Linguica. It’s part of the culinary fabric of California’s great Central Valley, available at every greasy spoon from Redding to Bakersfield, served at breakfast, lunch and dinner. You can thank the Azoreans for this one.
I’ve heard tell that there are more Azoreans in California than there are in the Azores, which, if you are not familiar, are a small chain of islands off the coast of Portugal. You can see their names everywhere around here: Silva, Lopes, Mendes, Machado, Costa, Cardoza. Linguica eaters, all.
What is this strange sausage of which I speak? Linguica (Ling-GWEE-zuh) is a pork sausage heavily spiced with paprika, chiles and garlic. There are all sorts of variations, but linguica is normally a coarse, country sausage, and it is often smoked. I’ve eaten linguica all over the country, but the best have been in Gloucester, Massachusetts (where my mother and sister live), and here in the Valley.
A really good linguica, to my mind, is a cudgel of a sausage. Smoky, garlicky and rich with pork fat and red peppers, it is spectacular served with grilled onions on a hoagie roll. A man’s sandwich.
The Portuguese put linguica in almost everything, but in addition to sandwiches, I love it in soups with Portuguese cabbage (which is a lot like our collard greens) and potatoes. My friend David Leite has several good recipes using linguica in his cookbook The New Portuguese Table.
I made my version with wild pig. Of course if you can’t get wild boar, you can use pork. But use good-quality pork from a good butcher or a farmer’s market. I suppose you could also use bear, too, if you have that lying around.
If you’ve never made sausage before, start by reading the sausage-making primer I wrote on my friend Elise’s site Simply Recipes.
Portuguese Linguica
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 pounds pork shoulder or wild boar meat
- 1 1/2 pounds pork fat
- 34 grams kosher salt
- 6 grams Instacure No. 1 (optional)
- 1 tablespoon dextrose or white sugar
- 10 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon hot paprika or cayenne
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon crushed black pepper
- 1/2 cup dry milk (optional - it helps the sausage retain moisture while smoking)
- 3/4 cup red wine, preferably a Portuguese wine
- Hog casings
Instructions
- Chill the meat and fat until they're almost frozen by putting it in the freezer for an hour or so.
- Take out some hog casings -- you'll need about 3 to 4 standard lengths, about 15 feet -- and set in a bowl of very warm water.
- Chop meat and fat into chunks that will fit into your grinder. Combine the salt, instacure (if using), sugar, garlic, dry milk and the rest of the spices and mix it into the meat and fat with your hands. Let this rest in the fridge for about an hour. (Optional expert step: Mix the chunks of meat and fat with the salt and curing salt overnight before proceeding. Doing this will give you a better bind on the sausage.)
- Grind through your meat grinder using the coarse die, about 6.5 mm or so. If your room is warmer than 69°F, set the bowl for the ground meat into another bowl of ice to keep it cold. Put the mixture back in the freezer while you clean up.
- Add the wine to the meat mix, then mix thoroughly either using a Kitchenaid on low for 60-90 seconds or with your (very clean) hands. This is important to get the sausage to bind properly. Once it is mixed well, put it back in the fridge while you clean up again.
- Stuff the sausage into the casings. Do whole coils before making links. Twist off links by pinching the sausage down and twisting it, first in one direction, and then with the next link, the other direction. Or you could tie them off with butcher’s string.
- Hang the sausages in a cool place. If it is warm out or if you are smoking your links, hang for one hour. If you have a place where the temperature will not go higher than 38°F, you can hang them as long as overnight.
- If you are smoking your sausages, get your smoker going while the sausages hang. Smoke the links for at least 3 hours, and as many as 12. I prefer a lighter smoke, so you can still taste the pork and spices. I prefer oak, but hickory, maple, pecan or a fruit wood would also work.
- Once the sausages have dried and/or smoked, put them the fridge until needed. If you are freezing the sausages, wait a day before doing so. This will tighten up the sausages and help them keep their shape in the deep-freeze.
