Sausages are part of many Asian cuisines, but it’s difficult to find them on this side of the Pacific. This one, made with tangy lemongrass, chiles, and cilantro, is great on the grill.
Medium hog sausage casings (optional)
11/2 pounds pork butt or boneless country ribs
1/2 pound pork fat
2 tablespoons Asian sesame oil
4 shallots, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons fish sauce (nam pla)
3 tablespoons dry sherry
1 to 2 jalapeño or serrano chiles, finely chopped
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons finely chopped lemongrass
1 tablespoon sugar
11/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1. If using sausage casings, prepare them as directed.
2. Cut pork and pork fat into 1-inch cubes. Place cubes on a sheet of plastic wrap on a plate and freeze for 30 minutes, or until very firm.
3. While meat chills, heat sesame oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallot and garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes, or until shallots are translucent. Set aside.
4. Grind meat and fat through the coarse disk of a meat grinder, or in small batches in a food processor fitted with the steel blade using the on-and-off pulse button. If using a food processor, do not process into a paste, but ingredients should be very finely chopped.
5. Combine ground meat, shallot mixture, fish sauce, sherry, chiles, breadcrumbs, cilantro, lemongrass, sugar, salt, and red pepper flakes in a mixing bowl, and knead mixture until well blended. Fry 1 tablespoon of mixture in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
6. Stuff mixture into casings as described, if using, and twist off into 5-inch links; prick air bubbles with a straight pin or skewer. Alternately, keep sausage in bulk. If time permits, refrigerate mixture for at least 30 minutes to blend flavors if being kept in bulk, or air-dry links refrigerated, uncovered, on a cooling rack placed over a baking sheet for 1 day before cooking.
7. Cook sausages as directed to an internal temperature of 160°F when pierced with an instant-read thermometer or as directed in a specific recipe.
Note: Sausages can be refrigerated up to 2 days or frozen up to 2 months. Once cooked, they can be refrigerated up to 3 days.