How To Make Chorizo

Need a little bit of spice in your cooking life? Look no further than some homemade chorizo. This Spanish sausage with European roots has become a Latin American staple and a U.S. favorite for one big reason: it’s just so darn delicious. With big flavor from dried smoked red peppers, the tiniest little bit of chorizo can bring big flavor to the simplest of dishes. It’s amazing sliced thinly for sandwiches, sautéed for tacos, grilled, simmered in broths or added as a garnish for cocktails. With so many uses and different variations—from Spain and Portugal to Mexico and the Philippines—it’s easy to say the chorizo is a worldwide favorite. Whether it’s dried, cured or made fresh like we’re doing here, this sausage is a must make.

Watch along with our online culinary school chef as he shows you how to make homemade chorizo. Once you’ve made it, you can freeze some and keep it on hand for tons of future recipes.

Chorizo Sausage

Ingredients:
3 lbs pork shoulder
2 tbsp of salt
9 Guajillo peppers
6 Ancho peppers
1 cup of apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp of paprika
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
1/3 tbsp ground black pepper
½ tbsp of ground cumin
¾ tbsp Mexican oregano
½ tbsp dry marjoram
½ tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp dry thyme
6 cloves
½ tsp ground allspice
Sausage casings
Butcher’s twine

Directions:
1. Cut pork shoulder into small pieces. Place the meat in the refrigerator, this will make the meat easier to handle.

2. Setup your grinding attachment in your mixer with the coarser blade and grind the meat.

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

4. Meanwhile, grind the spices and dry herbs using a spice or coffee grinder.

5. Discard water and place the peppers in a blender. Add the vinegar and garlic cloves and puree until smooth; strain through a fine strainer, set aside.

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

7. Stuff pork mixture into casings.

8. Place in the refrigerator for a day to season in a well-covered glass container. This step will enhance the flavor better.