Meats and Sausages
Lap Cheong
Chinese sausage is a dried, hard sausage usually made from pork meat and a high content of fat. The Chinese name for sausages is “Lap Cheong” which means the “winter stuffed intestine” or “waxed intestine” because “cheong” not only means “intestine” but also “sausage”. This sausage is normally smoked, sweetened, and seasoned. It is used as an ingredient in many dishes in some parts of southern China, including Hong Kong and countries in Southeast Asia. It is for example, used in fried rice, noodles and other dishes. Chinese sausage formulations are unique, based on a long tradition. Ingredients such as monosodium glutamate, soy sauce and sugar are added to the sausages in very high levels. The addition of selected Chinese rice wines or even scotch or sherry are common for certain quality products.
| Meats | Metric | US |
|---|---|---|
| Lean pork | 700 g | 1.54 lb |
| Back fat or hard fat trimmings | 300 g | 0.66 lb |
Ingredients per 1000g (1 kg) of meat
| Salt | 28 g | 4-1/2 tsp |
| Cure #2 | 3.0 g | 3/4 tsp |
| Sugar | 60 g | 4 Tbsp |
| Soy sauce | 30 ml | 2 Tbsp |
| Rice wine | 15 ml | 1 Tbsp |
| Cinnamon | 2.0 g | 1 tsp |
| Star anise, powdered | 0.5 g | 1/2 tsp |
| Ginger, powdered | 0.5 g | 1/4 tsp |
| MSG (monosodium glutamate) | 2.0 g | 1 tsp. |
Instructions
- Cut meat and fat into 25 mm (1 in) pieces, mix with all ingredients and marinate overnight in refrigerator.
- Grind through 5 mm (1/4") plate.
- Stuff firmly into hog or sheep casings 24-26 mm and form 4” (10 cm) long links.
- Dry at 45º C (113º F) for 48 hours. Do not dry over 50º C (122º F).
- Gradually increase temperature until sausages reach 60º C (140º F) internal temperature.
- Store at 10-12º C (50-53º F), 65% humidity or place in refrigerator.
Notes
For drier sausage continue drying until sausage loose about 35% of its original weight.
Drying may be performed in a smokehouse, but do not apply smoke.
