In its essence, the Master Chef Sausage Series is a partnership between Robbie’s Gourmet Sausage Co. and WindsorEats that will attempt to elevate the craft of sausage making while shining a spotlight on the culinary artistry of Southern Ontario’s most talented and imaginative gastronomists.
The recipes for these links will come from a place of culture, personal history, daring creativity and originality. More importantly however, these collaborations are meant to highlight the epicurean talent that’s been hiding in the backs of hot, hectic kitchens where too many have sacrificed long days and so much more for the love of their craft.
Each chef has worked with Robbie on a unique sausage with flavours that represent their skills and passion. Each creation will only be available a for a month inside Robbie’s Gourmet Sausage Co. shop.
Chef: Rob Nesbitt
Restaurant: The Salty Dog
Sausage: The Al Pastor Sausage
Description of your sausage?
The Al Pastor sausage is a symphony of flavours, marrying achiote with guajillo and ancho peppers and infused with tropical pineapple. It’s a medium to mild sausage that transports you to the lovely Caribbean beaches of Mexico.
Al pastor or taco al Pastor was brought to Mexico from middle eastern immigrants. This sausage combines the key elements of the original al pastor. Pineapple, pork, guajillo peppers and a few more key ingredients.
Personal culinary highlights/awards?
Culinary highlights include opening 3 restaurants in a 5 year period. A highlight that sticks with me stems from a local write up in The Drive magazine. It highlights my path to where I currently work and the relationship and work ethic that I am instilling
Who is your biggest culinary influence?
Mexican cuisine would be the most influential to me. There was a time that Mexico wasn’t well know for their cuisine. In the last 15 years they have made tremendous improvements and brought out some top chefs.
What influenced you in making the flavours of this sausage?
I was heavily influenced by al pastor as it has been my number once go to on street carts in Puerto Vallarta for the past ten years. When working with Robbie Bornais on this sausage, it was our goal to introduce this dish to the local Windsor area. We wanted to educate people about the amazing flavour and rich history of this dish.
What is your favourite spice in your pantry at home?
My favourite spice at home would be the peppercorn. There’s many variations of the peppercorn and it is used in soups, salads and seasoning when cooking anything.
A recipe that pairs with/uses your sausage?
Taquitos. When you could eat a dozen tacos, but just make them smaller so you don’t feel bad about yourself for eating even more. Here’s a recipe for you to indulge in.
