food How do you make your Chorizo?

If your doing any kind of Spanish or Southwestern cooking having a great Chorizo recipe is like having salt and pepper in the pantry. I used to use the stuff from the store but then a Very good friend of mine from Porto Rico shared his mother's recipe with me and I haven't used anything else since. So, here's how I make it.

2 Lbs Ground Pork of Beef
3 Large Mild Dried Red Chilies
4 Jalapenos, Habaneros or Serranos (depends on your taste and heat desired)
1/4 Cup Boiling Water
8 Cloves Garlic, Minced
2 Tbs Oregano
2 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp Dark Brown Sugar
4 Tbs Apple Cider Vinegar
2 Tbs Rum or Tequila depending on the taste your going for
3 1/2 tsp Salt

Break the chilies into pieces, and put them in a bowl.

Pour the boiling water over them and let them sit until they're re-hydrated and soft.

Place the re-hydrated chilies together with the liquid into a food processor and add the garlic, oregano, cumin, black pepper, sugar, vinegar, tequila, and salt, and process until the mixture is smooth.

Place ground pork and the liquid mixture into a sturdy electric mixer (such as a Kitchen Aid) and mix well.

When secured in a sealed container, this chorizo keeps well in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks. I usually let it sit in the fridge for a couple of days to let the flavors meld.

I have used this to make dishes such as:
Shrimp and Chorizo with a Coconut Butter Rum Sauce
Smoked Chicken with Chorizo
and it is awsome in a pot of Balck beans or pinto's

So, if you have never tried to make your own give this a shot and let us know what you think, if you have a recipe of your own lets see it and how you like to use it.

Stay Hungry!

Definitely going to give this recipe a shot.

My girlfriend hadn't had chorizo before last week and she loved it, so we've been playing around with the idea of making some, as well as knocking down the shed in her back yard to make room for a smoker. This thread came at a perfect time.

What kind of casing do you use? Or do you not use casing?

I haven't used a casing I just use it loose. I shared this with a friend who uses a natural casing with it and then puts it in his smoker. He likes to play around with alot of different woods in his smoker. I tried some he did with Mesquite and some that he did with Apple. Both were great. The Apple had a kind of smoky sweetness to it that was fantastic and really did something amazing with the flavor of the rum in it.

Chorizo


I spent some time readjusting my spice mix, and cutting it down to use with just 1 pound of pork. I didn't take pics of the grind. I grind fresh pork butt or shoulder meat using a 3/8 in. grinder plate. I was only interested in the taste and appearance, but I did included a pic of the chorizo after 1 day in the fridge (so that the flavors could meld).



The mix:

1-¼ teaspoons of salt

1 tablespoon + 1 ¾ teaspoons of white vinegar

4 tablespoon Spanish smoked paprika

1-teaspoon red chipotle powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon fresh ground Mexican oregano

¼ teaspoon fresh ground peppercorns

1 tablespoon + 1 ¾ teaspoons of water

1 pound of fresh ground pork



Mix liquids and then add spices, slowing stirring until they dissolve. Finally add the mix into the ground pork and hand mix. I usually grind it again, afetr the hand mix. It's all good my friend.

Im in food heaven now! I absolutely love me some chorizo I saw a recipe on Rick Bayless' show that I keep forgetting to make. Ill have to try that one and all of yours too Always new a lil piggy would be the end of me......

No Salivary glands then huh?

Your recipe looks great, definitely something I'll be trying next time I do a run of Sausage.

Only a few 'thangs in life make a man harder than chinese arithmetic. Chorizo is one of them.

Testify TB!

Sounds goot... but a block from me Panchos makes a great chorizo breakfast burrito so big ya can pet it... had one this morn.

Simply awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have bookmarked, I'm all over it and Bill thank you for pointing the way

That's what Im here for Brah!

Never made my own, and don't know why. I have a grinder/stuffer and have made all sorts of sausage before. I am going to have to try your recipes out. Thanks for posting.