Make Longganisa
Longganisa is a popular Filipino breakfast sausage traditionally made from ground pork, although chicken and beef can also be used. Its origin is associated with Portuguese linguica and Spanish chorizo, with variations found throughout Mexico and Latin America. In the Philippines, you'll find regional specialties of longganisa, with each area using its own unique blend of native spices and seasonings. There are two broad categories of longganisa favorites: derecado (garlicky) and hamonado (sweet).
Contents
Ingredients
This recipe yields 20-24 sausages.
- 1/4 cup dark soy sauce
- 1/3 cup white vinegar
- 5 garlic cloves, crushed
- 3 tablespoons crushed, dried bay (laurel) leaves
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1-1/2 tablespoons salt
- 1 teaspoon white or black pepper
- 2 lbs. lean ground pork
- 1/2 to 1 lb. pork fat, cubed
- sausage casing
- 1/2 to 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
Steps
Preparing the Meat Mixture
- In a large bowl, add the soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, bay leaves, paprika, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Stir the ingredients together until the brown sugar is dissolved.
- Add the ground pork and pork fat to the bowl, and mix well.
- Refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight. This will allow the meat to firm and the flavors to blend well before forming the sausages.
Forming Sausages Using Casing
- Prepare the casing. Store bought casing usually will come packaged in brine or salt. Thoroughly rinse the casing in lukewarm water to remove traces of the salt. If the casing is too long to work with easily, cut off a manageable length.
- Ease the casing onto the nozzle of a funnel, leaving {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}}. Tie a double knot at this end.
- Scoop the meat mixture, a small amount at a time, into the funnel and gently pack into the casing. When it's filled, remove the funnel and tie a double knot at the end of the rope of sausage.
- Create small, individual sausages by pinching the rope at even intervals. At each interval, twist the rope several times. You can also use cooking twine to tie the ends.
- Using a toothpick or fork, gently prick a few holes into the skin of each sausage. This will help prevent the sausages from bursting while cooking later.
- Dry the sausages in the refrigerator before cooking or freezing.
Forming Sausages With Wax Paper
- Cut wax paper into smaller sheets, about six inches square.
- Place a scoop of the meat mixture in the center of a sheet. Roll the sheet firmly around the meat mixture to shape the sausage and twist each end of the wax paper to enclose.
- Freeze the wrapped sausages. Remove the wax paper covering before cooking.
Making Skinless Sausages by Hand
- Lightly oil your hands, and then mold a scoop of the mixture into a sausage or patty shape.
- Place the sausages on a tray covered with wax paper. Cover with plastic wrap if you want to keep them in the refrigerator.
- To freeze, individually wrap the sausages in plastic wrap.
Cooking the Sausages
- Place the sausages (frozen is OK) side by side in a frying pan, with 1/2 to 1 cup of water. If you used sausage casing, gently prick a few holes into each sausage with a fork to release the steam during cooking.
- Keep the heat at a low simmer and turn the sausages periodically. When the water evaporates, the fat in the sausages will release and continue to fry. If there is not enough fat, add some of the cooking oil to the pan.
- Fry the longganisa until they're golden brown and completely cooked. Be careful as the oil may splatter. You can use aluminum foil to protect the stove top areas.
- Transfer the sausages to a paper towel to drain the excess oil.
Tips
- Serve the longganisa hot with garlic fried rice, fried eggs, and fresh tomato slices for a traditional Filipino breakfast meal.
- Prepare longganisa without any pork fat or reduce the amount used based on your own preferences. Typically, the ratio suggested is 4:1 lean ground meat to fat, or even as much as 2:1. If you do reduce the amount of pork fat used in the recipe, then you may want to also adjust the amount of spices.
- Make certain you cook the sausages thoroughly.
- Vary the seasonings to suit your own taste. After mixing the raw ingredients together for the meat mixture, take a small amount and fry it. Taste it and adjust the spices accordingly.
