IT was the irony of all ironies.

The day after my soccer team Rangers lost a heart-breaking penalty shoot-out to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League final, I had to review German deli Elmar’s Smallgoods.

Every time I looked down at the thick, intimidating bratwurst on my plate, I thought of Rangers midfielder Aaron Ramsey missing his crucial spot kick. 

Thankfully the food from the Myaree deli was top notch and slightly eased my post-final depression.

Tucked away in the corner of the North Lake Shopping Centre (just along from IGA), Elmar’s has a tiny shop front and is quite easy to miss.

Once inside it’s a bit of a tardis with a massive butcher-style counter and fridges crammed with German bangers.

It’s no-frills and compared to the lovely displays in others butchers and delis it was a bit underwhelming, looking more like an outlet tacked onto a factory than a standalone one.

However there was a fantastic range of produce on show including hams (Black Forest, cured pork knuckle), roasts and beef (kasseler aufschnitt, chilli beef), cold cuts, liverwurst (kalbsleberwurst, hausmacher) and salamis. I was really here for their legendary snags and boy did they have an amazing range with a fridge full of kranski, bratwurst, wiener and knacker.

I’m a bit of a purist so I went for the grillbratwurst (four for $13.28) and kranski (four for $16.06). 

They were already blanched, so I cooked them on the BBQ, aiming to get that crispy chargrilled skin you get on snags at the German Christmas markets.

These were top notch sausages with the grillbratwurst having a delicious mix of pork, veal and beef.

There wasn’t any gristle or rogue pieces of fat with the medium-ground meat having a nice firm texture.

The kranski was a smoky standout – a loud-and-proud snag with plenty of girth and a salty kick. I could detect some traces of garlic amongst the medium coarse pork and beef. Another winner.

We continued our meat feast with four kasseler chops ($33.90 per kg).

These thick-and-juicy specimens reminded me of the old salty gammon steaks you used to get back in the UK, albeit it a more high quality version with a beautiful intense flavour courtesy of the beechwood chips imported from Germany to smoke the meat.

Rounding things off were some smoked ribs ($10.31) which again were full of high quality meat and had that beautiful intense smoky flavour.

Elmar’s isn’t a German-themed franchise or shop; it’s actually owned by German couple Elmar and Anette Dieren who moved to Australia in 1987 and opened their first shop on Beaufort Street in Highgate (where they still make all their produce).

Their smallgoods were a hit with sandgropers and they soon expanded with a second outlet in Booragoon and went on to open the award-winning brewery/restaurant Elmar’s in the Valley.

When I was in the Myaree outlet there was two old German ladies buying food – so it is clearly authentic – and the friendly staff were having a good natter with them about sauerkraut and arthritis.

The meat sweats were building and my cholesterol was nudging double figures, but Elmar’s briefly banished my post-final blues, so its produce must be top notch and it gets the thumbs up from me.

Elmar’s Smallgoods
67 North Lake Road, Myaree
elmars.com.au

by STEPHEN POLLOCK