**The Art of Making Traditional Chinese Sausage**

Traditional Chinese sausage is a staple in many Asian households, and its unique flavor profile has made it a favorite among meat enthusiasts. The key to making a good sausage lies in the quality of the ingredients used, particularly the pork belly and pork shoulder. Pork belly is about 50% fat, which provides the necessary moisture and flavor to the sausage, while pork shoulder is relatively lean, adding texture and balance to the final product.

When making traditional Chinese sausage, it's essential to combine pork belly and pork shoulder in a specific ratio to achieve the desired fat content. By blending these two cuts together, you can control the fat ratio between 25% to 30%, ensuring that the sausage is neither too dry nor too greasy. The leaner meat from the pork shoulder helps prevent the sausage from becoming tough and dry as it ages.

**Preparing the Meat**

To start making the sausage, take a pound of pork belly and pound it until it's smooth, then chop it into small pieces. Next, add three tablespoons of high-level alcohol (such as high-proof grain or fruit wine) to the meat mixture. The alcohol content should be at least 30% to ensure proper bacterial killage, flavor enhancement, and texture modification during aging. It's also crucial to use an alcohol that doesn't have a strong flavor profile, as this will affect the final taste of the sausage.

After mixing the meat with the alcohol, cover it with plastic film and refrigerate overnight (approximately 8-12 hours). This step is essential for allowing the meat to develop its natural enzymes, which help break down proteins and create a more tender sausage. The following day, prepare the seasoning mix by combining ingredients such as salt, sugar, five-spice powder, and other desired spices.

**Preparing the Casing and Sausage Stuffer**

To start making the casing for the sausage, soak it in clean water for about 30 minutes to soften it. Then, take a piece of the casing and attach it to the sausage stuffer tube, ensuring that there are no air bubbles or sharp edges that could cause the casing to tear. Repeat this process until all the casing is attached, then twist it at both ends to seal.

Next, prepare the meat for stuffing into the casing by mixing it with the seasoning blend and adding any additional ingredients such as herbs or spices. Use a sausage stuffer machine to push the mixture through the casing tube, which can be time-consuming but rewarding.

**Aging and Drying**

After stuffing the sausage, tie off the ends of each link with a rope made from plant fibers, animal intestine, or other materials suitable for sausage-making. Hang the sausages in a cool, well-ventilated area to age and dry. Traditional Chinese sausage typically requires 10 to 15 days of aging and drying to develop its characteristic flavor and texture.

In the summer months, it's essential to store the sausages in an air-conditioned space or refrigerator to slow down bacterial growth. In this case, you can also use a modified recipe to make traditional Chinese sausage without refrigeration. To dry the sausage without a fridge, spread them on paper towels or cloth and let them sit at room temperature for 10-15 days.

**Cooking and Serving**

Once the sausages have aged and dried, they're ready to cook. Pan-frying is a great way to achieve the desired level of crispiness on the outside while keeping the inside juicy. Serve the sausage hot with hashbrowns and perfectly cooked eggs for a delicious breakfast or add it to your favorite dishes.

For an easy rice cooker recipe called "Large Humming Fan," simply combine cooked rice, taro cubes, frozen vegetables, oyster sauce, soy sauce, garlic chili sauce, and sliced sausages in a bowl. Cook according to the manufacturer's instructions until the liquid is absorbed and the flavors have melded together.

**Tips and Tricks**

When making traditional Chinese sausage, it's essential to follow proper food safety guidelines to avoid contamination and ensure the product remains fresh for consumption. This includes using clean equipment, storing ingredients properly, and following recommended aging times.

