Lap Cheong Sausage

Ingredients

• 1 kg Pork, lean leg cut
• 400 g Pork fat

Marinade for the lean

• 20 g Salt
• 85 g Granulated sugar
• 2 g Prague powder #1
• 60 g Light soy sauce
• 40 g Rose wine, or Fenjiu or anything over 40% proof
• 200 g Water

For the candied pork fat

• Granulated sugar, enough to bury the pork fat

Equipment

• Funnel
• Chopstick
• Baker’s twine
• Sausage stuffer (optional) (buy)

Method

1. 1

   Separate the lean and the fat. Dice each into pea-sized pieces. Re-weigh each to make sure you’re still at 1 kg meat & 400g fat after trimming. Adjust other quantities proportionally.

2. 2

   Make the candied pork fat: blanch the fat for 2 minutes, rinse and let it drain for a few minutes. Lay in a bowl in alternating layers of pork fat and sugar. Cover and leave in the fridge overnight.

3. 3

   Cut the pork meat into small cubes. Mix with all the ingredients from the “marinade for the lean” section. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

4. 4

   Next day, prepare sausage skin/casings. I use artificial collagen casings which needs not prep, just use as is.

5. 5

   Rinse the sugar off the pork fat and drain, doesn't need to be dry. Combine the lean with the fat and the 200g of water. Mix well.

6. 6

   Scrunch the casing up the bottom of a funnel, leaving about 2 inches of casing at the end. Tie a knot at the end.

7. 7

   Stuffing the sausage is the time consuming part - I recommend using a sausage stuffer if you have one, it makes life 30X easier. If you don't have a stuffer machine, use a funnel - stuff the filling through the funnel with the wide end of a (Chinese-style) chopstick. Be patient, this takes some time. When about 2 inches of casing remain, tie another overhand knot to close it.

8. 8

   Using two toothpicks or needles, puncture the sausage every half inch or so down the whole casing, turning 90 degrees each time, until all four sides are done.

9. 9

   Cut four ~8-inch sections of baker’s twine and tie each in a loop. Separate the sausage into individual lap cheongs by laying the loop of twine under the sausage, looping it through itself and tightening.

10. 10

    Prick the sausages either with a specialist pricker, or sharp skewers to allow moisture to escape.

11. 11

    Give the sausages a quick rinse, pat dry and put in the oven at 40°C for 24 hours. Then hang in a cool, dry, sunny place for about 3 day. Alternatively put on a baking try and leave in a fridge for a week to dry & cure.