Lap Cheong - Fermented

Lap Cheong a dried, hard sausage usually made from pork meat and a high content of fat. The Chinese name for sausages is “Lap Chong” which means the “winter stuffed intestine” or “waxed intestine” because “chong” not only means “intestine” but also “sausage”. This sausage is normally smoked, sweetened, and seasoned. It is used as an ingredient in many dishes in some parts of southern China, including Hong Kong and countries in Southeast Asia. It is for example, used in fried rice, noodles and other dishes. Chinese sausage formulations are unique, based on a long tradition. Ingredients such as monosodium glutamate, soy sauce and sugar are added to the sausages in very high levels. The addition of selected Chinese rice wines or even scotch or sherry are common for certain quality products. This is a semi-dry, fermented version of the sausage.

Meats Metric US

Pork butt 1000 g 2.2 lb

Ingredients per 1000g (1 kg) of meat

Salt 25 g 4 tsp

Cure #1 2.5 g 1/2 tsp

Dextrose 5.0 g 1 tsp

Sugar 60 g 4 Tbsp

Soy sauce 30 ml 2 Tbsp

Chinese rice wine 15 ml 1 Tbsp

Cinnamon 2.0 g 1 tsp

Monosodium glutamate 2.0 g 1/2 tsp

F-LC or LHP starter culture 0.25 g use scale

Instructions

1. Grind pork and back fat through 3/8” (10 mm) plate. 30 minutes before mixing dissolve starter culture in 1 tablespoon de-chlorinated water. 2. Mix all ingredients with meat. 3. Stuff firmly into 18-26 mm (3/4-1”) hog or sheep casings. Form 5-6” (15 cm) long links. 4. Ferment at 38º C (100º F) for 24 hours, 90-85% humidity. 5. Gradually increase the temperature until the sausage reaches 60º C (140º F) internal temperature. 6. For a drier sausage: dry 2 more days at 22-16º C (70-60º F), 75-65% humidity, or until desired weight loss has occurred. 7. Store at 10-12º C (50-53º F), 65% humidity.

Notes

Chinese are fond of using MSG (monosodium glutamate), but it may be removed from the recipe. If using lean pork or lean pork trimmings add 30% of back fat. If using smokehouse, dry sausages without smoke.