Chorizo or Sausage? Help a newbie!

[I-am-Chorizo]

Yes! I love this sort of combo. I use similar for my snack sticks and find the grind good for binding and the mince/chop good for mouthfeel. Just go to work a bit harder to ensure good protein extraction with the mince, I feel.

How can I ensure good protein extraction here... I mean...with the mince. I was just going to season and mix/massage the ground and the minced pork at a very low temperature until I get the sticky texture. Is there anything else I can do?

 

[I-am-Chorizo]

Thanks for that post. Your Chorizo looked awesome! Which did you like better?

There's something about the Columbian Chorizo that looks really special to me. It seems to be an outlier, a deviation from the usual desirable attribute: "bind together so that the fully cooked product will look as if it's one solid chunk of meat." Rather, this type of sausage seems to intentionally break that rule with the addition of large amount of vegetable content that really looks appealing to me, and I think it might add something and be worth exploring. @I-am-Chorizo I would love to hear more about your thoughts on what makes for good Columbian Chorizo.

Out of curiosity, I tried to find more examples of that demonstrate the most extreme version of this crumbly texture within, and I found this:

View attachment 694481
Looks delicious and also little bit deviant from a sausage perspective with those air pockets.

Hello There!

As a general rule, here, In Colombia we do have a difference of terms. Within the category of "Sausage" we include all that is emulsified, if it s not, then we call it directly a "Chorizo" with two big regional exceptions that are "Longaniza" and "Butifarra" those two are neither "Sausages" nor "Chorizos".
The Colombian chorizo is mainly made of pork, coarsely chopped vegetables (Onions, garlic, coriander, scallions etc) and seasonings that may vary from region to region + some natural or artificial coloring. At a homemade level, the knowledge about curing, protein extraction and/or smoking is generally not extended...now I understand the crumbly textures of most non-industrial chorizos. Another aspect is quality. Street low budget chorizos are made from butchery leftovers heavily seasoned and painted under a coat of coloring. Quality chorizos are more expensive and rare to find at an amateur level. What else would you like to know?

Regards

 

[DougE]

His 12% nitrite cure halved is slightly less than the nitrite in our 6.25% doubled. Halving the amount of his to 1.25g/kg will put it slightly below 156ppm, but still within acceptable range.

I could figure the ppm with his 3g per 2kg vs going to 2.5g per 2kg, but I don't really feel like it is going to matter much.

 

[geostriata]

His 12% nitrite cure halved is slightly less than the nitrite in our 6.25% doubled. Halving the amount of his to 1.25g/kg will put it slightly below 156ppm, but still within acceptable range.

I could figure the ppm with his 3g per 2kg vs going to 2.5g per 2kg, but I don't really feel like it is going to matter much.

That's what I did :) It came to 2.5g per 2kg for the standard 150ppm. I like to not put any more nitrates in than is needed (no less either, of course).

 

[DougE]

That's what I did :) It came to 2.5g per 2kg for the standard 150ppm. I like to not put any more nitrates in than is needed (no less either, of course).

156ppm is what we end up with using cure#1` containing 6.25% nitrite @2.5g/kg. That is what most consider the standard.

 

[geostriata]

How can I ensure good protein extraction here... I mean...with the mince. I was just going to season and mix/massage the ground and the minced pork at a very low temperature until I get the sticky texture. Is there anything else I can do?

In my experience, that's exactly it. I just meant it might mean more minutes mixing to get to sticky, that is.

now I understand the crumbly textures of most non-industrial chorizos. Another aspect is quality. Street low budget chorizos are made from butchery leftovers heavily seasoned and painted under a coat of coloring. Quality chorizos are more expensive and rare to find at an amateur level. What else would you like to know?

Fascinating! Thanks so much for the explanation. So rather than the crumbly textured chorizos, it sounds like your preference is for a less-crumbly more industrial-looking chorizo. Something where it appears as one solid piece of meat after cooking. Is that correct?

