First Timers Chorizo ~ options suited for an electric smoker

  • Some of the links on this forum allow SMF, at no cost to you, to earn a small commission when you click through and make a purchase. Let me know if you have any questions about this.
SMF is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Led Freddie

Fire Starter
Original poster
Sep 9, 2018
50
75
BC Canada/ Tucson, Az.
Chorizo is such a preferential sausage. Some like it chunky and course ground, other like it fatty and sweet. It's as varied as the wine regions of France. It's really all about your preference. Mexican Chorizo is much different than Spanish Chorizo and Portuguese Chorizo as well.

Myself, I like lean and a medium grind so it has texture but not a lot of fat. I've written this recipe and modified it to help other newbies find their way to making a Chorizo they envision.
upload_2018-9-17_9-55-14.jpeg


5 pounds boneless pork shoulder ( for a lean Chorizo) OR
5 pounds boneless pork butt ( for a fattier Chorizo)

6 tablespoons ground dried mild Red chile ( Paprika)

3 Tablespoons Ancho Chili powder ( 4 Tbs if you want more smokey flavor)

2 teaspoon of crushed hot chile pepper

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder ( optional)

2 tablespoons dried Mexican oregano leaves, ground up

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons ground Cumin

1 tablespoons fine salt ( add 1 additional Tablespoon if you like a heavy salty flavor)

1/2 cup ice water

1 cup cider vinegar

1 Tsp cure

Grind and mix the above ingredients adding water and cider last.

For a chunky Chorizo use a course face plate on your grinder
For a smoother texture, use a medium Face plate.
  • mix well rest overnight in fridge

Stuffing:
Freeze for 1 hrs prior to stuffing to firm up if you use a medium face plate.

stuff into 34-36mmm casings and link into sections.

upload_2018-9-17_9-55-52.jpeg


Smoking:
*(I chose to use hickory and mesquite chips)

Cold smoking start at 120F, and raise smoker temp by about 10 deg f every hour until it reaches 170.
-Do not go above this temp or you may get fat rendering around the outside of the sausage.

Regarding the texture of your casing: If you want a smoother texture on your finished Chorizo ( like store bought) place a small portion of water in you smoker to keep things moist. Remove the water once you've reached 160 Degrees. ( I like a dry bark ( like on a Salami so I did not have water in the smoker).
upload_2018-9-17_10-1-7.jpeg


Smoke until you get to internal temp of 155 F.
The graduated increase in heat takes 5 hours before your smoker is up to 170 degrees. The internal temperature of the Chorizo will still be around 130- 135 degrees when you hit 170. It may take up to an additional 3.5 hours @ 170 to reach the internal temperature of 155.
Approx 7 - 8.5 hrs in smoker.

Allow to cool to internal temp of 100 before moving to fridge. Allow links to cool and bloom in refrigerator overnight. *( You can see my outside texture is crisp like a Salami).
upload_2018-9-17_10-7-33.jpeg


The end results are 28 individual Chorizo ( approx 5-7 inches).

upload_2018-9-17_10-11-6.jpeg

Mine are lean and ideal for Gumbo, in eggs and rice dishes. I ground my pork though a medium face plate. My casing is crisp on the ends like a pepperoni or salami. I used only 1 Tbs of salt. Because its lean, the internal texture some would call dry but this is more like Spanish Chorizo I've had in the past. I'm not fussy about the feeling of my mouth coated in fat after a big bite of any sausage. It's all a personal thing.

~ Jump in and make it your own.
 
I'm well adjusted to hot. This isnt kill your mouth hot but has a lasting smolder. You could drop the Ancho down one TBS and replace with paprika if needed. It's spicy ( flavorful) more than hot. As a comparison, Id say johnsonville hot Italian sausage is similar.
 
Nice looking Chorizo!
I have some Spanish Chorizo dry curing as we speak, but I have tried the smoked kind & really like it too.
Anything spicy & I like it!!
Al
 
  • Like
Reactions: Led Freddie
This looks fantastic, I cannot wait to be able to pull something off like this. Great job and excellent step by step.
 
LF, Great post and a good recipe for chorizo, I like mine with the stained glass look w/chunks of fat. This is not to say I wouldn't eat a few sticks of yours ! :) like
 
Shoulder and butt are two different cuts, at least they were when I was a butcher for supervalue in the early 80's.
If my anatomy serves me right, the butt was cut away from the shoulder on a bandsaw giving 2 separate and distinct cuts of meat. I don't remember ever selling a full segmented butt/shoulder together but hey, that's a long time back.
On a trip to the meat counter in today's world, I still see, pork butt and pork shoulder. They remain two separate cuts with differing fat contents, butt being fattier, shoulder ( located above the hawk and butt on a "shoulder picnic ") which are priced accordingly. Normally, the shoulder is more expensive. I usually buy when any cut is on sale.
Hope that answered your question.
 
Last edited:
When I was meatcutting in the 80's, the shoulder was separated into two primals

the butt, which included the blade/neck, and the picnic which included the shoulder knuckle and hock.
The butt is the equivalent to the beef blade, and the picnic is the equivalent to the crossrib.

at least that was how I was trained, and how we sold meat.
 
SmokingMeatForums.com is reader supported and as an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases.

Latest posts

Hot Threads

Clicky