Guest Post: How to Make Your Own Mexican Chorizo Sausage by Mely Of Mexico In My Kitchen

The Spain in Iowa Summer Blogger Series. A series to highlight people and their passion for food, culture and life. These are some of the people that continually inspire me in my own blog and life. My hope is that they will inspire you as well.

Today, I am so excited to have Mely from Mexico in My Kitchen.

Mely is a kindrid spirit to me.  Being Latina, we have many things in common including our love of family, culture and Christ.  I look up to Mely and when it comes to cooking traditional Mexican food, there’s no exception.

She’s taught me many traditional Mexican food recipes over the years including history about my own culture.

Some of her recipes include agua fresca, mexican cheese, chilaquiles (my favorite!) and even how to make your own corn masa for tortillas or tamales.

The first time I started visiting Mely at her blog I was seeking out a Mexican chorizo sausage recipe.  It’s now been close to 2 years that I have been using her recipe and had considered sharing it myself, however, I am more than excited to have Mely share it with you.

I hope you take some time to visit Mely at Mexico In my Kitchen.  Un abrazote amiga!!

Hola! My name is Mely and I write about traditional Mexican cooking in my blog called Mexico in my Kitchen with recipes of our everyday life.

When Diana invited me to be a guest to post in her blog, I felt honored. I have a great admiration for this young mother and wife who even in these though time we all are experiencing; she does her best to give her family a better quality of life. I hope there are more like her out there everyday.

After several years of looking for a good-tasting chorizo in local Hispanic stores, and having no luck at all, I decided to make it myself. It wasn’t easy at the beginning. The idea of stuffing the meat into the casings seemed unattractive and messy. I started using a small funnel and then found a large one and cut the tip and make it easier to work it. Making your own chorizo might be a daunting task for some, but once you make it, you’ll realize it was worth it. Besides you can make it into patties and freeze it, which lasts up to 6 months.
The stuffing of the meat into the casings is much easier if you have a Kitchen Aid with the stuffer attachment.

Chorizo can be cooked in a red salsa, scrambled with eggs, fried with cubed potatoes, cooked for tacos, added to Tinga Poblana, etc. It will spice up your plate. Enjoy the recipe.

How to Make Your Own Mexican Chorizo Sausage

Curing time: 2 days
This recipe yields about 20 chorizo sausages, 3″ in length

Ingredients:

• 2 Lbs of ground pork
• 6 ounces of ground pork fat (Do not skip the fat will help to cure the chorizo)
• 2 Tablespoons of salt
• 8 Guajillo dried peppers
• 6 Ancho dried peppers
• 1/2 cup of white vinegar
• 3 Tablespoons of paprika
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 2 Bay leaves
• 1/3 of a Tablespoon of ground black pepper
• ½ Tablespoon of ground cumin
• 3/4 tablespoon of Mexican oregano
• ½ teaspoon of dry marjoram
• ½ teaspoon of coriander seeds
• ½ teaspoon of dry thyme
• 6 cloves
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• Casings (I buy them online, one small package last up to 10 Lbs. of meat)

Preparation:

1. At least one hour before starting to process the meat and pork fat, place them in the refrigerator. This will make the meat easier to handle.

2. Wipe the peppers clean. Remove stems and cut them lengthwise. Remove seeds, and place in a bowl. Cover with hot water and let sit for 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, grind the spices and dry herbs using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle.

4. Discard water and place the peppers in a blender. Add the vinegar and garlic cloves and puree until smooth; set aside.

5. Place the pork meat and fat in a large bowl. Add the ground mixture of herbs and spices. Mix well. Add the chili sauce and combine until well mixed.

NOTE: At this time you can fry a very small patty to taste the seasonings, and modify to your liking.

6. Place in your refrigerator for a day to season in a covered glass container. This step will enhance the flavor.

7. After a day mix again the mixture and wrap it in small packages if you can’t buy the casings, it will freeze well for months.

HOW TO STUFF THE CHORIZO INTO THE CASINGS:

1. Soak the casings in warm water until soft and pliable, at least 1 hour. Run lukewarm water through the casings to remove any salt.

2. Tie a double knot in one end of the casing, and then cut off a length of casing. Gather all but a couple of inches of the casing over the nozzle of the sausage stuffer or funnel

3. Start pressing the sausage mixture through, supporting the casing with your other hand. Pack the sausage as tight as you can, but not to the point of bursting. When you have filled almost all the casing (or used up all the stuffing), slip the casing off the nozzle.

4. For a coil, tie the sausage where the stuffing ends. To make links, use one of these methods:

• Using butcher’s twine, tie the rope of sausage at intervals. Or use corn husks.
• Pinch the rope into links and twist in alternating directions at the indentations.

Randomly prick the casings with a thin toothpick or the tines of a fork to release any air that’s trapped.

5. Hang the chorizo for a day in a dry room free of dust or insects. If you wish cover with a cheese cloth. This step will help to cure the meat. Some of the vinegar will drip at this stage.

6. Cook, refrigerate, smoke or use your Food saver if you plan to freeze them.

Buen Provecho!