D’Arcy’s Meat Market: STEPPING OUTSIDE THE BUN

There’s a saying: two things you don’t want to know how they’re made—laws and sausages. However, people should know how these are made, especially sausages. Many have eaten a sausage only to have our stomachs react unfavourably due to the high-fat content, high salt content, or the presence of unnecessary fillers. But don’t give up on the links just yet. If you haven’t tried sausages from your local butcher, then D’Arcy’s Meat Market would like you to reconsider because not every sausage is made equal.

Sausages are a type of processed meat, yet this term has some negative connotations because we envision sausages stuffed with unwanted animal parts and chemicals. But processed meat is any meat that has been marinated, seasoned or cured.

“There’s a huge difference between the low-quality sausage found in some big chain grocery stores versus the high-quality, artisan sausages sold in butcher shops,” explains Kyle Iseke, owner of D’Arcy’s Meat Market.

It’s true that butcher shop sausages are slightly more expensive, but you’re getting quality. There are two main elements that make a high-quality sausage: the quality of the meat and the quality of the seasonings. At D’Arcy’s, they make all their sausages from scratch and perfect the recipes. They use choice cuts of locally sourced fresh meat, and they use spices from Edmonton’s Silk Road Spice Merchant. The great advantage of buying sausages from a butcher is that they value customer feedback. For example, if multiple customers are saying the sausage is too salty, they can and will tweak the recipe. Most big grocery store chains aren’t able to offer that kind of service.

With the variety of spices that Silk Road offers, Kyle and his butchers can develop unique sausage flavours. And don’t think of sausages as only destined for the bun to be topped with the usual condiments.

“People need to see the value of higher quality sausages. It’s still a lower cost meat compared to other quality meat, but it can add huge flavour profiles to other dishes,” says Kyle.

Because of the sausage varieties, you can amp up almost any meal. Cut up an Italian sausage for spaghetti or slice a Cajun-flavoured sausage for gumbo, jambalaya or chili.

And the staff at D’Arcy’s are there to help you. Kyle and his staff like talking to their customers, finding out what they like and imparting some rules-of-thumb when buying any kind of meat. If you’ve been disappointed with sausages in the past, try a butcher’s shop. Talk to a butcher about what they can offer and you may just find your fridge or freezer well-stocked with a variety of delicious sausages.

Nitrites and Processed Meats

The Canadian Government regulates how much nitrites go into our food. A pepperoni, for example, that’s nitrate free may have a risk of developing botulism during the long and low-heat smoking process. If you’re unsure about nitrites and sausages, just to talk to an expert such as your local butcher.

This sponsored content was produced in partnership between Darcy’s Meat and T8N Magazine