Chorizo Mexican Sausage Recipe 475

MEXICAN CHORIZO RECIPE

Steps:

• Cut the meat and fat into chunks that will fit into your meat grinder. Combine the salt, sugar and all the dry spices (except for the achiote paste) with the meat and fat, mix well with your hands and chill it until it's almost frozen by putting it in the freezer for an hour or so.
• Take out some hog casings and set in a bowl of very warm water. Mix the ice water with the achiote paste and chill it in the fridge.
• Grind the meat mixture through your meat grinder (you can use a food processor in a pinch, but you will not get a fine texture), using the fine die, about 4.5 mm. If your room is warm, set the bowl for the ground meat into another bowl of ice to keep it cold. Make sure the meat mixture is very cold before moving on to the next step: You want it between 27°F and 35°F.
• Add the water-achiote mixture and mix thoroughly either using a Kitchenaid on low for 60 to 90 seconds or with your (very clean) hands. This is important to get the sausage to bind properly. Once it is mixed well, put it back in the fridge and clean up.
• Stuff the sausage into the casings all at once. Twist off links by pinching the sausage down and twisting it around several times; do every other link and you will only have to twist in one direction. Or you could tie them off with butcher's string.
• Hang the sausages in a cool place for up to overnight (the colder it is, the longer you can hang them). If it is warm out, hang for just one hour. Once they have dried a bit, put in the fridge until needed. They will keep for at least a week in the fridge. If you are freezing the sausages, wait a day before doing so. This will tighten up the sausages and help them keep their shape in the deep-freeze.

HOMEMADE MEXICAN CHORIZO

Steps:

• Place chile peppers in a bowl and cover with hot water. Soak until softened, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place pork butt and pork fat in the freezer for 30 minutes. Chill meat grinder in the freezer to make grinding the meat easier.
• Grind allspice berries and cloves using a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder. Set aside.
• Drain chile peppers and place in a food processor or blender. Add vinegar and puree until smooth.
• Fit the chilled meat grinder with a medium plate. Pass the partially frozen pork and fat through the grinder. Combine ground meat with pureed chile peppers, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, and cumin in a bowl. Mix well with your hands for 2 to 3 minutes. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour, or overnight.
• Meanwhile, soak casing in cold water for about 30 minutes. Place the wide end of a small sausage-stuffing funnel up against the sink tap and run cold water through the inside of the casing.
• Use the medium sausage-stuffing funnel attachment and place casing on the outside of the tube. Start passing meat mixture through the funnel, stopping just as it starts to come out the other end. Tie the casing into a knot at the end, then continue passing the meat mixture through the funnel, supporting the sausage with your other hand. Once the meat mixture is finished, tie the other end of the casing into a knot.
• Twist the casing at regular intervals to create individual links, alternating between twisting in opposite directions. Poke 2 to 3 small holes into each sausage with a metal skewer to allow air to escape during cooking.
• Cook as desired or chill in the fridge for up to 3 days.

MEXICAN CHORIZO

Steps:

• Place the pork, Aleppo pepper, chili powder, garlic, salt, black pepper, oregano, cumin, cloves, and coriander into a bowl, and lightly toss the pork with the seasonings until thoroughly blended. Cover the bowl, and refrigerate the meat, your meat grinder's head assembly, and grinder hopper for 1 hour.
• Fill a large mixing bowl with ice cubes, and place a smaller metal bowl in the ice cubes to catch the ground meat. Assemble the chilled meat grinder, and grind the pork and seasonings using a coarse cutting plate. Return ground meat to refrigerator for 30 minutes. Lightly stir the ground pork with the vinegar and water until thoroughly mixed, form into patties, and refrigerate overnight, covered, to let flavors develop.
• Heat vegetable oil in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat, and pan-fry the patties until browned and no longer pink in the middle, 5 to 8 minutes per side.

CHORIZO (MEXICAN SAUSAGE)

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients together.
• Chill before using.