Southwestern Spicy Hot Chorizo Sausage

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This came about because I got tired of the inferrior chorizos on the market. I took an old recipe given to me by uncles grandmother over 50 years ago when
I was a kid. I thought it was lost til going through some old cookbooks I have about 4 years ago, it was between pages, old and faded, but there was enough of the recipe still legible to give me a starting point and this is my result, though it is still being worked on. It's got a lot of great flavor, plenty of spiciness (probably too much for many) and it works great in every recipe that calls for chorizo that I've tried it in so far. This
recipe makes over 10 pounds, so if you don't eat the stuff often, it is a
good idea to freeze a good portion of it or share with friends.

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Ingredients

  • 10 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
  • 1 cup coarse chopped red onion
  • 1/2 cup minced habanero or other hot pepper
  • 10 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 cup gold tequila
  • 10 pounds well-marbled pork butt meat
  • 4 tablespoons ground cumin
  • 6 tablespoons coarse kosher or sea salt
  • 10 tablespoons ancho chili powder
  • 4 tablespoons pequin chili powder or cayenne pepper
  • 6 tablespoons granulated or powdered onion
  • 6 tablespoons granulated or powdered garlic
  • 6 tablespoons Spanish sweet paprika
  • 3 tablespoons Mexican oregano
  • 2 tablespoons fresh ground white pepper
  • 4 ounces of pork casings

Preparation

Step 1

Remove seeds from chipotles and habaneros, fine chop in processor with adobo sauce, onion, garlic, vinegar and tequila. (If desired, leave seeds in if you
like even more heat).

Step 2

Trim any silver skin off the pork, cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks. Spread out on a parchment lined baking sheets and freeze for 30 to 60 minutes to firm meat up before grinding for best results. Grind pork in meat grinder (or stand-mixer with a grinder attachment) with a 3/16 inch die. Use the feed tube to push the meat through gently or coarsely chop in batches in a food processor.

Step 3

Combine dry spices. Season pork in layers by putting 1/2 the meat in a large bowl, sprinkle with 1/2 the spice mixture and 1/2 the garlic-vinegar mixture, repeat. Combine well with your hands as that's just about the only way to be sure all the meat gets well seasoned.

Step 4

If using, prepare casings by soaking in cold water for 30 minutes to soften and make it pliable for use. Then run water through it to remove excess salt and to check for holes. Remove die from grinder or mixer and attach sausage-stuffing tube, slide the whole casing onto the tube, leaving enough on end to tie into a tight knot. With the mixer on low, gently feed the sausage mixture into the tube, using one hand to guide the casing out at the right speed, being careful not to over stuff or tear the casing. Turn off the mixer after you get about 3 feet of sausage, cut and tie off the casing. Retie the casing on the stuffing tube and continue til all of the sausage is stuffed. Pinch and twist the long pieces of sausage every 6 to 8 inches to form links. Put linked sausages on a baking sheet lined with parchment and refrigerate overnight to dry. If not using casings, form sausage into 3 to 4 inch patties. Put on parchment lined sheets, cover and chill as above.

Step 5

Patties or links may be used immediately by grilling, frying, etc. Also, both may be kept in refrigerator for 3 to 4 days or frozen for 3 to 4 months. To freeze the patties, separate with parchment or waxed paper in desired quantities, and put in freezer bags or wrap in freezer paper. Freeze links on sheets,then put desired quantity in freezer bags or wrap with freezer paper. You can also package sausage in bulk packages for freezing.

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Sausage casings are usually available at most butcher shops.

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