Northern-Style Chorizo (Mexican Fresh Sausage Mixture)
Ask the butcher to give you a mixture of 3 parts lean meat (preferably butt) to 1 part fat. This recipe is for a large amount, which is meant to be lightly cooked as soon as the mixture has rested overnight, then frozen in conveniently sized batches for later use. It has dozens of uses. Chorizo mixture is cooked with potatoes (see Papas con Chorizo), scrambled eggs, or cheese. In Mexico it is also filled into casings and aged to make wonderful air-dried sausages. I think the fresh sausage mixture is a more practical option for most U.S. cooks. Recipe can easily be halved.
Ingredients
- 5 pounds ground pork 3:1ratio of lean to fat
- 3 teaspoons salt or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper coarse grind
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 teaspoons
canela preferably freshly ground in spice grinder - 2 tablespoons Mexican oregano crumbled
- ¼ cup cider vinegar
- ¼ cup red wine or sherry
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 4 ounces pure red chile powder stirred to a paste with ½-¾ cup boiling water
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- Lard, preferably
home-rendered for sautéing
Instructions
- In large mixing bowl, combine ground pork and all other ingredients except lard. Mix with your hands to distribute all seasonings evenly.
- Let rest, covered, overnight in refrigerator. The next day, prepare to cook the mixture.
- Melt 2-3 tablespoons of lard in large skillet over medium heat. (This is to get the cooking started; meat will provide its own cooking fat as you proceed.)
- Working in batches and being careful not to crowd skillet, sauté the chorizo mixture about 5 minutes, stirring often to cook evenly. Remove each batch to a bowl as it is done.
- When all the mixture has been sautéed, drain as much fat as you can from the cooked meat. Let cool to room temperature. Place cooled mixture in heavy-duty plastic bags (it's probably smart to use several different sizes). Unless planning to use within a day or two, freeze at once.
Notes
Yield: About 5½ pounds.
Can be stored up to 2 months in freezer.
Nutrition
Calories: 292kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 18gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 74mgSodium: 460mgPotassium: 413mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 1545IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 43mgIron: 2mg