Eumundi Smokehouse

I have heard and read so much about the Eumundi Smokehouse that it was one of our must-visit places. We weren't sure exactly where Dulwich Hill was but we were helped along by our friendly Refidex (oops, in Sydney it's a Gregory's).

I love sausages, I mean real ones, real meaty ones with flavour and depth and spice and character so when I walked into the shop and saw that there were curtains of sausages and garlic hanging from ceiling draped over everything I knew I was in heaven. It was quite a effort to get there though. We first saw the Eumundi Smokehouse stand at the Pyrmont Good Living Growers' Markets, but didn't get in to have a good look due to the crowds. I didn't mind then because it was our first day and we had heaps of time. We then went for the hour drive out to Dulwich Hill on Wednesday one afternoon, but it was closed. I still wasn't too disappointed because I remembered that I read that there were quite odd opening hours, but I hadn't checked what they were. We came home and I took some time to investigate the hours. In the Sydney Morning Herald and Not Quite Nigella, the hours are Thu-Fri 11am-6pm and Sat 7am-2pm. (Check out Not Quite Nigella for a photo of the fantastic sausage display). So, after we got that info we went for another trip out there on Thursday to find it closed again! This time we got out of the car and went for a walk. On the door it said that the store is open from 7am on Saturday. DD was very kind and agreed to another trip to Dulwich Hill on Saturday morning and we aimed to get there at 7am on the nose.

We didn't, unfortunately, getting there at 7:27am. We were teasing each other (and scaring me) by saying that the store would only be open from 7:00-7:30 and we'd get there and it would be closed. But it wasn't!!! (It was freezing in Dulwich Hill that Saturday morning, by the way).

I was astounded by the range of sausages and smoked meats there. I would have loved to try some of the fresh sausages, but we were driving back to Brisbane the next day and we had no way to keep them cold so we couldn't. I had to console myself by buying one of every smoked sausage I could see, except for the Hot Spanish because I'm a big hot spicy wimp.

The sausages we bought were:

Kasana: lean pork with James Squire's Porter (ale). This was beautifully meaty and tasty. I couldn't taste a dominant flavour, it was lovely and consistent.

Russian Farmer's Sausages: coarsely ground pork with dill, caraway, parsley, onion and vodka. This was my favourite. I could eat this over and over all day long. I was making pizza with my assorted sausage and I held back putting lots of this one on the pizza because I wanted to keep it to eat by itself! I loved the flavours coming through and the combination of all the herbs. I am a happier person having had this sausage.

Polish Kielbasa: lean pork, garlic, marjoram and vodka. This one didn't really do it for me, I'm afraid. I don't know whether it was the combination of marjoram and vodka, but it wasn't for me.

Chorizo: Pork, chilli, basil, onion, mint and coriander. This had definate spice and was quite strong for me. This was probably my least favourite, but it was still very good.

While I had definate favourites out of the four, they were all amazing. I made two pizzas and a pasta dish with them, and the flavours they imparted into the dishes were amazing. They were what every sausage should aspire to, every bit was full of flavour and meaty substance. David Kasmaroski is a sausage genius and I would happily travel quite aways to get these beauties. Unfortunately quite aways doesn't quite extend to a Brisbane to Sydney trip, so now I am going to have to wait until our next holiday to try them again. DD has had to put up with me Googling "brisbane smokehouse", "best brisbane smallgoods", "best brisbane delicatessan" and picking places for us to go and try so I can get a good sausage fix. I have been unsuccessful so far and I don't hold much hope *sad face*.

Eumundi sausages are one of a kind and every sausage lover should try them at least once. They are truly something else.

Funnily enough, after we had made our third trip from the Northern Beaches to Dulwich Hill to visit we drove to another market, this time in Roselle. What did we find at the market? A Eumundi Smokehouse stand. The gentleman there thought I was nuts when I told him, rather crazily, that we had just been out to Dulwich Hill to visit the store. He gave me a rather odd look and said he hoped I was looked after. I assured him I was before walking away in embarrasment at my enthusiam.

Eumundi Smokehouse
402 New Canterbury Rd
Dulwich Hill, NSW
Ph 02 9569 0205
At the time of visit, they were only open on Saturdays from 7am