MEXICAN CHORIZO
MEXICAN CHORIZO
2 pounds boneless pork butt (shoulder), cut into ¾-inch pieces
1 ½ tablespoons crushed Aleppo peppers
1 ½ tablespoons chili powder
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
½ cup distilled white vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
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.
It is very important to keep the meat very cold throughout the grinding process. Do not reduce refrigeration time.
This recipe will yield a mildly hot Mexican chorizo designed to suit most people. For a spicier chorizo, add 5-15 crushed pequin chilies, depending on desired heat level.
Source: Corne Liebenberg
