Filipino Longanisa Sausage

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds lean pork meat, coarsely ground or chopped and chilled
• 3/4 pound pork fat, diced
• 1/4 teaspoon salitre (available in drug stores as salt peter) or 1 teaspoon Morton’s Tender Quick (sodium nitrate, sodium nitrite) available in most grocery stores.
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 teaspoon ground bay leaf or 1 leaf finely chopped, optional
• 2 tablespoons sugar cane vinegar or 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons achuete oil or 1 tablespoon achiote paste
• 1/8 cup soy sauce
• 1/8 cup rice or white vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
• Sausage casing

PREPARATION

1. Combine all ingredients except casing and let stand for 1 to 2 hours. Fill casing with mixture. Tie the end of the casing with kitchen string. Twist the sausage at every five inches or so to form the sausages.
2. Place finished sausages on a tray and let them cure and dry in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days, turning them over once a day.
3. When ready to cook, put desired number of sausages in a skillet. Add enough water to come halfway up the side of the links. Prick sausage lightly with a fork. Let simmer over medium heat until water evaporates.
4. Add two tablespoons of oil and fry till nicely browned. Serve hot.