Goan Sausage Meat Recipe

With my limited experience of trying sausages/chorizo from different countries, I can say in all honesty I haven’t found anything close to a Goan sausage. Maybe the Mexican El Pastor Recipe could have some resemblance. This mouth-watering pork sausage that is sun-dried, smoked and spiced with garlic, ginger, red chillies, spices and vinegar is definitely out of this world. When a Goan catholic leaves home that is one sure food they will always miss. This intense flavored sausage can be used to make many recipes including Sausage Chilli Fry, Chouriço Pao, chouriço Pulao, Feijoada and Sausage and Potato Curry.

I remember my mom making it during her summer holidays and storing it in a ceramic airtight jar for months. She would be particular that only she would take out the meat from the jar. One thing I do remember my mother’s preserves would last a real long time because she took so much care and was extremely clean in handling them.

This recipe requires time, patience and being careful. To make the Goan sausages, pork is a meat of choice but you can use beef or chicken. Back in Goa “Salt Petre” also know as “Potassium Nitrate” is used as a meat preserve. I have skipped using Salt Petre after reading about its different uses in US and am not comfortable using it in foods.

Goan Sausage Meat Recipe

Serving Size: 3 lbs of preserved sausage meat

Ingredients

3 lbs of pork meat with fat (1:2 fat to meat ratio) cut in 1/2″ cubes

1.5-2 pods of garlic crushed

2 packets of Goan Choriz Sausage Meat Masala

1/2 tsp of sugar

2 tbsp of salt

2 tbsp of vinegar

Directions:

Wash the cut meat and dry it well with a paper towel. Apply salt, vinegar and put weight on the meat. Check every couple of hours and drain the water out. Let the meat stand for at-least 24 hours.

Drain out any more liquid that is released. Wipe the meat again with dry paper towel. Apply the sausage masala paste, crushed garlic, sugar and keep in the sun covered with a mess. Stir the meat couple every couple of hours. Drain out any liquid. Repeat for 1 or 2 days. The meat will look dry. Transfer to a glass jar with a glass lid or plastic. Avoid any metal lids as they will rust due to vinegar. Store in a cool dry place for couple of months. Use only dry wooden or plastic spoon.

You can stuff the meat in natural casing and dry it again in the sun for a day and smoke it under indirect fire wood heat.

Sausage Roll / Choriz Pao Meat Recipe

Ingredients:

1 lbs of sausage meat

2 medium onions sliced vertically

Directions:

In a hot skillet add the chopped onion and sausage meat and saute on medium heat for 10-15 minutes till the meat is cooked and the onions soften.

Stuff in a hot-dog roll for Sausage Roll or in a Pao for Chouriço Pao. This spicy sausage goes really well with chilled beer. Chouriço Pao is a very popular street food in Goa and also for feasts celebrated by Catholics, it is a great snack food to sell to raise funds for various church groups.