The night before, soak sausage casings overnight in the fridge, prepare cotton strings by cutting it into 15 cm lengths.
Prepare the meat by trimming off the skin, separate lean and fat parts.
Measure lean meat by weight. Then calculate how much fat part (20-30%) is needed.
Measure out the fat part. Record the total weight of lean+fat.
Slice lean and fat meat into 1 inch slices, combine in a large mixing bowl.
Calculate the weight of seasonings (salt, sugar, Sichuan peppercorn powder, chili powder, white pepper powder, Chinese five spice powder, hard liquor) and measure the right amount for each ingredient.
Add seasonings to the pork, mix and massage well for a few minutes. Let marinate in the fridge for up to 2 hours.
First the end of a casing, open it up with two hands, hook it onto the funnel, pull it all the way up, then use a string to tie it up tightly, making sure it does not slide. Add some meat to the funnel, then use a stick to press the meat into the funnel slowly. The stick should be slightly skinner than the hole of the funnel. I’m using the handle of a soup spoon. You can also try rolling pin for this purpose.
After the sausage comes out on the other end, it will build up some pressure, release the pressure by squeezing the meat into the casing.
Continue pressing the meat into the funnel and releasing pressure on the other side of the funnel, a sausage is simply made!
When you reach the length you like, tie up the end with a string. Then tie the sausage into 5-6inch sections. Lastly tie at the beginning of the casing, cut off the extra casing on both ends.
Poke some breathing holes on the casing with the needle. This will help the moisture come out of the sausage, preventing it to go bad. It’s also best to find the bubbles and poke holes on them to let out the air.
Dry the sausages in an airy place with no direct sun light. Temperature should be above freezing and no higher than 20 c. You can turn the sausages everyday to ensure every part is drying properly.
Generally, after 7-10 days, sausages are ready to be taken down. You can decide how much dry you’d like the sausage to be.
When cooking the sausage, cut off the string first then add it to boiling water. Cook for 10-15 minutes and slice.
Store extra dried sausages in the freezer.
