Bunnings shoppers are discovering that WA does its sausage sizzles a little differently to the rest of the nation.
One of the drawcards of popping into the chain hardware store has always been the chance to grab a bite from the iconic sausage sizzle out the front.
But a revelation about the Bunnings sausage sizzle offering in Western Australia has Aussies from other states up in arms.
‘Did you know in WA Bunnings snags are served in hot dog buns, not a slice of bread?’ read a recent post on an online discussion forum.
The revelation came from a Western Australian resident, who only realised that a bun wasn’t the norm after they were recently in Victoria – and were surprised to be handed a sausage sizzle ‘in a slice of bread’.
The discovery sparked immediate outrage from people in states outside of WA.
‘BLASPHEMY! The Holy Bunnings snag must be served in a bread slice, not a bun!’ one hilariously outraged response read.
‘Outrageous. I don’t like it,’ chimed in another.
The iconic Bunnings sausage sizzle has always been integral to the experience of visiting the Aussie hardware giant
Bunnings shoppers have discovered that in WA, it’s standard to serve their sausage sizzle in a bread roll
‘That’s disgusting,’ one person added, while another simply declared: ‘You monsters!’
‘How do I unread this?’ read one highly-liked reply.
One response stamped their authority on the matter with the no-nonsense reply: ‘Nope. You get a sausage in bread at a sausage sizzle.’
Several replies questioned whether it was ‘even Australian’ to serve a bun instead of a single slice of bread at a sausage sizzle.
‘That’s un-Australian. It’s a sausage sizzle, not a hot dog,’ one affirmed.
‘What’s un-Australian is a sausage (other than a frankfurt) in a hot dog bun,’ another added.
‘We eat sausage sizzles, not Yankee hot dogs!’ another person offered.
One person simply replied: ‘WTF Western Australia.’
A Bunnings sausage sizzle in most Australian states is usually served in a piece of square sandwich bread
Though shocking to people from most other Australian states, a 2022 report in Perth Now did indeed confirm that a sausage sizzle served in a bun is their norm.’
WA is the only state with the sense to put its beloved sausage inside a specially shaped “hot dog” bread roll. Genius!’ read part of the report.
‘Everywhere else in Australia simply wedges that snag between a slice of conventionally shaped, square bread,’ the report added, championing how WA sausage sizzles ‘go the extra mile’ by instead offering a bun.
Daily Mail reached out to a Bunnings spokesperson, who also confirmed the key difference.
‘In Western Australia, our volunteers usually serve snags in bread rolls, while in other states the classic slice of bread tends to reign supreme,’ they said. ‘Either way, it’s all about a good snag, a bit of sauce and raising funds for local communities.’
The Bunnings spokesperson also confirmed that they understood their customers are ‘extraordinarily passionate’ about their iconic sausage sizzle – and that they were also a vital community fundraiser, which last year alone ‘helped raise and contribute more than $67 million for community organisations across Australia and New Zealand’.
The recent online discussion thread consequently saw Western Australian locals jump in to defend their state’s preference of a bun as the bread vessel for their sausage.
‘In WA – always a hot dog bun,’ declared one reply.
Western Australian residents defended their use of a bread roll in a sausage sizzle, claiming it allows ‘more room for add-ons like onions and sauces’
‘The bun thing in WA is not just at Bunnings either: school events, voting polls, you name it – we like the beef sausage in a fresh, fluffy roll.’
Many WA residents were firmly of the belief that a bun is also quite naturally a far better choice for the Aussie delicacy.
‘Having grown up with the slice of bread and now getting the bun, the bun is definitely superior,’ one claimed.
‘It’s a sausage in an infinitely better tasting roll!’ another pointed out.
‘A bun or roll is way better – with more room for add-ons like onions and sauces.’
Some West Australians who’d discovered that a sausage sizzle was done differently in other states were equally stunned by the use of a humble bread slice.
‘As a Western Australian I was shocked when I found out over east it comes in bread.’
Another added: ‘I’ve been over east a few times… no sunset over the ocean – and a mere slice of bread for their sausage sizzle. I don’t know how they cope.’
But those outside WA explained that using a bread roll instead of a slice of sandwich bread creates an even bread-to-sausage ratio
Another WA resident pondered how a piece of ‘cheap bread’ can even ‘hold up to the sauce and a hot sausage without a hole forming’.
One WA local was similarly in disbelief over how a square-shaped piece of bread could possibly even work. ‘Add onions and tomato sauce and I reckon you’d have nothing but mess on your hands.’
Meanwhile, even one overseas visitor thought it strange to use a single bread slice instead of a bun, recalling: ‘The first time I had a snag in Australia I thought the host couldn’t find buns at the store! It was only the second time that I realised it’s normal.’
The use of a fancy bun over a humble bread slice certainly raised the eyebrows of Aussie residents outside WA.
‘Sandgropers obviously doing well… You watch, it’ll be brioche buns next month,’ read one cheeky reply.
‘Well la-di-dah, I’m going to wear a top hat and monocle, go to Bunnings WA for a roll, and then play polo,’ another joked.
One person simply dubbed the WA sausage sizzle: ‘Nouveau riche snags’.
However, many from outside the west argued that a bun misses the whole point.
One thing the majority of Aussies agreed on is that a sausage sizzle should never be called a hot dog, even if served in a roll or bun
‘You’d need more sauce and also more time to eat it,’ one Aussie argued. ‘Having a piece of bread means it’s mostly sausage at about a 1:1.5 ratio – much nicer and juicier, in my opinion.’
Another said they’d be ‘upset’ if they were handed their sausage sizzle ‘in a bun’ – while another argued that it would be too much bread compared to the sausage meat.
‘This insanity must stop. We need to get relief shipments of bread over to them before they do something weird like try to form a separate country,’ read one witty reply.
Whatever the vessel, one thing most Aussies agreed on in the Reddit discussion is never to call it anything other than a sausage sizzle.
‘I can’t stand people who call it a hot dog,’ read one reply.
‘It low key annoys me when people call a Bunnings sausage sizzle a hot dog,’ another agreed.
