Skinless Longganisa

Name: Skinless Longganisa
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 12 Servings
Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds lean ground pork; 1/2 pound ground pork fat; 1/2 cup brown sugar; 1 head garlic, peeled and minced; 2 tablespoons soy sauce; 1 tablespoon vinegar; 1 tablespoon salt; 2 teaspoons ground black pepper; 1 tablespoon canola oil; wax paper, cut into 4 x 4 sheets

by Lalaine Manalo last updated December 2, 2018 posted September 12, 2018 70 Comments

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Skinless Longganisa with a delicious medley of sweet, savory, and garlicky flavors you’ll love. Serve these Filipino pork sausages with garlic fried rice and sunny side eggs for a hearty and tasty breakfast meal!

skinless longganisa, fried eggs, tomatoes, and garlic fried rice — Skinless Longganisa

My daughter is coming down from Northern California this weekend to visit, so I thought I would prepare her favorite skinless longganisa and have a few packs ready for her to bring back home.

Unfortunately, she didn’t take after me the love for cooking, and now that she lives miles away, she mostly dines out or orders in. I am sure having these Filipino sausages in the freezer will come in handy when she’s craving a quick and easy home-cooked meal.

And since I was making them anyway, I thought I might as well take a few in-process photos and update this post I first published in 2013. I hope you find the tips helpful.

What is Skinless Longganisa?

Skinless longganisa is a version of the native Filipino sausage usually made of ground pork, garlic, and spices. However, instead of stuffing into hog casings, the pork mixture is wrapped in wax paper or plastic film to maintain shape.

Its taste is mostly sweet and garlicky like hamonado but “hot” varieties are also common with added copious amounts of ground pepper.

How Do You Make Skinless Longganisa?

Skinless longganisa are so easy to make, you’ll have a big batch ready in a cinch. It’s just a matter of mixing the ground pork, minced garlic, brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a bowl until fully incorporated.

Good sausage needs fat as well as lean meat for flavor and juiciness. I like to mix in 1/2 pound of ground pork fat with 1 1/2 pounds of lean ground pork but if you can’t find pork fat, use 2 pounds of ground pork with a good amount of fat marbling. I don’t recommend using lean pork as the sausages tend to be tough and dry when cooked.

I don’t add extenders or binders such as flour or breadcrumbs to the meat. Just chill the sausages after wrapping and they should fry well without breaking or falling apart.

Want variety? Swap ground chicken or ground beef for the pork!

The most time-consuming part of the preparation, in my opinion, is shaping the pork sausage into thin logs and wrapping in wax paper. Cut the paper in even lengths and use as a guideline when forming the longganisa for uniform sizes.

If you want to skip the tedious wrapping of the sausage logs individually, you can spread the pork mixture into about a 1/2-inch thick layer on a sheet of wax paper and then cut into sizes with a knife or a pizza cutter.

Arrange the wrapped sausages in resealable bags and they should keep in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days or in the freezer for 1 to 2 months. I suggest labeling the bag or container with the packing date so you’ll know until when they’ll be good for.

How to Cook Longganisa

You can thaw the pork longganisa for a few hours or cook frozen.

Peel the wrapper and in a wide pan, arrange the sausage in a single layer. Add about 1/2 cup of water to cover them halfway.
Over medium heat, bring to simmer and cover. Cook until most of the liquid is reduced and pork is cooked through.
Add about 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil and continue to cook, uncovered and stirring regularly, until lightly browned and caramelized.

Serve these sweet sausages with garlic fried rice and sunny side up eggs for a classic Filipino breakfast called Longsilog.

I love this hearty meal with a side of chopped tomatoes for a pop of fresh flavor but spiced vinegar dip is also a traditional accompaniment. My pickled atchara will be delicious here, too!

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