Australia's best sausages of 2025 have been crowned
Sausages have come so far since their days as Australia's traditional cheap eat made from leftovers after the best meat cuts have been taken.
These days, there are sausages being made with the highest-quality ingredients in a variety of flavours that are considered the basis of many a gourmet meal.
And some of the best sausages around are being made at Millin's Free Range Butcher at Balgowlah Heights in New South Wales, the winners of multiple awards over the past several years.
Some of the best sausages around are being made at Millin's Free Range Butcher in Sydney. Millin's Free Range Butcher
This year, the business has won the Champion Fresh Sausage Perpetual Trophy for its Beef Philly Cheesesteak Sausages at the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW's Sydney Royal Fine Food Show.
Throughout August, 1,657 entries were assessed across 72 classes and seven unique competitions: Aquaculture, Branded Meats, Oils & Olives, Professional Bakery, Pasta, Smallgoods & Charcuterie, and Specialty Foods.
Over 81 hours of judging was conducted with the help of 110 expert judges, and earlier this year 37 champion medals were awarded.
All products entered into the Sydney Royal competitions must be made from at least 85 per cent Australian ingredients, with the aim of celebrating local produce and agriculture.
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This year, the business has won the Champion Fresh Sausage Perpetual Trophy for its Beef Philly Cheesesteak Sausages. Millin's Free Range Butcher
Stef Millin from Millin's Free Range Butcher tells nine.com.au they looked into current flavours and food trends when deciding which sausage to enter in the 2025 awards.
"Philly cheesesteak came to mind. We just put all of those ingredients into a sausage. It came out pretty good," Millin said.
"We started with a beef sausage and added provolone cheese, red capsicum, green capsicum and caramlised onions."
Previous winning flavours from Millin's have included a Reuban sausage – based on a Reuban sandwich containing corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and Thousand Island or Russian dressing on rye bread – and a chicken satay sausage that won top prize last year.
"Chicken satay are probably one of our biggest sellers," Millin said.
"We really love the creative side of it.
"I grew up in New Zealand and then moved over to Australia and just got into butchering. I really liked the team environment and then really liked the creative environment.
"Working with the guys to work on some flavours we've done over the years has been fun."
Millin's has won several awards for their gourmet sausages over the years. Millin's Free Range Butcher
Not all of their flavour combinations have made it past the testing phase, including one made using strawberries and champagne that Millin admits "wasn't too good".
Millin's Free Range Butcher started off servicing Balgowlah Heights, which is a "big area for barbeques and sausages", before they expanded into online sales.
Despite their incredible variety of award-winning flavours, their biggest seller remains traditional beef sausages. Even they are made with the highest quality ingredients.
"A basic beef sausage these days is all lean beef, a lot of it's from the brisket, and just a few spices and seasonings. That's about it."
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Their biggest seller remains traditional beef sausages. Millin's Free Range Butcher
Millin will sometimes add tomato sauce or other condiments to his beef sausages. Millin's Free Range Butcher
Millin won't share what the spices and seasonings are, however – they are top secret.
He says the best way to cook his sausages is "low and slow", turning them over often with a pair of tongs.
Millin may add tomato sauce or other condiments to his beef sausages but doesn't for his gourmet flavours range.
He advises customers to place their sausages in the fridge as soon as possible after purchasing, where they can remain for up to five days.
With higher-quality ingredients comes a higher price tag, which locals are happy to pay for the Millin's range.
They've only recently put up the price of their beef sausages from two kilos for $40 to two kilos for $45.
With higher quality ingredients comes a higher price tag, which locals are happy to pay for Millin's range. Getty
Their range of sausages costs anywhere from $13.50 for approximately eight sausages to $16.50 for their gourmet range.
"Fridays and Saturdays, we put a barbeque up in the front and have a couple of tastings."
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