Miko Scottish Bangers- Breakfast of Champions

Miko Scottish Brand Bangers

Here's another type of sausage I ate growing up on Oahu. I remember getting up early on Sunday mornings and jumping in the car with my Dad to meet my Grandparents for breakfast at Zippy's on Nimitz highway near the harbor. My Grandfather, who spent his weeks working on the Big Island would come home to Honolulu on the weekends. For breakfast, he would sometimes order bangers and eggs. That's when I was first introduced to them.

Zippy's on Nimitz Highway

The Scottish banger is representative of many things that find their way to Hawaii's shores. The origins of how and why they made the long trek to such a distant remote island in the first place may be lost to history, but despite that, they become absorbed and adopted into Hawaii's culture and become as much a part of the islands as the people who initially brought them there and ended up staying.

Scottish bangers in Hawaii aren't very common. The only local company I know of that still makes them (or to my knowledge, ever made them) commercially is Miko Meat Corporation, a sausage and meat product manufacturer headquartered in Hilo-which may explain my Grandfather's affinity for them. The only place I know of where you used to be able to order them off the menu was at Zippy's. Unfortunately, I just checked out their website and they're no longer available there so I guess that means if I have a craving for them, I have to cook them up myself.

Fresh out of the Package, Wrinkles and All

If you can find them in the market, they come eight per package, tied off in pairs. Right on the package, it says, "How to prepare: Brown lightly in skillet or on rack in baking pan at 450 degree oven". When I would order them at Zippy's, they would come out really dark with an almost crispy casing. I think they must have deep fried them. I've found the way I like to cook them best is to cut them apart, put them in a hot pan with a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil and put the lid on. I let them brown up on one side, give the pan a shake like a jiffy pop popcorn pan and let them brown up on the other side. I don't know why they do it, but shaking the pan that way usually causes all the sausages to roll over onto their unbrowned side at the same time. Then I reduce the heat so they won't split open and let them cook through for a few more minutes.

Voila!

As Fat Bastard would say, "Get in my belly!"

In addition to all the other things that make their way into sausages these bangers contain 7.43% breadcrumbs or rusk...Wow, that's an exact figure!!! Not only do the breadcrumbs give the bangers their unique flavor and texture, they also aid in browning up a nice golden color.

That Looks Like 7.43% Breadcrumbs To Me

Breakfast of Champions

I always eat them with rice and a fried egg with a little shoyu drizzled on it, Hawaiian style.