Don’t Poke the Bangers

Kim Terakes would like a dollar for every time he’s gone through the steps for cooking the perfect steak and bangers. At the recent launch of the Inland NSW Tourism BBQ Challenge, Terakes had a few words of advice for George Souris, NSW Minister for Tourism, Major Events, Hospitality and Racing. Souris, who enjoys cooking and is an accomplished filo pastry maker, told Terakes he simmers his sausages before barbecuing them. “Some people think you need to boil them so they’ll cook without exploding. I think you just need to cook them properly,” says Terakes. In his new book The Great Aussie Barbie Fast & Easy Cookbook (Viking), Terakes advises you  cook them on the flat griddle plate, not the chargrill. Some juices and fat are bound to escape and, if they’re on the chargrill, it will ignite and cause flames that make for black, incinerated bangers. “They put everything inside the sausages for a reason. Poking them just lets a lot of those things, like moisture and flavour, escape. “If you poke the bangers and put them on the chargrill, you also need your head examined, because you are almost guaranteed to incinerate the sausages and end up with the alternative perfect Aussie banger: black on the outside and raw in the middle. “Cook the bangers over low heat and turn them often to prevent burning. The idea is to cook them through and not have them split open. Low heat and frequent turning will help.” The BBQ Challenge begins on August 31st in Young with the Hungry for Hilltops Regional NSW Showcase Dinner. This will be the first of a series of events in Young, Bowral and Inverell run over three weekends in September across inland NSW. The BBQ Challenge series will culminate in a cook-off between the winners of the three Challenges at Eveleigh Markets on October 20^th as part of the Crave Sydney International Food Festival. “People from all over the state can enter,” says Terakes.  “They don’t have to be from the region.  But they must be amateur cooks, not chefs.” It’s also a terrific opportunity to get out of the city and visit the regions. As Graham Perry, CEO of Inland NSW Tourism summed it up: ”The purpose of the BBQ Challenge is to encourage people to explore beyond their own backyard, while having fun engaging in one of Australia’s favourite pastimes – barbequing – and discovering just what inland NSW has to offer”. Winners of the BBQ Challenges in Young, Bowral and Inverell will each win a $2,200 ‘Stirling’ 6 burner stainless steel BBQ, rotisserie and cover from Everdure. The Grand Final winner from the Crave Sydney International Food Festival challenge at Eveleigh Markets will also win $2,000 cash.