Sinan Tujia Sausage

Sinan Tujia Sausage

　　The sausage, colloquially known as "stuffed intestine," is an ancient method of preserving meat. In Sinan, whether you live in the city or the countryside, you might not slaughter a New Year’s pig, but you will definitely make sausages. As the lunar year draws near, the aroma of cured meats fills the air in both urban and rural areas of Sinan, making mouths water.

　　Ingredient Preparation

　　Preparing ingredients is fundamental. You need to prepare the “three main components,” which are pork, pig small intestines, and seasonings.

　　1. Pork. For sausage, the meat is typically selected from the front and hind legs. Front leg meat tends to be fattier, while hind leg meat is leaner—choose based on your preference. Generally, the ratio of fat to lean should be about 30:70. After washing, cut the meat into long, thin strips for later use.

　　2. Small Intestine. Choose intestines from pigs weighing over 200 pounds. Use fresh, intact (no holes) intestines and rinse them with warm water before setting aside. About one pound of meat can stuff around three links. Make sure to plan ahead.

　　3. Seasonings. Key seasonings include salt, Sichuan peppercorns, ground pepper, star anise, fennel, sand ginger, liquor, and sugar.

　　Experts recommend using 3 taels (approx. 100g) of salt per 10 pounds of meat; half a pound (250ml) of liquor per 10 pounds of meat; if you don’t like Sichuan peppercorns, skip them—but they’re essential if you enjoy Sichuan-style flavors. Ground pepper, star anise, fennel, and sand ginger require only 2–3 grams per 10 pounds of meat—you can adjust according to taste. It’s best to crush them slightly if you do use them. For sugar, you can use white sugar, rock sugar, or even glucose—about 1–2 taels (30–60g) per 10 pounds of meat. Sugar enhances flavor and helps color the sausage, improving its appearance after smoking.

　　There's a little trick to adding seasonings: heat a pan, add some oil, and gently stir-fry the Sichuan peppercorns, ground pepper, star anise, fennel, and sand ginger over low heat until fragrant. Then remove from heat. Stir-frying the spices beforehand helps release their aroma more effectively than mixing them in raw.

　　Mixing Ingredients

　　Place the chopped meat in a bowl, add the stir-fried seasonings, along with the salt and a bit of liquor for extra aroma. Mix everything well, then marinate for about 20 minutes before stuffing.

　　Stuffing the Sausage

　　1. Take a piece of small intestine and slide the casing onto a tube—this can be the mouth of a mineral water bottle or a round piece made from packaging tape. Tie a secure knot at the other end of the casing. Stuff the meat into the tube, pressing it down gently with your hand to pack it tightly into the casing as you go.

　　2. Once all the meat is stuffed, tie a tight knot at the open end of the casing. Use a needle (like a sewing needle) to prick the sausage and release any trapped air. If you prefer a milder flavor, prick the sausages right after stuffing. For a stronger taste, wait until the third day after stuffing. Also, don’t force the meat in too hard to avoid bursting the casing.

　　3. Tie the sausages at intervals of about one foot (30 cm) using thin string. Also, attach hanging ropes every two sausages.

　　Smoking

　　Smoking is a crucial step in making authentic Sinan Tujia sausage.

　　1. Hang the stuffed sausages in a ventilated, sunny place for 2 to 3 days to dry off the surface moisture.

　　2. Prepare pine branches for smoking—preferably freshly cut. You can also use sunflower seed husks, sugarcane peel, or rice bran.

　　3. Use an iron barrel for smoking, though a specially built brick smokehouse is ideal.

　　4. Place wooden sticks—or preferably a wire mesh—on top of the barrel and lay the sausages flat on it. Ensure about 1.6 cm (0.6 inches) of space between each sausage. Wrap the entire setup in a burlap sack. Burlap allows the smoke to pass through, whereas plastic woven bags can release harmful substances under high heat and block airflow.

　　5. Burn pine wood branches and charcoal to produce slow-smoking smoke. The fragrance will gradually infuse the sausages, and internal moisture will evaporate. Smoke them for at least 10 hours, turning the sausages halfway through so that the upper ones move to the bottom—this ensures even curing throughout the batch.

　　Finished Product Display

　　Below are the smoked sausages and cured pork. Look at the shiny, oily sheen—and the aroma is simply irresistible.

　　In rural areas, you don’t need to go through such trouble. Just hang the stuffed sausages in a place where firewood is burned regularly, allowing them to slowly smoke—that’s the real traditional Tujia sausage.

　　When eating, just wash the sausage, steam it, slice, and serve on a plate. If it’s been stored for a while and loses some freshness, you can also slice it raw and stir-fry it—delicious in a whole new way.

　　Hey, are you drooling yet? If you don’t have the means to make these at home, come visit Sinan and taste or buy the authentic Tujia sausage for yourself!(Text by Luo Funeng)