Sausage contest shopping list

Plan the shopping around the number of teams, judges and guests rather than buying one large batch. You will need chilled meat, casings, recipe ingredients and separate tasting portions, plus enough barbecue capacity for every team. Cooling equipment, meat thermometers and labelled trays are easy to overlook until setup day. Add serving ware, waste bins, drinks and judging materials so the contest can run without teams sharing essential equipment.

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What to bring

Grouped the way you'd shop for it, with quantities.

Furniture

Tablesqty 10
Chairsqty 60
Work tablesqty 8
Judges' table
Waste binsqty 6

Equipment

Barbecuesqty 4
Gas cylindersqty 4
Coolersqty 6
Refrigeratorsqty 2
Meat thermometersqty 4
Kitchen scalesqty 4
Extension cordsqty 4
Power stripsqty 4

Kitchen

Cutting boardsqty 16
Chef's knivesqty 12
Mixing bowlsqty 16
Measuring cupsqty 8
Pliersqty 12
Spatulasqty 8
Meat grinderqty 4
Sausage stuffersqty 8
Baking traysqty 8
Aluminum traysqty 24

Tableware

Platesqty 80
Cutlery setsqty 80
Glassesqty 80
Coffee cupsqty 40
Serving plattersqty 20
Serving utensilsqty 20

Decorations

Race numbersqty 8
Tableclothsqty 10
Prize trophiesqty 3
Certificatesqty 8
Directional signsqty 6

Lighting

String lightsqty 6
Outdoor lightsqty 4

Cleaning

Washing-up basinsqty 4
Spongesqty 12
Hand soap dispensersqty 4
Towelsqty 12
Disinfectant sprayqty 6

Catering

Groceries
- Pork mince - 8 kilogram
- Ground beef - 5 kilogram
- Chicken mince - 4 kilograms
- Fresh sausage - 4 kilogram
- Natural casings - 12 meter
- Smoked breakfast bacon - 2 kilogram
- Onions - 4 kilograms
- Garlic - 8 bulbs
- Red bell pepper - 2 kilograms
- Green bell pepper - 2 kilogram
- Mushrooms - 2 kilogram
- Fresh parsley - 10 bunches
- Fresh thyme - 6 bunches
- Fresh rosemary - 6 bunches
- Eggs - 30 pieces
- Breadcrumbs - 2 kilogram
- Wheat flour - 2 kilogram
- Salt - 1 kilogram
- Black pepper - 250 grams
- Paprika powder - 250 gram
- Chili powder - 150 grams
- Cumin powder - 150 grams
- Curry powder - 150 grams
- Nutmeg - 100 grams
- Olive oil - 3 liters
- Sunflower oil - 3 liters
- Barbecue sauce - 4 liters
- Ketchup - 3 liters
- Mayonnaise - 3 liters
- Mustard - 2 liters
- Garlic sauce - 2 liters
- Chili sauce - 2 liters
- Satay sauce - 2 liters
- Hamburger buns - 80 pieces
- Baguettes - 12 pieces
- Butter - 1 kilogram
- Iceberg lettuce - 8 pieces
- Tomatoes - 4 kilogram
- Cucumbers - 3 kilograms
- Red cabbage - 2 kilograms
- Pickles - 3 jars
- Fried onions - 1 kilogram
- Potato salad - 5 kilograms
- Cola - 12 liters
- Cola Zero - 12 liters
- Orange soda - 8 liters
- Iced tea - 8 liters
- Sparkling mineral water - 12 liters
- Still mineral water - 12 liters
- Non-alcoholic beer - 24 bottles
- Beer - 96 bottles
- White wine - 8 bottles
- Red wine - 6 bottles
- Coffee - 2 kilograms
- Tea - 100 bags
- Milk - 6 liters
- Sugar - 1 kilogram
- Lemon - 2 kilogram
- Ice cubes - 20 kilograms
- Paper towels - 12 rolls
- Toilet paper - 24 rolls
- Trash bags - 50 pieces
- Dish soap - 3 liters
- Dishwasher tablets - 40 pieces
- Aluminum foil - 4 rolls
- Plastic wrap - 4 rolls
- Baking paper - 4 rolls
- Freezer bags - 2 boxes
- Nitrile gloves - 6 boxes

Tips

Allow about 250–300 g of sausage mixture per participant for testing, cooking and tasting, then buy casings and ingredients to match the number of recipes. Keep a small extra batch available for breakage or failed links.
Provide one work table, cutting board, knife, mixing bowl, measuring cup and set of utensils per competition team where possible. Sharing grinders or sausage stuffers creates a queue, so check how many teams use each machine before shopping.
Keep raw meat refrigerated at all times and plan at least one cooler or refrigerator with enough space for every team’s labelled ingredients. Buy ice or cold packs early; they are often forgotten until the morning of the contest.
Use at least one meat thermometer per cooking station, and buy batteries if the models require them. A thermometer for each team means judges are not waiting for a single reading while sausages continue cooking.
Count tasting plates, cutlery, glasses and serving platters for judges, participants and guests, then add roughly 10% extra. Bring separate trays or containers for raw and cooked sausage to prevent mix-ups at the judging table.

Frequently asked questions

How much sausage meat do I need per person for a sausage contest?: Plan on 250–300 g of sausage mixture per participant when each person or team is making a tasting batch. Add around 10% extra for test links, breakage and trimming. Adjust the amount if the contest includes a full meal rather than tasting portions.
How many sausages should I make for a tasting competition?: Aim for 3–5 small tasting pieces per judge for each entry, plus 2–3 pieces for the cooking team to check. For example, 4 entries judged by 5 people requires at least 60 judge portions before adding a 10% reserve.
When should I buy meat and other sausage ingredients?: Buy fresh meat no more than 24 hours before the contest and keep it refrigerated until processing. Dry ingredients, casings and disposable serving supplies can be purchased 3–7 days ahead, while ice and chilled drinks should be collected on the day.
How many meat thermometers and sausage stuffers do I need?: Provide one meat thermometer for every cooking station and ideally one sausage stuffer for each team. If equipment must be shared, allow at least 15 minutes per team for filling and test the queue before the contest starts.

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