§ 64. Preparation of the Meat for Sausage
Use hams, shoulders, chops, fat back, and neck. Sometimes the liver is added to give a dark color. No belly meat or tough parts should be used. Separate the lean from the fat meat. Chop into pieces about one-quarter inch in diameter, or run through a sausage mill. One part fat and one part lean meat is generally used, though the proportion may vary either way, to suit the taste and demand.
§ 65. Sausage Casing (Ch’eung I 腸衣)
Sausage casing is generally made from the middle coat of the small intestines of sheep although it is also made from the intestines of the hog. The casing is very thin and transparent. Some casing is prepared in Canton, but most of what is used in Canton comes from Shanghai, as there are comparatively few sheep or goats slaughtered in Canton. The dried casing sells for $3.00 to $6.00 a catty.
§ 66. Softening the Casing
When ready to be used, the casing should be immersed in luke warm water for a few minutes to soften it. If the walls of the casing adhere to each other so that it is difficult for the meat to enter, water should be forced through to distend the casing.
§ 67. Filling the Casing
Insert the small end of the filler (a tin funnel about six inches long) into the end of the casing. Hold the casing tightly to the filler with the left hand, and with the right hand force the meat through the filler into the casing. It is customary to use the hand for this, but a large wooden spoon would work just as well.
A sausage stuffing machine can be purchased for a few dollars, and will do the work of stuffing in a much more satisfactory manner than it can be done by hand. The end of the casing is tied around a tube at the bottom of a jar containing the sausage meat. A disc the size and shape of the inside of the jar is then pressed down on the meat with a lever, and the meat is thus forced into the casing. Such a machine will do the work of five or six men, and if of the right type, can also be used as a lard press. If it is difficult to force the meat into the casing, on account of compressed air, the air should be allowed to escape by punching small holes in the casing with pins. The stuffed casing is usually tied with a string every six inches, cut into convenient lengths, and hung up to dry.