Linguica is a Portuguese or Brazilian sausage which can be smoked or simply cooked and has 3 main ingredients, onions, garlic and paprika. It is used often in the same way as Toulouse sausage, in that it is often put in large, un-thickened casseroles such as Feijoada which is a feast of pieces pork - often ham hock, pieces of beef, ribs, and Linguica sausages, garlic, vegetables and most importantly beans.
It is used often in the same way as Toulouse sausage, in that it is often put in large, un-thickened casseroles such as Feijoada which is a feast of pieces pork - often ham hock, pieces of beef, ribs, and Linguica sausages, garlic, vegetables and most importantly beans. It is the archetypal Brazilian pampas food!
Linguica is a culinary map of the conquesting Portuguese, being found in South America, Africa, and India, each with their own special take on the sausage.
INGREDIENTS
2kg (2.2 lbs) Pork Shoulder
8 crushed and ground garlic cloves (Yes, 8!)
3 Large onions, very finely chopped
200 ml iced water or chilled red wine
30 g curing salt salt
7 g crushed black pepper
20 g Paprika
Tip - Wear neoprene gloves to stop your hands going red!
Some recipes ask for the addition of back fat, which should be chilled and cut into pieces no larger than 5mm pieces, smaller if you can. These are added to the mix with the water (see below) but I tend not to bother. If you wish, add 100 - 150 g of chopped back fat. Obviously, all your equipment should be sterilised and the ingredients well chilled.
METHOD
1. Chop the onions and garlic
2. Grind the meat on a coarse plate, and then pass the onion and garlic through the grinder with the meat for a second time through a medium plate.
3. Then combine this with all the dry ingredients, mix well with the water (or wine) and leave to infuse in the fridge for a good hour, and more importantly chill the meat.
4. Stuff into hog casings for general use, though I do like to use sheep skins if I am simply cooking them on the BBQ.
5. You can smoke the sausage, for which I use apples for only a couple of hours. But this recipe makes a great BBQ or simply fried or baked sausage.
6. Link them short or long, but if you are using them for casseroles and soups, link them no longer than 4 inches. Long-linked ones can be rotated almost like a Cumberland.