My Daughter. loves your food. She walks in the room and says it smells good mom thank you for the added cheeriness of our morning. With love an awesome mom.
I grew up in the Central Valley as well, and I’ve loved Linguica from an early age. I’m sitting here waiting to throw a batch made from wild boar and locally sourced pork into the smoker.
The skillet test was great, I can’t wait to try out the smoked version! My mom would simmer half-links in red wine for a couple hours and serve with eggs for one of my favorite breakfasts.
Made this but doubled the cayenne and added a few more garlic cloves after making a taster patty. For me personally, I think it needed more paprika, but I also think the optional addition of the smoked paprika might have been what I was looking for. I smoked mine about two hours on apple wood until it reached 165°. All in all I think this is a good recipe I am still enjoying, and will tweak to my taste.
Lucky’s market here in Tallahassee makes it fresh and smoked over oak. Doing a Low Country Boil tonight to see how that goes. I have always before put on the charcoal grill. By far the best sausage I have ever tasted. If you like garlic flavor, this is for you!
Is it a cold smoke?
Andrew: It can be. I typically smoke cold-ish, at about 165F.
Sounds like a great recipe! Is there an approx. fat ratio you are looking for? I assume your wild hog is much more lean than anything at the local butcher.
Joe: Yes, about 20 to 35 percent fat, depending on your preference.
I enjoyed this recipe and used javelina. Thanks, Hank!
Howdy Hank,
In your reply to Dusty you said precision is required and you use volume. Did you mean weight and if not how do you get precise on 34 grams by volume? When curing I’ve used weight for precisely determining the amount of salt and No. 1 pink salt to be used.
Thanks,
Chris
Chris: Oops! Yes, I mean weight.
Okay class, who can tell me how many tablespoons are in 34 grams…anyone…(crickets)
Dusty: No way to tell without telling me what sort of salt you are using. I always use volume, not weight, for sausage making because you need precision to get the same result every time. If this is not important to you, 34 grams of Diamond Crystal kosher salt is about 2 tablespoons.
Hi, if smoking the sausage, do you recommend ice water immersion when taking from the smoker, as in your kielbasa recipe? Or is kielbasa some how more prone to shrivelling than linguica is (although I can’t see why it would be…).
Thanks!
Scott: Yep, that is always a good idea.
Wife was born and raised there, near Gasbars in Fall River. She, just yesterday got a care package from her dad… 5 pounds of Portuguese Chourico! (Aside from, “a bit of dosh”)! It’s just killing me though that I can’t find a recipe for Portuguese “Chourico” that isn’t for 50 plus pounds! We need maybe a 10 pound recipe. Been making sausage for most of my life and love doing it, but that recipe eludes me! First sausage maker is/was an 1876 cast iron wonderful machine and held 2 gallons. Finally retired it this year and went with Kichen Aid attachments to stuff the hog skins as we do. Help Us! If you can with that recipe! Much thanks
Get linguica from fall river Massachusetts
Ron, try Goularts in the Bay Area. It is really good. We make our own using a 100 year old secret recipe from our Dad, who was from Lisbon.
I’m still looking for “my grandfather’s linguisa. He was from Fiaal. He retired in Santa Cruz, California. Everywhere I go in the US , I have butcher shops make me linguisa- Nothing is close to the OLD WORLD I crave. Suggestions please. Thx Ron
Hank
Just made your linguica today. I think I have a new favorite sausage. Just awesome. I made roast pork loin on the smoker and pastrami for sandwiches for a meeting I’m hosting this weekend. I plan to serve some of these sausages sliced on the bias for an appetizer.
We used to get Silva brand when we lived in the SF Bay Area. Been living near Houston for almost 8 years and having to go without linguica of any kind. But our local Randalls just started carrying small packages of the Silva brand. Going to need to try this and see if I can make something similar in case they stop carrying it again 😉
Hello,
I have made a batch of linguica at home,nut want to refine the smoking process, what temperature to you smoke at. I hear you do not want the temperature over 165 degrees.