In addition to these tips, keep in mind that making sausage is a time-consuming process that requires patience, persistence, and practice. Start with small batches and experiment with different flavors and ingredients until you achieve your desired result.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhi everyone welcome to souped-up recipes I made a non spicy Cantonese sausage not so long ago a lot of you are asking me for a spicy version so today we're making such an spicy and numbing sausage the flavor is so strong and tropical it can really blow your mind also at the end of this video I will talk about two easy ways to use the sausage so stick with me and let's get started first let's make a spice mix this sausage is going to be hot and numbing so of course a handful of red dried chilies you can adjust the spicy level to your own preference follow up with 2 tbsp of citron peppercorn that is where the numbness comes from these two ingredients are the main elements for this recipe if you skip any of them you will not ruin the sausage but it's not going to be the Sushant style anymore based on that we will add some other spices 1 TSP of cumin seeds 1 TSP of black peppercorn 12 pieces of cloves 1/2 of a black cardamom 1 piece of star anise a small piece of cinnamon I am just breaking it apart so it will be easier to grind 1 piece of dry orange peel break it apart as well if you don't have the dry form you can use some finely minced fresh orange peel cover it and blend it into a fine powder be careful when you open the lid it's very strong and spicy it smells good already very tangy like a spices heaven let that go through a sieve so we can get of some stubborn pieces mostly will be the chili seeds those are spicy you wouldn't want that in your sausage after that will add 60 grams of salt and 40 grams of sugar I will put the written recipe in the description and you can check it out later just mix this up and set aside we'll take care of our meat you can use pork belly pork shoulder pork but what I like to do is combining one part of pork shoulder and one part of pork belly together see how nice those clear layers are the skin is on I'm gonna remove that just do a cut in the middle and slice it against the cutting board there you go cut all the pork belly into smaller strips then slice it into bite-size I know most sausage you had are made by ground meat the reason I don't use ground pork is that it does make a big difference I prefer the sausage that when you take a bite there are real meat pieces inside this is the way how the traditional Chinese sausage is made for centuries you could use ground meat but it does come out different in texture once you are done with the pork belly you just do the same thing to the pork shoulder it might look like too much work but it's definitely worth it pork belly is about 50% fat and pork shoulder is pretty lean by combining two kinds of cut together you control the fat ratio in between 25 to 30 percent you don't want to use completely lean meat because the sausage would dry out as the day goes by without the fat there will be tough dry and difficult to chew the more fat it has the juicier it will be if you do want to use 50% fat ratio go ahead but it is not something that I prefer next take the seasoning mix and dump it into the meat along with 3 tbsp of high-level alcohol the alcohol content needs to be at least 30% the higher the better also you want to use the alcohol that doesn't have that much flavor so it doesn't affect the final taste do not skip the alcohol because it has many purpose in this recipe it kills the bacteria also changes the flavor and the texture of the meat as the day goes by cover it with a plastic film and let it sit in the fridge overnight the next day you can start preparing the casing and the sausage stuffer according to the seller this package here is enough for a hundred pounds of meat I am only doing 2 kilograms meat today so I just need this little bit the rest of it I put it in a container with a little bit water and lots of salt put it in the fridge this is the sausage stuffer I'm using today it came with four pieces you just simply put them together I got it online it's really cheap I'll put the buying link in the description so you can check it out soak the casing in clean water take the end and put it on the tube make sure you don't have sharp nails or else you might break the casing by accident just keep putting the casing until you reach the end stop the meeting pack it tight so you don't get any bubbles connect it with the tube push the meat into the casing once it reaches the length that you want give it a little squeeze and tie it with the rope this process takes a little patient and time you just keep doing it until you finish all the meat check all the surface of the sausage and if you see any air bubbles just poke it with a toothpick put all the sausage on the drying rack and let it sit in the fridge uncovered for 10 to 15 days depends on the humidity and the temperature if you see the surface is completely dry that means it is good when I filmed this video it was summertime so I have to put it in the fridge here is how you can make the sausage in the winter without the fridge maybe some of you can try it this way now your sausage is made how to store it it will last about six months in the freezer if you put the sausage in the fridge take it out every 10 days let it air-dry outdoor for a day and put it back into the fridge in this way it will last three months in the fridge now let me show you two easy ways how I use the sausage I like to pan fry it until it is bursting serve it with hashbrowns and perfectly cooked egg I know it sounds weston trust me you will definitely want this nice breakfast to start your morning I'm also going to show you another way to eat it it is a rice cooker recipe we call it large humming fan so 2 cups of rice washed and drained add 1 cup of taro cube pour in 2 cups plus 1/4 cup of water 1 cup of frozen vegetables just some carrot and green beans to give it some nice color add some seasonings 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce 2 TSP of soy sauce 1 tablespoon of my homemade garlic chili sauce he can use any seasonings you like place some sausage slices on the top and you just turned on the rice cooker wait for it to be done open the lid and mix all the ingredients until well combined this is such a quick and easy recipe the rice and the taro a bit off some of that sausage flavor tastes really good the sausage itself is a very intense you can feel that strong tingling from the citron peppercorn which is what I love about once you try it you will fall in love with it I hope you give this sausage or my other recipe ago if you