Longganisa (Sweet Sausage)

Posted byNoriePosted inBreakfast, Pork, RecipeTags:,

This longganisa or sausage is the same type and flavor as the store-bought red colored longganisa at the Asian market that come frozen in packages.  They are labeled sweet Pampanga Longganisa. Pampanga is a province north of Manila that made this famous.

Mix together in a large mixing bowl:

  • 2 lbs. ground pork (coarse if possible)
  • 1 lb. pork fat, chopped or coarse ground.

Mix together in a small bowl:

  • 2 tsp. pickling salt or 1 TBS. coarse Kosher salt or coarse sea salt
  • ½ cup sugar (white or packed brown)
  • 5 to 6 cloves garlic minced fine
  • 3 TBS. vinegar
  • 1 TBS. light soy sauce
  • 1/2 tsp. course ground or cracked black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 1 TBS. Paprika
  • ½ tsp. Curing salt (sodium nitrite) It is not the same as Himalayan Pink Salt which is sodium chloride for table. You may omit the curing salt if you are going to consume them in a short period of time.
  • 1 tsp. Cayenne (optional)

Poke holes on the ground pork with your finger and pour the above mixture in them.  Mix the seasoning and the meat with your hands making sure they are mixed evenly and thoroughly.  Cover and keep in the fridge overnight to 3 days before stuffing. 

To taste it, make a small patty and cook on a frying pan like cooking a breakfast sausage and taste.  Adjust salt and sugar if needed.  If good, proceed to stuff in pork casings and tie in links about 3” long, less than 1” diameter.  Keep in the fridge until ready to use.  Freeze what will not be consumed in a few days.  To cook the links: put in the pan and add water enough to cover them halfway.  Pierce with a sharp knife or skewer around the links and boil until the water has dried. Piercing the casings will help prevent the casings to burst open during frying. Let the fat come out of the links and fry them in their own fat.  Turn the heat down and occasionally turn them over to avoid burning.  The melted sugar may caramelize and might burn. Cook thoroughly.

You can also cook this like breakfast pan sausage if you don’t have a sausage stuffer.  Make patties smaller than a hamburger and cook in a frying pan.  Place the patties in the pan and add a small amount of water.  Cook until the water is evaporated and fry in its own fat.  Watch carefully because the sugar in it will burn easily.  Cook in medium-low heat and cook them thoroughly. 

If you have made more links than you can eat in a few days, the links can be frozen.  I put a few links in a quart size freezer bag so I can take one bag out to thaw in the fridge. Then I can cook a few each time I want to eat them. 

Longganisa is good with fried rice and fried eggs for breakfast. Filipinos call this combination for breakfast “Long-si-log” as in longganisa, sinangag at itlog.

I found a shortcut to making this without using curing salt.  Get a package of Bacon Ends and Pieces.  They come in 3 lbs. packages.  They have the right amount of fat it needs to make the sausage and it is already cured with the right amount of sodium nitrite (curing salt).  Chop them or grind them coarsely then add the rest of the seasonings above except salt and curing salt because they are already cured with them.