Adam: Not true, I smoke up to about 200 degrees all the time. My sweet spot is 160F to 200F. You won’t need too long in the smoker, either, maybe 2 hours. Check to see when they are cooked to about 155F in the center, then pull them.
My grandfather was from Faial & made the BEST Old World Linguica ever. He lived in Santa Cruz,California. I have never found anything to compare. I am now living in Fayetteville Georgia. Please advise where I can get Old World linguisa
I too am looking for a recipe like Santos made. My family bought their linguisa there for many years. It’s my favorite and I miss it. Anyone have a similar recipe? I have a recipe from Hawaii that uses cumin and cinnamon and garlic that I will try.
I just put up a batch using half moose and half pork. I also substituted a quarter cup of the wine with a quarter cup of home made red wine vinegar. This is an awesome sausage.
Rosalinda Rodrigues
Can you post your recipe. I have gotten recipes from friends’ relatives in the Azores. I have 4 Portuguese cookbooks. I made 2 1/2 batches today of the recipe above. We (in the East Bay) have been trying to find a recipe similar to Santos. I would love any help you could give us. I called in an order or linguisa, morcella, and vinha d’alhos, the day Alexander went totally nuts (evidently he was most the way there way before the murders). Of course, the orders were not filled.
I live in Massachusetts the home of linquica we have portugese. Then trees lol we have 2 company’s thamake it and ship gaspers and Michaels I prefer gaspers the best they make the three different kinds Linquica chourico and one that is made with blood
I made 10 lbs of this yesterday using 83% lean elk and 17% pork backfat. Smoked the links 4 hours on applewood then roasted it at 300 for 45 minutes or so. It is awesome. Hank said it really well when he referred to it as a cudgel of sausage. I also used all smoked Spanish paprika.
Hi everyone, I stumble upon this site and can’t help but notice the similarity of the sausage above to the Philippines version of longaniza, the recipe I use is 600 grams lean ground pork, 400 grams pork fat Hand chopped to small pieces, 1 table spoon Spanish paprika, 2 tbls cider vinegar,1 tbsp salt, 2tbls rice wine, 2 tbls soysauce. Half a cup brown sugar and a table spoon of golden syrup or maple syrup, 1 tbls of ground black pepper and 1 head finely chopped garlic, and 2tbls of Achiote oil, Mix all together and put in the casing keep refrigerated over night and boil in half a cup water till dry and fry in its own fat till caramilized but not burnt. Serve with fried rice and chilli garlic vinegar dipping sauce on the side and chopped fresh tomatoes.
I grew up in the Oakland SF bay area. My family is related to the moniz family. (( grandma was a moniz). I grew up eating that brand. Now live in the midwest. My sister
and i have searched grandmas things for the original recipe to no avail. Am eager to try this recipe.
For the first 20 or so years of my life, I had no idea just how special Santos linguica really was until later in life, when I realized that I might never find an adequate replacement. Even the fat rendered from Santos was almost as precious as the sausage itself!
Today, I went to a tiny Portuguese bakery called “Nine Islands” in Rohnert Park to buy a few linguicas and chouricos: New England Sausage Co, Fernandes and Coulart’s. Of these, Coulart’s was the best but still lacking; one common shortcoming with these and other linguicas is an inadequate usage of fat. I have not tried Netto’s yet, but until then, I will remain hopeful.
Hey Rosalinda (and you too, Mike Jones!), how about posting your recipe for us right here, right now? We won’t tell anyone!
My husband grew up eating Santos linguicia. We have a recipe that is 100 years old. My husband said our linguicia is as close to Santos as you can get. We ate planning on moving to Georgia later this year and opening up shop.
Elizabeth and Hank:
directly from the food standards and labeling handbook:
so there is no blood in chorizo and it does not have to be cured.
