Prosciutto, Capocollo, Pancetta - Handmade by Sara Grazia

Melbourne’s New Sausage HQ

Secret Sausage Business - Raising the Bar

By: Sara Grazia

As some of you may have worked out, over the past couple of months we have been busy redeveloping an historic Melbourne building into our new Sausage HQ.

Our new Sausage HQ will be the pinnacle of sausage making technology, flavours and all things mouth-wateringly scrumptious. We will be opening phase 1 of our redevelopment in just under a weeks’ time ready for the first of our 2015 courses. Our next phase – and to some the most exciting part of our redevelopment, will be opening in mid-April with our official opening at the beginning of May.

In the beginning:

Late last year, with the growing popularity of our sausage, salami and cured meats making courses, we embarked on a mission to find a new Sausage HQ. High on the list of requirements was more space so that Sausage HQ could be everything we needed to make our sausage, salami and cured meat making experience even more exiting for enthusiasts, hobbyist and commercial producers.

It was a lengthy search but eventually a palace was claimed. Built in the 1800’s with a very colourful and fascinating past, the former Railway Hotel in West Melbourne was chosen to be the hub of our sausage kingdom. Although the location is technically “West Melbourne”, it is just meters from the North Melbourne train station, and just a short drive from our previous location.

118 Ireland St, West Melbourne VIC 3003

Retaining many of its original features, our new Sausage HQ will house our tasting bar plus a few other exciting things that we will share with you as time goes on – or better yet, things you can come and experience for yourself very soon!

To start with the upstairs area looked like this, a blank canvas retaining many period features…

Powered by a good strong English breakfast and an Italian pastry our Sausage HQ started its transformation.

The heritage tasting bar was the place to start. A stunning art deco bar, hand crafted in Tasmanian oak featuring the original lead-light detail that was installed in 1913. It is a beautiful piece of craftsmanship and over the next few weeks a stunning transformation occurred as years of neglect were peeled away.

It took 10 days and 120 litres of paint stripper (eco-friendly of course) just to remove the old varnish and wood stain. This was followed by a week of sanding and an unfortunate event that accidentally set off the buildings fire alarms – before our 100 year old bar was reborn. The following fortnight was a combination of varnishing and sanding, varnishing and more sanding until... 

The final touch was having the deco stained class repaired, cleaned and installed giving this handcrafted beauty back its original Victorian splendour.

With our new tasting bar complete, the theme continued around the rest of the main bar area reviving all the original oak features – benches, shelves, doors and door frames. Weeks and kilograms of sawdust later, the refurbishment was coming along brilliantly.

Our window signage was installed, our light box put in place, all gold and glittering reflecting the heritage of this amazing Victorian site. Paint colours were chosen and some hidden original gems found under stair treads and between walls, were cleaned up and ready to be put back on show.

A few ‘mod cons’ like internet connection have been installed to keep us connected to you, and some amazing new technology has been introduced.

We are very excited and proud of the work we have undertaken to date, and look forward to the next phase of redevelopment. We’ll keep you posted!

If you’re in Melbourne we wold love to see you at Sausage HQ!

Creating A Traditional Italian Capocollo - Mamma and Me

By: Sara Grazia

I recently shared my traditional salami making experience with you all. My mamma and I made quite the bounty, and I hope that you enjoyed the photos that we shared with you.

This week I’m excited to share with you the continued and fascinating journey of our artisan cured meats making.

We've been busy preparing this year’s capocollo. Under my mamma’s watchful eye we began. She still thinks I’m far too young to know all her secrets and preparation methods, but she taught me well, and when she doesn't see me looking, I glimpse a proud smile cross her lips.

After the meat has been resting under the salt for some time, my mamma allows me to prepare her recipe. This recipe has been handed to her from her mother, and ever since I can remember, each year she makes it always the same. A tasty combination of mild spices and crushed peppers. A simple recipe, but one that is packed with flavour.

Before you ask for the details of the recipe, unfortunately I can’t say. Not only am I sworn to secrecy, but also there is no written ingredient list. Like many artisan producers from generations past, recipes were prepared by eye (and finger dipping –a process whereby a few flavours are added, then you would dip your finger, and taste… If it’s not quite right, you could always add some more of this or that).

Once the meat has been seasoned and hung, a wonderful perfume fills my mamma’s purpose built outdoor kitchen. The scent is sweet and peppery. Now I just have to be patient until Christmas time when these delicacies will be sliced and served with some of my mamma’s freshly baked bread.

If you have a desire to produce your own Italian cured meats, there is still time to take advantage of this year’s winter meat curing season. Discover the secrets to successfully produce your own cured meats and sausages with one of our specialised courses.