Pork and Catfish Sausages

SAVORY

Mar 26

Red Pea Mapo Sauce, Zhug, Turnip, Ají Chiles, Mushroom Ras el Hanout

Chef Jarrett Stieber of Little Bear | Atlanta

INGREDIENTS

Red Pea Mapo Sauce:
2.5 kilograms Sea Island red peas, soaked overnight and rinsed
Salt
Neutral oil
2.5 kilograms grams doubanjiang paste
400 grams chopped scallion whites
400 grams green garlic
115 grams Szechuan peppercorns
200 grams benne seeds
115 grams five-spice powder
907 grams brown sugar
225 grams soy sauce
450 grams distilled white vinegar
Cornstarch slurry

Pork Sausage:
One 8-pound pork butt
Kosher salt
Pink curing salt #1
10 cayenne chiles
1 bunch scallions
115 grams chopped cilantro
115 grams chopped dill
115 grams chopped Thai basil
200 grams gochugaru flakes
200 grams cane syrup
32-millimeter pork casings

Catfish Sausage:
Two 5-pound whole catfish, skinned, cleaned, and diced
Kosher salt
Pink curing salt #1
10 cayenne chiles
1 bunch scallions
115 grams chopped cilantro
115 grams chopped dill
115 grams chopped Thai basil
40 grams five-spice powder
280 grams whisked eggs
200 grams cane syrup
Fibrous synthetic casings

Zhug:
300 grams chopped cilantro
300 grams chopped parsley
300 grams chopped dill
300 grams chopped scallions
300 grams chopped arugula
1 kilogram chopped sweet yellow onion
2.5 kilograms chopped jalapeño
860 grams sesame oil
500 grams sugar
250 grams salt
5 grams baking soda
Distilled white vinegar

Mushroom Ras el Hanout:
200 grams mushroom powder
200 grams ground coriander seeds
200 grams ground cumin seeds
200 grams sweet paprika
200 grams Kashmiri chile powder
200 grams gochugaru
200 grams ground caraway seeds
200 grams ground star anise
100 grams ground turmeric
100 grams ground mace
100 grams ground nutmeg
100 grams ground cinnamon
100 grams ground cloves
100 grams ground white pepper
25 grams MSG
25 grams citric acid
25 grams sugar

To Assemble and Serve:
2 Hakurei turnip bulbs, par-cooked and quartered
1 belle radish, thinly sliced
1 ají amarillo, seeded and thinly sliced
1 ají rico, seeded and thinly sliced
1 ají dulce, seeded and thinly sliced
Salt
Herb-infused vinegar
Fresh herbs

METHOD

For Red Pea Mapo Sauce:
In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, add peas and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cook until tender, about 45 minutes. Let cool. Fill a resealable plastic bag halfway with cooked peas. Weigh. Add 3% salt by weight of peas and 1 tablespoon cold water. Repeat process until all peas have been bagged. Ferment at room temperature 5 to 8 days. If bags inflate too much, re-bag and refrigerate until fermentation process is complete. In a rondeau over high flame, heat oil to 350°F. Add fermented peas and smash into a paste. Add doubanjiang and scallions. Fry until fragrant. Add garlic, peppercorns, and benne seeds. Fry 45 seconds. Add five-spice powder and brown sugar. Fry 30 seconds. Add soy sauce, vinegar, and 100 grams water. Bring mixture to a boil. Add cornstarch slurry to thicken until a soup-like consistency is achieved. Remove from heat and set aside.

For the Pork Sausage:
On a work surface, butcher pork butt, reserving skins and bones separately. Dice pork and weigh. Transfer diced pork to a nonreactive container. Add 2% kosher salt and .25% pink curing salt by weight of pork. Refrigerate overnight. The next day, chill and prepare a meat grinder with a small die. In a large mixing bowl, combine pork, chiles, and scallions until evenly incorporated. Pass through grinder. Return mixture to bowl and add fresh herbs, gochugaru, and cane syrup. Knead mixture 3 to 5 minutes to develop myosin. The texture should be very sticky and almost fuzzy. Using a sausage stuffer, stuff pork mixture into casings. Twist into short 2-inch links, about 2 ounces each. Prick, truss, and freeze sausages 20 minutes. Separate into individual links. Heat the water bath of an immersion circulator to 150°F. In a vacuum bag, seal sausages. Cook sous vide 45 minutes. Immediately shock in an ice bath and refrigerate.

For the Catfish Sausage:
In a nonreactive container, add diced fish. Weigh. Add 2% kosher salt and .25% pink curing salt by weight of fish. Refrigerate overnight. The next day, chill and prepare a meat grinder with a small die. In a large mixing bowl, combine fish, chiles, and scallions until evenly incorporated. Pass mixture through grinders. Return mixture to bowl and add fresh herbs, five-spice, eggs, and cane syrup. Knead mixture until tacky, about 2 to 3 minutes. Using a sausage stuffer, stuff fish mixture into casings. Tie ends with butcher’s twine and prick, making sure to torque as tightly as possible. Heat the water bath of an immersion circulator to 150°F. Seal sausages in a vacuum bag. Cook sous vide 1 hour. Immediately shock in an ice bath and refrigerate.

For the Zhug:
In a mixing bowl, add herbs, onions, and chiles. Toss to combine. Set aside. In a separate large mixing bowl, add sesame oil, sugar, salt, baking soda, and 3.63 kilograms water. Add the herb mixture, combining in batches if necessary, until combined. Season with salt, pepper, and vinegar. Transfer to an airtight container and reserve.

For the Mushroom Ras el Hanout:
In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Transfer to an airtight container with a silica packet and reserve.

To Assemble and Serve:
Prepare and heat grill. Sear turnips and transfer to a small mixing bowl. Keep grill warm. Add radishes and chiles to the bowl with turnips. Season with salt and vinegar. Toss to combine and set aside. Slice 1 Catfish Sausage into ½-inch-thick pieces. Grill sliced Catfish Sausage and 1 Pork Sausage link until warmed through and casings have crisped. Let cool. On a serving plate, spoon 1½ ounces Red Pea Mapo Sauce and 1 tablespoon Zhug, swirling the sauces together to create a tie-dye pattern on the plate. Arrange an elegant nest of grilled Catfish Sausage, grilled Pork Sausage, and turnip-mixture on top of the sauces. Garnish with soft herbs. Finish with a sprinkle of Mushroom Ras el Hanout and flaky sea salt.

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