I am a Lopes descendant and seeing this article and my family name in it really made my day when going through and comparing recipes for a meat processing class. Hope this helps clarify any other questions.
Hi Im from Portugal, Castelo Branco
I have a recipe similar to yours that I have tried. Flavor was good, but I have one problem. It was too dry and crumbly probably due to fast smoking. I was wondering what are your recommendations and temperatures on smoking these chouricos using a modern smoker like a bradley and not old style like they do it in Portugal and that requires many days. Also the chouricos in Portugal can be eaten after smoking and do not need to be cooked, but all the information I found online says you need to cook them, which means something is missing.
thanks in advance
My grandparents came from Madeira and My father was born and lived in Lowell, Mass. I grew up on lunguisa and choeico. My father use to make a “stew” of clams, lunguica, chorico, pepperoni, potatos, onions, and kale or parsley on top. He said that it was important to put the ingredients in the pot in that order. We use to eat a lot of lupine beans, and I’ve learned to make those, too. Now that I have a meat grinder, I going to make sausages, too.
We also believe Santos linguisa is best, I would love to have the recipe, but with the factory closed down, and I imagine the family is no longer interested in making it. The factory was on Washington St. in San Leandro, Ca. My son insists if it isn’t Santos, its not really linguisa, thats how much we loved it. We used to go to get the linguisa at the factory. we are from San Leandro. We were all sad when it was closed. My last name was Lopes also.
I hear a lot of people say this recipe or that recipe is the best, but none come close to Santos.
I grew up on Santos, and it saddened me when they closed.
Not one person has ever been able to get the recipe from the family, which is a culinary catastrophe in my opinion. I can remember being the first to wake up when spending time at my grandparents for the holidays, and as any true Portuguese person knows…… If you are late for breakfast, you miss out on the good stuff.
Please if anyone can get their hands on the Santos recipe, I would be greatly in depted.
Paul
Another vote here for Netto’s! An old Portuguese grandmother in law used to cut Linguica into three inch sections and then cook them in a 200 degree oven for about three hours. It rendered out a lot of fat and turned it into something marvelous. I’m looking forward to trying this version.
azorean here. The main difference between chorico and linguica is that chorico is always cured, linguica is supposed to be raw. linguica is waaaaay more of an azorean thing than mainland portugal. i am from the south coast of mass (new bedford area) where we eat a lot of both. i was just in lisbon and they did not really know this. they thought that the linguica was cured or smoked as well and did not need to be cooked. thats how infrequently they eat it, and i was having this conversation with a native chef in lisbon. REAL linguica has to be cooked. period. so hank, you are making more of a chorico… or as the real azoreans say it : (sha-rees). we drop the o off of some words.
M. Acevedo: Good to know! Wonder if it’s different here in California’s Central Valley? This recipe is very close to a “linguica” you can buy here.
This is similar to my mother’s recipe. I made it, but added 1/2 cup whiskey and 1/2 cup homemade Portuguese wine. That is what my mother did. We also made morcella, with the blood, rice, green onions, and spices. I would love to have a piece right now. But it has to be homemade. My mother’s lingucia was in soupd, stews, sandwiches, for breakfast. I have made yours with a little change, and have her recipe back. Thank you so much from the whole family.
I was raised on the Central Coast in CA. Grew up on Silva brand. Made a batch of Linguica for the first time. Followed this recipe. Next time, I’ll add a bit more Paprika and cayenne to get a better red color and more bite. Also added some cider vinegar, adds some tang. Read the ingredients on a package of Silva’s, powdered milk is an ingredient. Have to say, it was pretty moist out of the smoker. Can’t wait to try this again.
Don’t forget about us California Madeirans. We are holding down the Portuguese traditions also (i don’t know why i feel compelled to say that).
