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The sausage sizzle is a community event that originated in Australia. The term came into common use in the 1980s and is used to describe both the typical barbecuing technique and the nature of the event itself. The primary element of a sausage sizzle is the preparation and sale of barbecued sausages, typically with some form of bread and often accompanied by sauces or other barbecued items such as sliced onion. Sausage sizzles are a common feature in the cultures of Australia and New Zealand.
Sausage sizzles are generally held either as free community events or as fundraisers for charities, schools, sports clubs and other organisations. As such, ingredients and equipment are cheaply purchased or donated by suppliers. Fundraising sausage sizzles have become particularly associated with elections in Australia and the hardware chain Bunnings Warehouse.
Format
Most commonly, the main sale item at a sausage sizzle is a pork or beef sausage (sometimes known in Australia as a "snag"), cooked on a gas hot plate and served on a single slice of white bread or a hotdog roll. Tomato sauce is the most common accompaniment, and is usually available for no extra cost, though other condiments such as barbecue sauce and American mustard are regularly available. Onions cooked on the hot plate are often available, for free or at extra cost, and occasionally coleslaw or other salad items are offered. Some sausage sizzles also offer the option of a white bread roll as an alternative to sliced bread. Vegetarian or gluten free options are infrequently available, but often sold at events with more extensive menus including hamburgers or complete meals. Soft drink cans or bottled water may also be available for purchase, so as to maximise fundraising. In 2019, Season two winner of MasterChef Australia, Adam Liaw created a popular instagram post about how he makes a giant sausage sizzle by cutting bread lengthways.
Australian elections
Sausage sizzles have become a recognised and expected addition to polling booths at Australian elections, with sausages at these stations nicknamed 'Democracy Sausages'. There was widespread media coverage of this in 2013 and 2016 Australian Federal Election, with the hashtag '#democracysausage' trending on Twitter. Twitter also added a sausage-in-bread emoji to the '#ausvotes' hashtag on the day of the 2016 election, it was the most widely used emoji in relation to the election under that hashtag.
Bunnings Warehouse
Australian hardware chain Bunnings offers barbecue facilities at all of its stores for hire to community groups. Sausage sizzles at these locations usually occur on weekends and have become associated with the Bunnings brand. In 2016, when Bunnings announced its expansion to the United Kingdom, considerable media coverage was devoted to the question of whether Bunnings would export the tradition, which it subsequently did at some locations.
New Zealand
In New Zealand, sausage sizzles are a familiar sight by the front entrance of supermarkets such as New World and Pak n Save, and are commonly fundraising for regional youth sports events and health causes.
The Warehouse, a New Zealand owned department store operating under NZ retail group The Warehouse Group (TWG), is another common site for sausage sizzles.