat from the plate for extra flavor.

5. 5

   Assemble

   Fold a slice of white bread around each sausage, top with a generous pile of fried onions.

6. 6

   Serve

   Finish with a squeeze of tomato sauce, and barbecue sauce if using, and serve immediately.

Variations

• •

  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.

Storage

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.

Frequently Asked Questions