Our Pick: Uncle’s Smallgoods
Over the years, we’ve been trying to perfect our smallgoods and while we’ve settled on some pretty winning recipes for our ham, bacon and smoked turkey – continental smallgoods like kabanas and frankfurts have always remained elusive. We wanted to have a big range in our charcuterie but it was a challenge to get all the products we wanted perfect – and at the volume to supply our 6 stores.
For this reason, we’ve been scouring Victoria for a smallgoods specialist to partner with in our Free Range Revolution and we’ve found them! We’re thrilled to welcome Uncle’s Smallgoods onto our shelves.
So what makes Uncle’s so special? They’re a small business that for years was owned and operated by a Polish family based out of Dandenong, Victoria. In 2013 management of the business was handed over to dynamic-duo Bert and Brendan, who made it their mission to preserve the centuries’-old Polish traditions that make their smallgoods both authentic and unique. By embracing a staunchly traditionalist wood-smoking approach to the curing and smoking of their meat, Uncle’s can rightly pride themselves on capturing a bygone flavour.
They are truly passionate about what they do, and by honouring authentic methods they are able to produce small, artisanal batches of some of Melbourne’s best smallgoods.
Their free range selection sources meat from some of the most reputable producers in Australia and NZ. Using APIQ certified Borrowdale free range pork, Cape Grim grass-fed beef and sustainably farmed Tasmanian salmon – we couldn’t ask for a partner more in keeping with our ethos and standards of animal welfare. Bert and Brenden hand-select all the meat that goes into their final product and smoke each one of them in an old-fashioned German-made steel smoker over redgum wood chips. Products are handcrafted daily – to maintain freshness – using fastidious, time-honoured techniques that suit small batches.
We’ve handpicked a greatest hits to make Uncles’ introduction, which includes: Kabana, Frankfurts, Spicy Kransky, Country Coil Sausage, Smoked Chicken Breast, 12h Smoked Brisket and Hot-Smoked Salmon.
Find them at our Hawthorn, Tooronga, South Yarra, Malvern and Kew locations, as well as online.
Images courtesy of Uncle’s Smallgoods.
