Fresh Mexican Chorizo

12/3/2017 – This turned out great. We will make more chorizo with this recipe and try others. Kelley and the Girls were over to decorate the Christmas tree. I bought a small fresh pork shoulder and after trimming the fat and silver skin, removed the bone and cut into about 1″ chunks and what was left weighed 5 pounds. Left some of the strips–before cutting them into chunks–to try in the grinder in contrast to chucks. [The strips worked better than the chunks as the feed quantity was more consistent.

Inspired by http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/01/easy-fresh-mexican-chorizo.html

Mixed in the ingredients and let rest for maybe two hours while the grinder froze in the deep freezer.

Ingredients for 1-1/2 lb of pork

  • 1-1/2 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes (see note above)
  • 2-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground achiote (optional as achiote gives the meat a red to orange color) *
  • 3 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried Mexicano oregano. [Used Greek as did not have Mexican.]
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander seed
  • Pinch ground cinnamon – As a lot shot out when I shook some in I had more than three pinches in the 5 pounds.
  • 3 tablespoons red wine or distilled white vinegar
 * “Achiote comes in two forms, paste and powder. Made from ground annatto seeds, this bright orange-red spice has a peppery aroma and a subtle flavor that’s been described as nutty, sweet, and earthy. … In fact, achiote used commercially to color things like butter, cheddar, and cheese.” From Wikipedia

The original recipe said to;

  1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and toss until homogenous. Let rest for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
  2. When ready to grind, grind through a chilled meat grinder fitted with a 1/4-inch plate.
  3. Knead chopped meat by hand in a large bowl, or with the paddle attachment in the stand mixer until slightly tacky.
  4. Cook as desired.

Gave a half pound to Kelley, kept 1.5 pounds out to use this week and vac packed the rest into two 1.5 pound packages.

First time to use the grinder in a long time. With it mounted on the heavy workbench in the garage (rather than the much lighter kitchen work island), and the new grinder knife, and new 1/4″ plate, the grind went very smoothly and the 5 pounds was ground in about 5 minutes. Some of the meat was left in 1″x1″x4-6″ long strips to feed into the grinder. They worked as well as the chucks and were less work to cut up.

12/5/2017, 5 AM, about 42 hours since prepared it – Fried a small amount in a no. 4 CI skillet. Sprayed the pan with PAM but still had to add a little oil as it did not make any. Must be very lean. Put half into a no. 3 and added two eggs. Made a second two eggs with the other half for Mary. Very mild heat and spice. Good but not as bold as expected and desired. The original recipe said to let it rest for 4 days so need to wait until Thursday or Friday and try again.

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