Your Link to Alberta's Finest Meat Products

By Phil Wilson

If you’ve ever wanted to be that person at a party who has the hot tips on where to get all the best stuff in town, you’re in luck, because we’re about give you the low-down on great places to get fantastic meat products around Alberta.

Summer is coming, and that means the search is on for the very best sausages money can buy.

Edmonton is very lucky to have experienced a real boom in the quality and quantity of fresh sausages available, and one artisan in particular, Fuge Fine Meats, has been raising the bar locally with his outstanding links.

Steven Furgiuele, owner of Fuge, put in his time in the restaurant industry, most notably almost 4 years at Culina Millcreek, but came to the conclusion that he was not cut out for the grind of line cooking, neither mentally nor physically. However, Furgiuele still had a love of food and creativity, so starting his own business seemed inevitable.

Steven Furgiuele, owner of Fuge Fine Meats.

Since his successful ATB BoostR campaign, which saw 121 people support the sausage maker to the tune of over $21,000, Fuge now boasts no less than 19 varieties of fresh sausages along with a dozen types of salami.

Furgiuele has a deep affinity for the products born from his roots. “The Italian-focused products really strike a sentimental nerve with me. The Italian Fennel and the F-Bomb both feature copious amounts of red wine and pepperoncino from Calabria, where my father Franco (the F in F-Bomb) is from.”

The Italian Fennel features toasted fennel and coriander, whereas the F-Bomb cranks up the heat with double the chili flakes and pepper paste. Furgiuele gets even more excited talking about one of his cured products, the Calabrese Soppressata, which reminds him of his days sausage making with his dad. “The first time I nailed my rendition of it, I called my father in Sault Ste. Marie to tell him I did it.”

Fresh sausage at Fuge.

Though the classics are inspiring, there’s plenty more tricks in the Fuge bag too. Four types of Bratwurst, a Chorizo Verde sausage, and a unique Gyoza link also grace the lineup, along with the Kielbasa Lazarenko, a nod to his Culina mentor, Brad Lazarenko. Though building a new business keeps him hopping, Furgiuele wouldn’t have it any other way.

“It’s all a sense of pride and satisfaction. I have built these recipes from the ground up. I always feel as though I am honouring my family and my roots. It’s my food with my standards. I’m living the dream – or trying.”

In Calgary, Alpine Sausage has been proudly slinging some of Southern Alberta’s finest meats since 1981. With over 30 types of sausage available, head butcher Brett Norman is kept pretty busy.

Brett’s sister, Janeen Norman, says that they’re especially proud of the Smoked Hungarian Sausage, which features Hungarian Paprika that a generous customer brings back personally from her trips to Europe. “It’s so full of amazingly rich flavour and kicks the pants off the paprika we get here in North America”.

Brett Norman, head butcher at Alpine Sausage.

Alpine Sausage also features old-world recipes, with the emphasis on old. “Our recipes for Danish Salami (Spegenpolse), Danish Pork Roll (Rullenpolse), and Liver Pate (Leverpostej) are over 100 years old,” says Norman, knowing full well this stuff sells itself.

The family has a passion for food, and at no time is that more evident than when Janeen talks about Alpine’s bacon. “We are incredibly famous for our bacon. We make over 200 Kg of bacon weekly, and it’s even been over to Afghanistan with our troops.”

Her favourite is Maple Cayenne, which sounds like a sweet and spicy delight, but the Black Forest bacon, double smoked, and British bacon are popular too. With all bacon cured, smoked, and sliced in house, Alpine should be on any Calgarian’s bacon bucket list.

Alpine Sausage has been serving some of Southern Alberta's finest meats since 1981.

Round out your local meat shopping with these additional favourites:

Victoria Fancy Sausage, in Edmonton, makes 10 varieties of deli luncheon meats in-house, along with numerous fresh or smoked sausages, a half dozen varieties of bacon, smoked ham, multiple varieties of liverwurst, and even Kubbie patties. It’s your one-stop-shop for bbq season.

The Mundare Sausage House is home to Alberta’s most famous sausage, the Stawnichy’s Ham Sausage, which is not only delicious, but is the subject of a massive 42’ tall sausage statue in Mundare. The edible version is fully cooked and ready to eat.

Irving Farm Fresh in Three Hills has a wide range of pork products, but it’s their Berkshire bacon that steals the show. It’s available in many Alberta farmers markets and The Italian Centre, and it’s worth making a special trip for.

Empire Provisions’ Calgary retail space may be new, but their reputation for quality charcuterie is already known far and wide. Take their selection of fresh or cured sausages to go, or enjoy many Empire Provisions products in their café.

VDG Salumi in Calgary specializes in handcrafted, traditional Italian Salumi. Soppressata, Guanciale, Coppa, and more can be found to make your charcuterie board the envy of the neighbourhood.

Valbella Gourmet Foods has been the pride of Canmore for over 40 years, specializing in European sausages, hams, and charcuterie.

Phil Wilson is a food writer at Baconhound, Culinaire Magazine, and regular contributor for CBC Edmonton. Phil has a passion for comfort food, which is why he doesn’t own any speedos.