RESULTS: Chinese BBQ Sausage Assaults the MLS... & Other Sausagecapades

First off, my apologies for the long delay in finishing this Chinese BBQ Sausage post.  In honor of the MLS Finals last Sunday, and in the spirit of the WikiLeaks Cablestravaganza (which, for the record, I am very against), here are the secrets of the Chinese Sausages, Exposed!

At this point the sausages are clearly just getting warmed up, showing a little color in their complexions.

This sausage was first tasted at a tailgate for the Philadelphia Union - a new expansion team this year in the MLS - at their beautiful stadium.It was their last home game of the Season, and both the sausages, and the team, showed up to win.

Grilling

And in the background, the Union is no doubt getting warmed up in resplendent PPL Park.

The sausages receive a little support from a fan.

After taste and smell, nothing assists the joys of eating like sight, or more specifically, the sight of heavenly grill marks on a sausage.

With support like that, they were plumped and primed for eating in no time.

Now, about that first sense: taste.  Well, they say a picture is worth a thousand words (clearly they have never met a good writer) but in the spirit of complementing all the senses:

A view of the Commodore Barry Bridge crossing the Delaware River at Sunset. 
Union 1 - Red Bulls 0.

Now, while that last picture may not be of sausage - physically - rest assured that it accurately represents the sausage metaphorically.  That is to say, in the sunset of one's mouth, this sausage majestically bridged the tastebud divide, joining savory with sweet.  The taste lingered, such that even as the sun proceeded to set on the bite of sausage...

Twilight meets Sausage, and Soccer.
Union 2 - Red Bulls 0.

The taste was undiminished.  In fact, perhaps too undiminished.

Ginger-
While this sausage came very close to achieving all its stated goals, and certainly provided a fair approximation of Chinese-style BBQ pork ribs in sausage form, it overreached in one crucial gustatory area: Ginger.  The sausage was a touch too heavy on the ginger.  Perhaps a 2/3 reduction is in order.

Shallots-
Also, the shallots were delicious, but the quick-cooking method of a tailgate grill left them far from caramelized.  A pre-sautee of the shallots and ginger prior to mixing/stuffing would go over quite well the next time around.

Taste Waveform:
All in all, a good taste-waveform.  Well-defined peaks in the sweet, salty and savory areas of the palate, though perhaps some of the peaks were too high.

SAUSAGE SUCCEEDS ON WATERFRONT!
Final Score: Union 2 - Red Bulls 1.

Which brings us to the 2nd method of cooking this sausage, one allegedly used on *gasp* actual Chinese sausages. For this method, the sausages were placed directly on an oven rack at 200F for a lethargic crisping over 4-5 hours. 

Slow-Roasting

Lightly browned after a little under an hour.

Dried and Bronzed after what seemed like a lifetime of radiation
(Note: We are talking about sausage, not John Boehner)

The slow-roast cooking served this sausage quite well.  It flattened the peaks in the taste-waveform left by the ginger, caramelized and disintegrated the shallots, and, of course, matched the allure of the grill-marks with it's dark burgundy appearance. 

Hellooo slow-roasted, dark and handsome.

Of course, there was one last benefit to this slow-roasted sausage: it lent itself all too well to being sliced thinly and made into a fried rice.

Smorgasbord-tastic Fried Rice

Another sausage is finally put to digital and gastronomical rest.

Stay tuned for Salt-Peter's Thanksgiving Special: A turkey sausage of which the pilgrims would be proud.

S.P.