C H O R I Z O

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The chorizo you find at the grocery stores is of the Mexican variety, high in secondary meats, added fat and tallow as well as organs. The Spanish or Portuguese variety is heavier on the lean cuts and much less fat and organ meat, as well as having a longer smoking and curing time, which makes it shelf-stable. The grocery store variety must be refrigerated.

I would guess that if you want yours to soften and melt more, you have to add more fat and organ meats. Now, that's my thoughts- I've not made sausage so you should ask the pro's for concrete knowledge, such as Pops.
 
Hey there Rivet. Yeah I did read about the addition of organ meats in Mexican chorizo, but have not heard about the addition of tallow. That is interesting. I wonder where one could get some of that.
 
Meat Hunter, go to your neighbourhood grocery store meat counter (Not a big box store like sams or wally world, but like Krogers or Price Cutter or Safeway) and strike up a conversation with the meat cutters.

They will be happy to either "give" you a couple pounds of tallow for essentially pennies, or you can ask them to leave it on the chucks and roast you will from now on ask them to cut for you
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It's more expensive that way, but you know where it cam from and the cut of meat.

The meat folks are like the rest of us- they like to cook, for the most part know their meats and are willing to help someone who knows what they are talking about.

Good luck to you!
 
This is my white unicorn, I cant seem to make Chrizo that is good, color consistancy and taste are all not to par in my book.
 
The store bought Chorizo has lymph nodes,salivary glands and organs.Personally I like it with pork butt on the fatty side.I have made Rytek's and went less salt and almost double the cayenne the flavor was good.My .02
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Here is the one I made this evening if your interested in trying it.

For 5#.

5# Pork partially frozen ground thru 3/16th plate.
3/4 cup white vinegar
5 Tbl Paprika
2 Tsp Chile powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1 Tbl ground cayenne
2 Tbl Fresh minced garlic
1/2 Tbl oregano
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground chipotle pepper
1/3 cup water.

I put the water in the micro wave to boil, then added the spices, stirred well to leach out their flavor. Then I added the vinegar to that and let it sit for a while. Once cooled, I added it to the ground meat and mixed well. Let it sit in the fridge for 24 hours then package or stuff into casings.
 
i don't know where you guys are getting your chorrizo from but i have never heard of organs or tallo or lard or anything but pork or beef or a combo of the 2 and spices and vinegar.........that's it. my tata (grandfather) would beat me with the "buckle end of the belt" if i used that stuff in my chorrizo. if what you guys are talking about is the really red stuff in the tubes that is all fat and makes red grease and no meat.........that ain't chorrzo.
 
well exactly! But that's what you find nowadays in the grocery store in tubes labeled chorizo, wither from Mexico or an outfit out of LA, if I remember right. Twenty years ago Mexican chorizo was nothing like that either...you got it sliced in a deli, just like salami and Spanish chorizo.
 
All I can say is when we lived in El Paso, we would eat over in Juarez Mex. several times a month, and whether it was some off the beaten path restaurant in Mexico or El Paso, the Chorizo has always been a rusty red color. Granted, there are a multitude of Chorizo recipes from fresh to smoked to dry cured, but I think this is the most common.
 
Meat Hunter, I think the rusty red color is coming from Spanish smoked paprika, also called Pimenton.

Spanish paprika helps give chorizo its unique taste. The smoked variety is the perfect one, though you can use the sweet or the sour / regular kind.

You can get true Spanish paprika at Penzeys.com or also in nice 3 packs of each flavor at LaTienda.com. Their brand is very fresh and very good, plus you don't have to buy a ton all at once.
 
too bad.........then you need to come over for some real.....and real good chorrizo.

from wiki........Chorizo can be made from a variety of meat cuts, including lips, lymph nodes, and salivary glands.[6] The meat is finely ground and stuffed in plastic tubes to resemble sausage links, though traditionally natural casings were used. Before consumption, the tubes are usually cut open and the nearly paste-like mixture is fried in a pan and mashed with a fork until it resembles finely minced ground beef. A common alternative recipe does not involve casings: ground pork and beef are cured over night with a little vinegar and a lot of chile powder.

from the sub note #6:
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Hey thanks Rivet, much appreciated. We live in the sticks, so out availability to things outside the norm are shall we say.....difficult LOL. I will check both them sites. Thank again
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Damm Rob, you can't leave me hangin like that LOL. What is it missing or have that isn't here.
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i haven't made it in a while (around here i don't have to) and when i did i usually just eyeballed it depending on how strong the spices are. cumin and chili powder vary. i would say that what i don't use are:
oregano
chipotle...although it sounds good in little doses
black pepper
coriander
cayenne

what i don't see is:
chili powder.....isn't just ground chili and use lots more
cumin...be careful with this
garlic, granulated not fresh
onion, granulated
i don't think my grandfater used paprika but i do

as with everything it is all just a personal taste........
 
Cool, thanks. I did use chile powder in it. Was going to use cumin but the chile powder said it had some in it, and that stuff can be strong tasting. The coriander was actually from another recipe I seen online and thought I'd try it. That and the oregano are in such small quantities, I could just as well omit them next time. But I gotta keep the chipotle, cayenne and pepper. Even if its not true to style, this stuff was amazing with the eggs I made to go with it. I will try the granulated onion and garlic next round
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