 

[geostriata]

156ppm is what we end up with using cure#1` containing 6.25% nitrite @2.5g/kg. That is what most consider the standard.

You're right! Well that explains my disconnect. I see that 156ppm figure cited often, but I also see the 150ppm threshold cited often in USDA safety docs and other meat-safety modeling. So that's probably where I got that figure.

In any case, not that big of a difference anyways. I think 150ppm is fine and 156ppm is also fine.

 

[SmokinEdge]

156 ppm nitrite is maximum in going to commuted meats by the USDA there is no set minimum

 

[DougE]

156 ppm nitrite is maximum in going to commuted meats by the USDA there is no set minimum

Most of us use that 156ppm figure in both solid muscle and comminuted meats as the norm though.

 

[geostriata]

Most of us use that 156ppm figure in both solid muscle and comminuted meats as the norm though.

So at 156ppm, the figure would be 2.6g for 2k of meat. :)

Either way, since 3.0g would be above the USDA maximum, it seems a good idea to reduce the amount a bit.

 

[DougE]

No argument from me.

 

[SmokinEdge]

Most of us use that 156ppm figure in both solid muscle and comminuted meats as the norm though.

True. 156ppm works perfectly fine for everything and cure #1 at .25% is easy to calculate. I have upped it on whole muscle but the results are the same.

 

[I-am-Chorizo]

Fascinating! Thanks so much for the explanation. So rather than the crumbly textured chorizos, it sounds like your preference is for a less-crumbly more industrial-looking chorizo. Something where it appears as one solid piece of meat after cooking. Is that correct?

After seeing what you guys do here, I want my chorizos to look like the sausages you present here. I'd be more than happy if I could achieve a unified/binded texture between the ground ant the minced pork.
I am also following your advice for the 2.5 GRS cure#1 for 2kg pork.
Was wondering wether 48 hrs curing in the fridge was ok or not. I live in a very hot place (35-40C°) and assume that with such room temperature range it is a bad idea to let them cure outside. Am I right here?

Thanks in advance!

 

[geostriata]

I want my chorizos to look like the sausages you present here. I'd be more than happy if I could achieve a unified/binded texture between the ground ant the minced pork.

Good to know! Your thread actually got me considering the opposite for a moment, as I haven't had a chance to consume the non-unified variety...

It's good then that your recipe doesn't include any acids, as @SmokinEdge's recommendation about vinegar was spot on. Even if you work harder on protein extraction and getting a sticky mix, the acids will get in the way of that smoother, more unified texture and make it grainier in the end.

I also experimented with how much meat I could mince and still get a unified smooth appearance in the end. In short, my "mostly coarse mince" product was awful without either a portion of the meat having a finer grind, or supplementing with binding element (like non-fat powdered milk) added to the mix.

Normally I like to avoid the "processed feel" that binders tend to add to my product, but it also adds more moisture retention. So if you're after something more industrial-looking, that could be something you may want to try adding to your product at 4g per kg of meat (though I wouldn't go as far as recommending it).

Was wondering wether 48 hrs curing in the fridge was ok or not. I live in a very hot place (35-40C°) and assume that with such room temperature range it is a bad idea to let them cure outside. Am I right here?

It's interesting that you ask, actually. We have an interesting discussion in another thread about this topic. Given your butchers go as far as dyeing the meat (ick!), I think you certainly want the cure #1 to do its thing. You can also accelerate this process with something like sodium erythorbate. In any case, since you're grinding the meat, I think any of the following should be fine:

• Grind, mix, stuff, and hang at room temp (20-22C) for 2 hours. Hang in smokehouse (no smoke) until dry, then smoke.
• Grind, mix, stuff, and place in a cooler for 12 hours. Probably want an hour hanging no-smoke at 35-40C first to dry casings a bit. Then smoke.

I do feel that more time resting helps with flavor. So if I was doing this, I'd go with the cooler approach for 12 hours then dry casings in smokehouse. I wouldn't cure them outside at your temp range.

Hope that helps, and good luck!