Homemade Chinese Sausages (Cantonese Lap Cheong)

This recipe for Homemade Chinese Sausages (Cantonese Lap Cheong) yields a firm, sweet and savory air-dried sausage, similar to ones you would find packaged in Asian grocery stores.

What is lap cheong?

In Cantonese, lap cheong (or lap chong) refers to Chinese sausages.

It is a dried, firm sausage made from pork meat and pork fat.

However, there are many varieties including ones using chicken, turkey and duck liver.

Lap cheong is typically flavored with rose wine, sugar, and soy sauce.

The pork is slaughtered during the autumn harvest and made into sausages as a way to preserve the meat throughout the winter months.

What does Chinese sausage taste like?

Chinese sausage has a predominantly sweet and savory flavor, with a hint of the rose wine coming through.

The texture of Chinese sausage is firm and slightly dense, with a slight chew.

Lap cheong is dry-cured, but uncooked so it needs to be cooked before consuming, similar to chorizo sausage.

Why you'll love this recipe

Fragrant & flavorful: using Mei Kei Lu rose wine not only adds aroma and flavor, but also prevents bad bacteria from growing during the sausage curing process

Contains a secret ingredient (not MSG!): using fish sauce gives the sausages a more prominent savory umami flavor, without using monosodium glutamate (MSG)

Worth the effort: making it at home from scratch allows you to know the ingredients in your Chinese sausages and avoid artificial colors or preservatives

Convenient: using already ground pork saves time and effort in grinding your own meat

Special equipment you'll need

• meat grinder: (if grinding your own meat)
• manual sausage stuffer/filler: a manual stuffer with plunger will give you more control vs. an automatic machine
• thick needle: for poking holes in the sausage
• sheep intestine casing: for stuffing the sausage; you can also use pork casing as well
• kitchen cotton twine: for tying up sausage links

Ingredients you'll need

• fresh lean ground pork (80% lean and 20 % fat): or fresh pork shoulder meat (80% lean pork + 20% pork belly fat) -- you'll need to grind the meat; do not use frozen meat to make the sausages
• granulated cane sugar: for flavor; and as food for good bacteria to produce lactic acid in fermentation
• sea salt
• fish sauce: or soy sauce
• Mei Kuei Lu (rose wine) with a minimum 54% alcohol content by volume; you can also use baijiu or brandy
• sand ginger powder (沙薑): optional; is a pale-colored powder typically used in Chinese meat dishes
• black pepper: or white pepper
• red yeast rice powder: a natural powder made from red yeast rice; adds a red color to the sausages
• 1 x 10' length natural sheep intestine casing: cleaned

CAUTION: food poisoning can occur if raw meat is not handled properly. Take caution when preparing homemade Chinese sausages at home -- use sterile and sanitary utensils while preparing the meat.

How to make Chinese sausage

Use kitchen scissors to cut some cotton twine, about 6" in length. Set aside.

If grinding your own meat

Cut the pork shoulder meat into 1 cm cubes.

Chop the pork fat into finer pieces.

Add to both pork shoulder meat and pork fat into a meat grinder to grind. Continue with the recipe.

Using already ground pork

Add ground pork to a large bowl.

Using clean food-safe gloves or sterile utensils, mix all the seasoning ingredients: sugar, salt, fish sauce, Mei Kuei Lu (rose wine), sand ginger powder (if using), black pepper, red yeast rice powder into the pork meat very well.

Cover meat with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 1 hour to overnight.

Prepare the casing

Wash the sheep casing and soak in warm water for 30 minutes (or in cold water for 4 hours+).

Then rinse the casing well under tap water, inside and outside the casing.

Blot the casing dry with paper towel.

Pour 1 tablespoon Mei Kuei Lu (or alcohol) in a small bowl.

Sterilize a thick needle in the alcohol, and also soak the sheep casing in the alcohol for 10 minutes.

Make the sausages

Fill the seasoned meat into a manual sausage filler.

Grease the tube of the filler with a little oil.

Slip the casing onto the tube of the filler and tie a knot at one end of the casing.

Screw on the plunger to fill up the casing, making sure it is not too full or too loose.

Pierce any air pockets with a needle if pressure builds up, to prevent bursting.

Divide the sausages into even pieces about 5-6"in length.

Tie the sausage links with a piece of cotton twine.

Gently brush the surface of the sausages with the leftover Mei Kuei Lu (alcohol).

Dry the sausages

Place the sausage links onto baking pan or tray.

Poke holes over the sausages with the thick sterilized needle.

Weigh the sausages and place them onto a wire rack in the refrigerator uncovered to dry for 10-15 days, or until the sausages lose at least 35% of their initial weight (about a final weight of 620-640g).

When you lightly squeeze the sausages, they should feel dry and firm, not soft.

Turn over the sausages once a while during the drying process.

Once dry enough, cut off the cotton strings and cut the sausage links.

How to store lap cheong

Store Homemade Lap Cheong in an airtight container/freezer bag in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.

If you're concerned about any potential for bad bacteria growth, place the homemade sausages into the freezer.

