Homemade Chorizo: Mexican Style

Ingredients 0/12

Step 1

Soak the chile peppers in a bowl of hot water for about 30 minutes, until they’re nice and soft. While that’s happening, pop the pork butt and pork fat in the freezer for half an hour to firm up, and stick your meat grinder in there too to make grinding easier.

Step 2

Once the chiles are softened, drain them and blend with the vinegar until you get a smooth sauce. Next, grind the allspice berries and cloves using a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder, then set that aside.

Step 3

Take the chilled pork and fat, and run them through your meat grinder fitted with a medium plate. Toss the ground meat into a bowl along with the chile puree, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, and cumin. Mix everything together well by hand for a few minutes, then cover and let it chill in the fridge for at least an hour, or overnight if you have time.

Step 4

While the meat chills, soak your sausage casings in cold water for about 30 minutes. To rinse them out, slide one end onto the faucet and run cold water through the casing until it’s clean inside. Fit the casing onto the sausage funnel, and start pushing the meat through. When the mixture just begins to come out the end, tie a knot there to seal it, then keep filling the casing, supporting the sausage as it forms. Once you’re done, tie off the other end.

Step 5

To make links, twist the sausage at regular intervals, switching directions each time so the twists hold. Use a skewer to poke a few small holes in each link—this helps air escape during cooking. At this point, you can cook them right away or keep them in the fridge for up to three days.