Homemade Linguiça Sausage
Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2001

Linguiça (lin-GWEE-sah) is an uncooked, smoked sausage which comes from Portugal. It is also known as linguica or linguisa. The sausage is distinguished by a mildly spicy flavor tempered with a smoking process which makes the sausage flavorful and tender. The primary ingredient of linguiça is pork butt, which is cut into rough pieces and mixed with spices, then cured in a vinegar pickling liquid before being stuffed into a casing. Pork butt tends to be lean, resulting in a leaner sausage with a more meaty flavor.

Common spices in linguiça include oregano, paprika, garlic, pepper, cumin, and sometimes cinnamon. These spices are mixed throughly with the uncooked meat, which is allowed to rest before being forced into sausage cases.

Linguiça can be found in soups and breads, and it is also used for things like sandwich fillings. Andouille, chorizo sausage, or tasso ham could be substituted in recipes for linguica if necessary, but these substitutes will provide a spicier taste. Linguiça is less spicy than chorizo or andouille.

2 1/2 pounds pork butt, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano or marjoram
3/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon red wine or apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Combine the pork, garlic, salt, paprika, white pepper, oregano, sugar, black pepper and red pepper in a large bowl and mix well. Pass through a food grinder fitted with a coarse die. (Alternately, transfer in 2 batches to a food processor and process until finely ground.) Transfer to a large bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. Add the vinegar to the meat and stir well to combine.

To test the seasoning, heat the oil in a small skillet, and cook about 2 teaspoons of the mixture. Adjust seasoning, to taste.

Form the meat into patties.

Preheat a home smoker to 250 degrees F. Smoke the sausage for 1 1/2 hours. Remove from the smoker and use as desired.

Yield: 2 pounds