Longanisa, does this word sounds familiar to you? No? Okay, then let me tell you what it is then. Longanisa sausage is the Filipino version of the Hispanic Longaniza. Although the original sausage is dry and ready to be eaten the way it is; Filipino longanisa is a bit different than the Hispanic version. The meat is cured but still raw and needs to be cooked before consuming it.
Longanisa is a very popular food in the Philippines especially during breakfast time. The flavor of these sausages are heavily influenced by the different regions, so you can easily tell which place or region Longanisa is made from since each one has their own signature taste and flavoring.
My version of Longanisa is the sweet kind and has more of a resemblance to hamonado. Here in the Midwest, we have a few international groceries stores that sell Longanisa, but I find their prices to be a bit expensive. So, this is why I did my research so I could make these little delights for half the cost and the best part is, I know exactly what is going in to my Longanisa.
I know, I know, most of you are thinking it doesn’t taste the same… Well – hold off on the skepticism and try my version. You’ll be surprised at how good it is and the best part is you don’t have those questionable ingredients such as, prague powder, sodium phosphate, isolate, and carrageenan. I am not saying these ingredients are bad for you, but I dislike using anything that I am not familiar with.
My Longanisa is cased in hog sausage casing which you can buy at just about any supermarket or butcher shop very cheaply. And don’t worry, you can make these Longanisa without investing in a sausage stuffer with things you probably already have in your kitchen.
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 Tablespoons vinegar
- 2 Tbs Shao xing wine
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ Tablespoon salt
- 2 Pounds coarsely ground pork
- 2 Head of garlic, peeled and minced
- 2 Teaspoons ground white pepper
- 2 Tbs paprika
- 2 Tbs crushed pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 Tsp red food dye (optional)
- Hog casing
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons oil
- In a bowl, combine soy sauce, vinegar, shao xing wine, sugar, and salt. Stir until sugar and salt are dissolved. In a large bowl, combine ground pork, pork fat, garlic, pepper, and paprika. Add the liquid mixture and mix gently until combined. Refrigerate for about 2 hours to allow flavors to meld and to firm up meat mixture.
- In a bowl, soak casings in warm water for about 30 minutes. Drain well. In the sink, run warm water through casings. Check for spots with leaks and cut these sections.
- On one end of the casing, insert the nozzle of a funnel. Scoop pork mixture into funnel and gently pack into casings, leaving about 5-inches on both ends. Do not over stuff casings. Tie off one end into a double knot. Alternatively, you can tie with fine kitchen twine.
- To make individual sausage links, pinch sausage at intervals of about 4 inches. Gently twist the sausage link at this "pinched" point in one complete rotation. Repeat this process all the way down the coil but alternating the direction of twisting (towards you and away from you) from one link to the next. Tie off the other end into a double knot or with kitchen twine. Place in a Ziploc bag and refrigerate overnight.
- When ready to cook, cut sausage into individual links.
- With a knife, prick each sausage once or twice. In a pan over medium heat, combine links and water. Bring to boil. Lower heat, cover and continue to cook until meat is cooked through and liquid is almost absorbed. Add oil and continue to cook, stirring regularly, until sausages are caramelized.
- Remove from pan and serve hot.
Ingredients: ground pork, kosher or pickling salt, soy sauce, vinegar, shao-xing wine, garlic, hog casings, food twine, paprika, white pepper, black pepper, brown sugar.
Do-it-yourself sausage stuffer: Cut the bottom of the Datu-puti plastic bottle as shown in picture.
Find something that you can use as a plunger. I found that the nutella lid fits perfect inside the Datu-puti vinegar bottle.
As you can see, the nutella lid makes a tight fit inside the bottle.
Fill the bottle from the bottom opening with the meat mixture until full.
Place the nutella lid and use it as a plunger.
Once you place the lid, you’re ready for the hog casing.
Follow the instructions on how to hydrate the hog casing before using it. Feed the entire section of the sausage casing over the neck of the bottle as shown in picture.
Gently grip the sausage casing while pushing the nutella lid with your other hand. Be careful not to put too much pressure on the hog casing, releasing it while pushing the plunger.
Be patient on this part. If you take your time and be careful, you’ll have a nice stuffed sausage casing.
When you empty the bottle, push the nutella lid on one side to where it will be side ways inside the bottle, so you can grab it out of the bottle. After that, you’re ready to fill the bottle again with sausage mixture and repeat the process until you’re done.
If you follow my instructions, yours should look like the picture. 🙂
You can link your sausage by using food grade twine like it shows in the picture. The length of the links will be up to you. I find 2 inches is good, but you can do whatever size you want or cook the whole thing without linking it.
Don’t forget to prick your sausage. If you don’t, it will explode when you cook it due to the pressure that will build up. Trust me, I learned this the hard way…
Cook the Longanisa by adding water. The water should be covering the sausage about halfway deep. As you can see, I added some paprika add some red food coloring to give the sausage a red color. I did it this way since I forgot to add the food dye to the meat mixture.
This is your finished product… Doesn’t it look delicious?
Serve this Longanisa for breakfast with garlic fried rice and vinegar dipping sauce. Enjoy!
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LOVE IT! I’ve always wanted to try to make my own longanisa but it seemed like a difficult process. Thank you for breaking it down and implementing tools that I can easily make at home. (instead of buying tools)
I’ve always wanted to make my own longanisa. Thanks for this!
The longanisa looks so good. I hope mine turns out the same.
Perceft!!! thank you sharing.. 🙂
Hi Robert,
I want to try your recipe, but can i make this without the hog casing? I want to make skinless longganisa?
Thank you -Ash
Of course, it looks delicious, will check some grocery stores out here if I can see your longanisa.