This is a delicious version of Filipino sausage. A porky, tangy, sweet, garlicky sausage usually eaten for breakfast. The flavor of this sausage only deepens when cooked over a grill. It’s truly a labor of love well worth the effort.
| Level: | Advanced |
| Total: | 6 hr 30 min |
| Active: | 4 hr 30 min |
| Yield: | 8 to 10 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 to 4 hog casings, plus more if needed (some may tear)
- 4 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
- 2 pounds skinless pork belly or pork fatback, frozen until firm, then cut into 3/4-inch cubes
- 1 head garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil, plus more for the stuffer attachment and the grill
- 1/2 cup annatto seeds
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup coconut vinegar or distilled white vinegar
Instructions
- Separate the casings and rinse well, then transfer to a bowl and cover with cold water; soak 30 minutes. Drain and rinse the casings, then run water through the insides. Return the casings to the bowl, cover with cold water and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Toss the pork shoulder, pork belly, garlic, brown sugar and 3 tablespoons each salt and pepper in a large bowl. Spread out on a baking sheet and freeze until cold but not frozen, 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil and annatto seeds in a small saucepan over medium heat until the oil bubbles around the seeds, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool. Strain the oil through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl. Mix the soy sauce and vinegar in a separate bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.
- About 30 minutes before making the sausage, chill all parts of the meat grinder attachment of a stand mixer in the freezer.
- Fit the grinder with a coarse-grind die. Set a large bowl in a larger bowl of ice and position under the grinder. Feed the pork mixture through the grinder on the second lowest speed into the bowl.
- Transfer half of the ground meat to the stand mixer bowl. Beat with the paddle attachment on low speed, slowly adding half of the annatto oil and half of the soy sauce mixture, 2 to 3 minutes; transfer to a separate bowl. Repeat with the remaining ground meat, annatto oil and soy sauce mixture; combine all the sausage in one bowl, cover and refrigerate at least 5 hours.
- Set up a sausage stuffer attachment with a large tube. Lightly coat the tube with vegetable oil and slide a casing over it until 4 inches are left at the end; tie in a knot. Fill the sausages (see directions at right for coils and links). Prick holes in the sausages every inch with a sterilized needle and refrigerate until ready to grill.
- About 30 minutes before grilling, let the sausages sit at room temperature. Preheat a grill to medium and prepare for indirect cooking: On a gas grill, turn off half the burners; on a charcoal grill, bank the coals to one side. Once the grill registers 325˚ F to 350˚ F, lightly brush the sausages with vegetable oil and place on the cooler side of the grill (indirect heat). Cook, covered, flipping once, 20 minutes. Move the sausages to direct heat and cook, flipping often and moving the sausages around to prevent flare-ups, until browned and a thermometer inserted into the centers registers 155˚ F, 10 to 30 more minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.
- To Make Coiled Sausages: Put half of the ground sausage mixture in a bowl set in a larger bowl of ice, then start filling the stuffer, packing in the meat to prevent air pockets. Turn the mixer to medium-low speed and start stuffing the first casing, adding more of the meat mixture when the compartment is about half empty. If air pockets form, pop the casing with a sterilized needle, then gently squeeze the filling to fill any voids. Do not overfill the casing — it should be able to bend and flex. Once the first casing is full, slide it off the stuffer tube and tie a knot to seal; trim off any excess casing. Repeat to make another long sausage. Coil each sausage into a spiral and skewer each with 2 long metal skewers in an X.
- To Make Sausage Links: Follow the directions above for filling the sausages, but use only one-quarter of the ground sausage mixture per casing. Repeat to make 4 long sausages (do not coil). Separate the sausages into links by pinching the sausage every 4 inches; twist the casings in opposite directions to make links. Tie with kitchen twine, if desired.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 10 servings |
| Calories | 1325 |
| Total Fat | 104 g |
| Saturated Fat | 32 g |
| Carbohydrates | 40 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 32 g |
| Protein | 57 g |
| Cholesterol | 3119 mg |
| Sodium | 1066 mg |