Ok, my 2 cents, lol. I was born in Pico Acores and now live in Barrie Ont Canada. Linguica made in Pico the meat is cut half inch to three quarter cubes and the fat is a quarter inch cubes marinated for 3 day. Fry a bit of the meat mix just to taste the flavour and add if needed, then you smoke it. You can then BBQ it of fry it then enjoy with some bolo or inhames and of course a nice glass or two of wine lol. My dad’s recipe is a bit different from yours Hank but that all depends on who you ask and we’re they are from. Great blog loved reading it. Bon appetite .
I am half Azorean Portguese. My mother was 100% from Cape Cod and I grew up eating both Linguica and Chourico. I now live in Georgia and to those asking where to find it in the south, you will find it at any Publix grocery store near the Kielbasa and similar sausages. You can thank my late great uncle Manny who convinced managers in FL to start carrying it and the sales were so good they put it into all the Publix stores.
My favorite way to eat it is cut length wise and grilled outside then place on Portuguese white bread if you can find it with a little salted butter melting around around it. Of course it is a main ingredient in the Azores version of Kale Soup which is a course stew not blended like the mainland Portugal Kaldo Verde version.
By the way, if you don’t live in an an area that carries these you can order it online from sites like Linguica.com (Gaspar’s in Dartmouth MA which is the brand Publix carries).
How interesting to find this recipe. I came across your site looking for sausages recipes, and was amazed to find this here, as I am Portuguese, born in Madeira island, and living in Lisbon.
I am not a huge fan of linguiça and chouriço (not sure if you have the ç character in your fonts, we spell it like ss), but I do eat it… Usually the grinding is very coarse, and both linguiça and chouriço are dry and hard. Both get more use nowadays thin sliced and used almost as flavorings (in soups, rice, stews) or in a couvert – a dish of thin sliced chouriço along some other sausages and cold meats is common in a portuguese couvert, along with bread and butter or a mix of olive oil with herbs and balsamic vinegar as a dip for bread.
I am from San Leandro, California currently living in the Portland Oregon metro area…I along with my whole family was raised on Santo’s Linguica 5 generations deep…Some of my family went to school with the family and Stewart/the last owner of the meat store before he was imprisoned…I have a recipe that is very very close to the texture and flavor of that linguica and am having a local butcher shop to start making it for me at $5 a pound….Cant wait till its on the market…I have so many orders to fill…
Sue,
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
My Grandmother and great Aunts have long passed and along with them their ability and recipe for Linguica.
I notice you do not use any liquid (vinegar or wine or ….) for marinade – is this correct?
Thank you again,
Tony
Jason: Depends on my mood. Sometimes I cold smoke for a few hours at 90 degrees or below (using the Instacure No. 1) or sometimes I hot smoke at 225 degrees for a couple hours, or until the interior temperature gets to be about 150 degrees.
What temperature do you smoke your sausages?
I am a sausage maker from Portland Oregon and I must say this recipe turned out amazing! I just couldn’t get enough! I told a friend of mine from Hawaii that I’d make it for him can’t wait until he gets to try it.
Here is my linguica recipe. I’ve tried to replicate the flavor I remember from my childhood. This is very close:
Sue’s Portuguese Linguica (Azores style)
5 lb pork shoulder
1 ½ lb pork fat
2 heads of garlic, minced
1T Cumin
4T paprika
1 1/2T bl pepper
6T salt
1T oregano
1 tsp sugar
1T cayenne (opt)
Coarsely grind pork then grind the pork fat. Combine.
You can also cut pork and fat into small cubes instead of grinding. True linguica is not ground.
Add garlic and spices. Mix lightly but well. I use the beater attachment on my kitchenaide to mix both the pork and fat then the flavorings. Refrigerate for 24-48 hrs to allow flavors to meld.
Stuff, twisting at 12” increments then smoke. Using hickory chips I smoke at 200 degrees for 1 ½-2 hrs or until internal temp reaches 185.
I will try the dry milk in Hank’s recipe above in my next batch.
