One of my favorite dim sum are steamed shao mai, dumplings made with a flavorful filling of pork and shrimp. A sausage made with the same combination sounded like a good idea to me, and it is.
Medium hog sausage casings (optional)
11/4 pounds pork butt or boneless country ribs
1/4 pound pork fat
1/2 pound peeled and deveined shrimp
3 tablespoons Chinese plum wine or golden sherry
3 tablespoons Chinese oyster sauce
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil
3 scallions, white parts and 4 inches of green tops, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
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. Grind pork, pork fat, and shrimp 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.
4. Combine ground meats, plum wine, oyster sauce, ginger, sesame oil, scallions, garlic, and pepper 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.
5. Stuff mixture into casings as described, if using, and twist off into 5-inch links; prick air bubbles with a straight pin or skewer. If time permits, arrange links on a wire rack over a baking sheet and air-dry uncovered in the refrigerator for 1 day before cooking. Alternately, if keeping sausage in bulk, refrigerate mixture for at least 30 minutes to blend flavors.
6. 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.