• 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.