Correction I order my Lingucia from Netto’s in Santa Clara. Souza’s is a portuguese bakery in San Jose.
Debbie Lee
OMG !!!!!! I would love to have some homemade Linguica, I miss it so much. My grandmother came from the Azore Islands and was 100% Portuguese and I was raised on Linguica. She passed away when I was 17 and I am now 57, however I still remember watching her make Lingucia and Molasathis (spell?) which is a portuguese donut with no hole in it. lol I live in Portland, OR and order my Lingucia from Souza’s meat market in San Jose, CA. which is where I was raised. 😉
Debbie Lee (grandmothers name was (Lopes)
I am a 2nd generation Portuguese from Ferndale Ca. my Grandfather emigrated from the island of PICO . His name was Jauquin Machado Medina. The best linqucia is in Santa Clara Ca. at Netto’s tell them you are portugese and you want the course old style. I have them ship 20lbs. to me in Oceanside, Ca every few mo. the stuff is as good as my Ava used to make.
I also miss SANTOS Linguica…the very best.
They used pork ‘picnic shoulder roast’ in their recipe.
The meat was grinded chunkier and fattier than anyone elses.
Goularte’s is the next best thing. They have a website.
Red Wine sounds right,paprika,margoram, garlic…It shouldn’t be overly spicy and of course, no preservatives.
It should marinate in refrigerator 24-48 hours.
Morcella is so flavorful and available in some markets.
Great with scrambled eggs.
Miss Santos linguica in bay area. Too bad they closed. If anyone knows the ingredients, I would be interested. I know only two of the pieces to the puzzle because of the old man telling me. Port wine and red wine vinagar
Good Luck finding it Deb. I grew up in NorCal and I love it, but now I live in TN and have to bring it back with me when I visit. TSA loves checking my bags between the linguica and the salami. That is what we had for breakfast this morning actually.
Hank, Love the site, you’ve inspired me to new cooking adventures… Just a thought, I have a rich Argentine heritage and they eat what they call “chorizo” (which is probably more like this linguica than mexican chorizo) on a crispy bageutte with Chimmi Churri smothered all over. It’s delightful and I’d expect it wouldn’t be any different with this linguica.
Trying to find linguisa…preferably Central Valley of CA.(I think Silva from San Jose is the best)..in Asheville NC…or anywhere close, please!
The difference between linguica and chourico is just what animal casing is used
YooperDog: I hot-smoke this sausage. I agree with your temps, although I would pull the sausage when it gets to an internal temp of 155 degrees, plenty hot enough to kill any parasites or bad bugs. 165 is an old USDA temperature guide…
At what temps do you smoke your linguica sausage? Cold or hot smoke? I didn’t use the instacure as I will vacuum seal and freeze for later use. My understanding is that you would want to hot smoke around 150-190 F until internal temp reaches at least 165 F, chill then freeze; then cook the sausage as normal to ensure food safety. My experience smoking/cooking sausage is limited to BBQ style where I run the smoker at a higher temp to cook the sausage after the initial smoke.
thanks for posting this Portuguese Sausage making information, I too am Azoreean from the Californa vally love the Linguica, I now live in the northwest of south Carolina and I can get it in Publiix stores and the we can get the other type on Portuguese sausage, not blood sausage, My mom lived in Martica and was able to get it from a mom and pop store there, man it was the best ever.
Davi
Absolutly love the recipe, made it once so far and a huge hit. I added a little more heat and it was great. Thanks for sharing the ideas. My mom always taught us to add sour orange and chunk the meat into quarter inch chunks – comes out killer but a lot more work. You run it through the grinder minus the blade or stuff by hand.
Respectfully. John Brasil
Mosaica: Yep, good catch! I fixed the recipe.
Hello Hank,
Very nice post, as ever. I’m guessing that you meant 3/4 or .75 cup wine, not 3.4 cups, right? I’m 99% sure, but reckoned I’d double check. Thanks!