haven't yet click my channel name and find out how to make your favorite Chinese sweet new videos coming out every Wednesday and I'll see you next time byehi everyone welcome to souped-up recipes I made a non spicy Cantonese sausage not so long ago a lot of you are asking me for a spicy version so today we're making such an spicy and numbing sausage the flavor is so strong and tropical it can really blow your mind also at the end of this video I will talk about two easy ways to use the sausage so stick with me and let's get started first let's make a spice mix this sausage is going to be hot and numbing so of course a handful of red dried chilies you can adjust the spicy level to your own preference follow up with 2 tbsp of citron peppercorn that is where the numbness comes from these two ingredients are the main elements for this recipe if you skip any of them you will not ruin the sausage but it's not going to be the Sushant style anymore based on that we will add some other spices 1 TSP of cumin seeds 1 TSP of black peppercorn 12 pieces of cloves 1/2 of a black cardamom 1 piece of star anise a small piece of cinnamon I am just breaking it apart so it will be easier to grind 1 piece of dry orange peel break it apart as well if you don't have the dry form you can use some finely minced fresh orange peel cover it and blend it into a fine powder be careful when you open the lid it's very strong and spicy it smells good already very tangy like a spices heaven let that go through a sieve so we can get of some stubborn pieces mostly will be the chili seeds those are spicy you wouldn't want that in your sausage after that will add 60 grams of salt and 40 grams of sugar I will put the written recipe in the description and you can check it out later just mix this up and set aside we'll take care of our meat you can use pork belly pork shoulder pork but what I like to do is combining one part of pork shoulder and one part of pork belly together see how nice those clear layers are the skin is on I'm gonna remove that just do a cut in the middle and slice it against the cutting board there you go cut all the pork belly into smaller strips then slice it into bite-size I know most sausage you had are made by ground meat the reason I don't use ground pork is that it does make a big difference I prefer the sausage that when you take a bite there are real meat pieces inside this is the way how the traditional Chinese sausage is made for centuries you could use ground meat but it does come out different in texture once you are done with the pork belly you just do the same thing to the pork shoulder it might look like too much work but it's definitely worth it pork belly is about 50% fat and pork shoulder is pretty lean by combining two kinds of cut together you control the fat ratio in between 25 to 30 percent you don't want to use completely lean meat because the sausage would dry out as the day goes by without the fat there will be tough dry and difficult to chew the more fat it has the juicier it will be if you do want to use 50% fat ratio go ahead but it is not something that I prefer next take the seasoning mix and dump it into the meat along with 3 tbsp of high-level alcohol the alcohol content needs to be at least 30% the higher the better also you want to use the alcohol that doesn't have that much flavor so it doesn't affect the final taste do not skip the alcohol because it has many purpose in this recipe it kills the bacteria also changes the flavor and the texture of the meat as the day goes by cover it with a plastic film and let it sit in the fridge overnight the next day you can start preparing the casing and the sausage stuffer according to the seller this package here is enough for a hundred pounds of meat I am only doing 2 kilograms meat today so I just need this little bit the rest of it I put it in a container with a little bit water and lots of salt put it in the fridge this is the sausage stuffer I'm using today it came with four pieces you just simply put them together I got it online it's really cheap I'll put the buying link in the description so you can check it out soak the casing in clean water take the end and put it on the tube make sure you don't have sharp nails or else you might break the casing by accident just keep putting the casing until you reach the end stop the meeting pack it tight so you don't get any bubbles connect it with the tube push the meat into the casing once it reaches the length that you want give it a little squeeze and tie it with the rope this process takes a little patient and time you just keep doing it until you finish all the meat check all the surface of the sausage and if you see any air bubbles just poke it with a toothpick put all the sausage on the drying rack and let it sit in the fridge uncovered for 10 to 15 days depends on the humidity and the temperature if you see the surface is completely dry that means it is good when I filmed this video it was summertime so I have to put it in the fridge here is how you can make the sausage in the winter without the fridge maybe some of you can try it this way now your sausage is made how to store it it will last about six months in the freezer if you put the sausage in the fridge take it out every 10 days let it air-dry outdoor for a day and put it back into the fridge in this way it will last three months in the fridge now let me show you two easy ways how I use the sausage I like to pan fry it until it is bursting serve it with hashbrowns and perfectly cooked egg I know it sounds weston trust me you will definitely want this nice breakfast to start your morning I'm also going to show you another way to eat it it is a rice cooker recipe we call it large humming fan so 2 cups of rice washed and drained add 1 cup of taro cube pour in 2 cups plus 1/4 cup of water 1 cup of frozen vegetables just some carrot and green beans to give it some nice color add some seasonings 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce 2 TSP of soy sauce 1 tablespoon of my homemade garlic chili sauce he can use any seasonings you like place some sausage slices on the top and you just turned on the rice cooker wait for it to be done open the lid and mix all the ingredients until well combined this is such a quick and easy recipe the rice and the taro a bit off some of that sausage flavor tastes really good the sausage itself is a very intense you can feel that strong tingling from the citron peppercorn which is what I love about once you try it you will fall in love with it I hope you give this sausage or my other recipe ago if you haven't yet click my channel name and find out how to make your favorite Chinese sweet new videos coming out every Wednesday and I'll see you next time bye\n"