Longganisa originated in Spain, where it's spelled Longaniza. But it's a sausage that has migrated to many different countries, including Portugal, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and... wait for it... the Philippines. Weird, right? But, the Philippines were first discovered by Magellan in 1521, and became a Spanish colony for the following 3 centuries, during which time Longganisa became the official national sausage of the Philippines. That's right, folks - some countries have national anthems, others have national sausages.
You can find Longganisa on any island across the archipelago, with each island producing a variation that they call their own. We're featuring a sweet and garlicky style of Longganisa from the Central Luzon province of Pampanga, which is just northwest of Manila. You might giggle at the 2- to 3-inch chubbies that these produce, but this is Meat Club after all, where such things are appropriate.
3 hours
10 pounds
• Meat Grinder
• Sausage Stuffer
• 8 lb. pork shoulder
• 2 lb. pork belly
• 1 head garlic
• 1 cup dextrose
• ¼ cup kosher salt
• ¼ cup black peppercorns
• ¼ cup annatto seeds
• ¾ cup pineapple juice
• ¾ cup sugar cane vinegar or rice vinegar
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
For Stuffing:
• 4 cups water
• 20 ft. hog casing
• 2 tbsp. white wine vinegar
Annatto seeds can be found at any Mexican grocer, while sugar cane vinegar and rice vinegar are typically found in Asian supermarkets.
If you're buying the meat pre-ground from the butcher, ask them to finely grind the meat.
Place 3 large mixing bowls and the meat grinder attachment in the freezer around 15 minutes before use. Keeping the equipment cold will help the grinding move quickly.
Measure out all of the ingredients from your shopping list, so that they are ready to work with in the subsequent steps.
Mince the garlic; measure out enough to measure 1/4 cup minced garlic.
Using a spice grinder, pulverize the hell out of the annatto seeds until they are a fine dust (otherwise, the Longganisa will have a gritty texture). Next, pulverize the black peppercorns until they are well ground.
Whisk together the remaining spice ingredients with the pulverized black peppercorns and annatto seeds. Pour the spice mixture into the bowl of ground meat.
Put on some food preparation gloves and mix the spices into the ground meat until the meat is uniformly coated with the spice mixture.
Prepare the sausage stuffer. Press the meat through the stuffer until the ground meat just barely pokes through the end of the spout.
Push the open end of the hog casing over the end of the stuffer, and continue to push the casing onto the stuffer until you reach the end of the casing. Tie a knot at the end of the casing.
Stuff the sausage into the hog casings and wrap the sausage into a long coil. Once finished, tie off the other end of the sausage. Twist the sausage into chubbies every 2 to 3 inches.
Place the chubbies in butcher paper or sealable plastic freezer bags and use a Sharpie to label the package Longganisa: made May 6, 2015.
Refrigerate for at least 24 hours before consuming, to allow the flavors to mingle. Place in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or the freezer for up to 1 month.
Cook the Longganisa to an internal temperature of 150°F / 65°C before consuming. You can grill it up, sauté it and serve it with eggs for breakfast, or stir-fry it up in a dish like Sinangag.