Hank, this looks amazing. The other half of Chez Us is Portuguese, 1st generation. His parents came over from Sao Miguel, Azores, 40 years ago; he grew up eating Linguica as well as Chorizo. My background is Spanish Basque, and we grew up on Basque Chorizo. Both are delicious, very different in taste, and texture. I asked Laudalino, what he thought the difference was between chorizo and linguica. He said that it really comes down to texture. Linguica is ground more, so it is finer, not crumbly like Mexican Chorizo, but close; as well it is smoked. Chorizo has a meater texture, and usually is not smoked. I find that the Basque chorizo, I grew up on, are spicier than Portuguese. I think that all depends on who makes it, as sometimes, we get some pretty spicy Portuguese chorizo when we are back in Boston. Even Montreal has a huge Portuguese community, and we have had some really delicious chorizo from there.
Hank, Laudalino, is wondering how he can get his hands on some of this home-made sausage. Are you selling it? He even said he would drive up to Sac to get it! 🙂
A goal this year is to learn to make chorizo, as we cannot find good Portuguese or Basque chorizo in the Bay Area.
My neighborhood here in Somerville, MA is all Azorean Portuguese, full of shops that sell their own house-made linguica. But that’s not going to stop me from trying it on my own.
I’d love to meet up with you when you’re out here for your book tour, if your schedule permits.
Right on!
I went to school in Rhode Island and seem to remember that this sausage goes best with Haffenreffer (cheap beer). It was college cut me some slack.
I love all forms of charcuterie and have recently been on a course for bacon and ham curing, next course is air dried meats. Love the sound of these sausages.
Ian
Sweet, thanks for the heads up.
Glad your site is back up too. Sniper!
Mike: I’ve not done this sausage with vinegar, but I do make lots of sausages using vinegar as the liquid. Definitely adds something to the flavor.
Rachel: Hope you like my version of that stew…
Elizabeth: Chourico never has blood, in my experience. That is morcella. As for its differences with linguica, heat might be one difference, but I am pretty sure linguica is always more garlicky than chourico. Anyone else want to chime in on this one?
Marshall: I hang every fresh sausage I make. Even a brief hang lets the sausage drain off any excess moisture. It helps locate air pockets, which you need to prick with a pin (or risk a bursting casing when you cook). Hanging will also tighten the meat within the casing, and will partially dry it out, concentrating flavors.
Mel: You got that right! A combination of Portuguese and Mexican is pretty much ideal.
Ah yes, I come from Tulare, where if you’re not Portuguese or Mexican, you’re in a minority. Luckily, the majorities provide some delicious food, especially linguicas & chorizos…
Thanks for the wonderful blog. I wish I’d found you when I was back in school at UC Davis. I lament I did not make use of the bounty down there when it was right in front of me. (Luckily, I live in Seattle now, and different, equally delicious foods abound).
Hey Hank.
I’ve noticed the hanging requirement in your directions. What does that do?
Note, we did not hang the mazzafegatti last week.
Looks great! It wasn’t until I lived in Oakland that I learned of this fine sausage. My friends were appalled! We would drive out to diners in Contra Costa to search them out.
I’ve still got about 100 yards of casings, so thanks for this inspiration
This is similar to the chourico I make. I’ve never been sure of the traditional differences. Some sources say chourico has more heat, and a Portugese woman in Sacto told me that chourico usually has blood. (I thought that was only when it was called “mouro.”) May be geographic?
Man’s sandwich, huh? I’ll be working on my Jim Harrison impression.
I am visiting the south shore of Boston right now and ate liguica today in a kale soup, as is traditional in many restaurants around here run by Portuguese immigrants. It was fantastic!
Terrific, I love Linquica. I’m so glad you posted this, I haven’t found much in the way of recipes. I will make these. Have you tried them with vinegar? Some of the ones I’ve tried have a hint of vinegar in them, but I can’t say they were better than the others, just different.