Chinese sausages can be stored in the freezer (in an airtight container or bag) for up to 1 year.

How to use lap cheong

Lap cheong is a classic staple in Chinese cuisine.

You can add one or two links of Chinese sausage to your rice cooker and steam it with white rice or coil in a steamed Chinese sausage bun (lap cheong bao)..

Slice it up and add it to fried rice or any rice or noodle dish, such as Char Kway Teow.

Use it in Chinese steamed buns, similar to making pepperoni buns.

Lap cheong is usually added to Chinese sticky glutinous rice in lotus leaf (lo mai gai), turnip cake (lo bak go) and Chinese sticky rice dumplings (zhongzi).

Optional flavorings

For variation of flavor, you can add:

• Sichuan peppercorn
• chili powder
• star anise
• dried orange peel
• fennel seed
• five-spice powder
• garlic

Expert tips

You can use a Kitchen Aid mixer with paddle attachment to mix the meat.

Use food-safe gloves to handle the meat mixture.

Sterilize the needle, utensils and prep area with alcohol.

Don't fill the casings with too much meat, or not enough meat.

Other recipes you may like

Be sure to check out these recipes:

Chinese Sticky Rice Dumplings (Zhongzi) Pyramid Shape

Char Kway Teow

Chinese Turnip Cake (Lo Bak Go)

Lo Mai Gai (Chinese Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf)

Chinese Pork Jerky (Bak Kwa)

Let me know if you try out this recipe -- tag me on Instagram @siftandsimmer or leave me a comment/rating below!

Print Recipe

5 from 5 votes

Homemade Chinese Sausages (Cantonese Lap Cheong)

This recipe for Homemade Chinese Sausages (Cantonese Lap Cheong) yields a firm, sweet and savory air-dried sausage, similar to ones you would find packaged in Asian grocery stores.

Prep Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Drying Time10 days d

Total Time10 days d 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Asian, Cantonese, Chinese

Servings: 16

Calories: 186kcal

Author: Michelle

For accuracy and precision in baking recipes, use weight (metric) measurements when available.

Ingredients

• cotton twine cut into 6" long pieces
• 1000 g lean ground pork 80/20 (or pork shoulder meat 80% lean pork + 20% pork belly fat)
• 70 g granulated cane sugar
• 20 g sea salt
• 20 ml fish sauce or soy sauce
• 30 ml Mei Kuei Lu minimum 54% alcohol content by volume; brandy or baijiu + extra for sterilizing
• 8 g sand ginger powder optional
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 4 g red yeast rice powder
• 1 x 10' length sheep intestine casing

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Use kitchen scissors to cut some cotton twine, about 6" in length. Set aside.

If grinding your own meat:

• Cut the pork shoulder meat into 1 cm cubes.
• Chop the pork fat into finer pieces.
• Add to both pork shoulder meat and pork fat into a meat grinder to grind. Continue with the recipe.

Using already ground pork:

• Add ground pork to a large bowl.
• Using clean food-safe gloves or sterile utensils, mix all the seasoning ingredients: sugar, salt, fish sauce, Mei Kuei Lu (rose wine), sand ginger powder (if using), black pepper, red yeast rice powder into the pork meat very well.
• Cover meat with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 1 hour to overnight.

Prepare the casing:

• Wash the sheep casing and soak in warm water for 30 minutes (or in cold water for 4 hours+).
• Then rinse the casing well under tap water, inside and outside the casing.
• Blot the casing dry with paper towel.
• Pour 1 tablespoon Mei Kuei Lu (or alcohol) in a small bowl.
• Sterilize a thick needle in the alcohol, and also soak the sheep casing in the alcohol for 10 minutes.

Make the sausages:

• Fill the seasoned meat into a manual sausage filler.
• Grease the tube of the filler with a little oil.
• Slip the casing onto the tube of the filler and tie a knot at one end of the casing.
• Screw on the plunger to fill up the casing, making sure it is not too full or too loose.
• Pierce any air pockets with a needle if pressure builds up, to prevent bursting.
• Divide the sausages into even pieces about 5-6"in length.
• Tie the sausage links with a piece of cotton twine.
• Gently brush the surface of the sausages with the leftover Mei Kuei Lu (alcohol).

Dry the sausages:

• Place the sausage links onto baking pan or tray.
• Poke holes over the sausages with the thick sterilized needle.
• Weigh the sausages and place them onto a wire rack in the refrigerator uncovered to dry for 10-15 days, or until the sausages lose at least 35% of their initial weight (about a final weight of 620-640g).
• When you lightly squeeze the sausages, they should feel dry and firm, not soft.
• Turn over the sausages once a while during the drying process.
• Once dry enough, cut off the cotton strings and cut the sausage links.

Notes

Yield: appx 16 x 6" links.

Nutrition

Calories: 186kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 616mg | Potassium: 184mg | Fiber: 0.01g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 5IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg

The nutritional information provided should be considered as approximate and is not guaranteed. Please use your best judgment to ensure food is safely prepared and/or a good fit for your diet.

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