If you're a fan of bold, flavorful Mexican dishes, you will love chorizo, a spicy sausage that adds depth to a variety of dishes. In Austin, TX chorizo appears on almost every Tex-Mex restaurant menu. It can be found in burritos, tacos, nachos and breakfast tacos. Most store-bought chorizo contains preservatives and additives, but with this homemade version, you're working with fresh, simple ingredients like fresh garlic, pork butt, and ground spices. You’ll know exactly what’s in your chorizo and you will have control over the ingredients and spices, allowing you to adjust the spice level and flavors to suit your taste.
In this post, I will show you how easy it is to make authentic homemade Texas red chorizo in only 30 minutes. The flavors are big and bold and the color is a deep red.
Try my recipes for Brisket Breakfast Tacos, Carnitas Tacos, Pork Belly Tacos and No Bean Texas Chili.
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Ingredients
- Ancho chiles
- Guajillo chiles
- Apple cider vinegar
- Garlic cloves
- Pork shoulder
- Pork back fat
- Ground cumin
- Cumin seeds
- Black pepper
- Paprika
- Cayenne pepper
- Kosher salt
- Ground coriander
- Ground cinnamon
- Optional: hog casings if you want to make sausage links
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Remove the stems and seeds from the dried chiles. Place them in a fry pan and roast the chiles over medium-high heat until they become fragrant and begin to darken, about 1 minute. Turn the chiles over and roast the other side, another minute. Remove the chiles from the pan, place them in a bowl and cover them with water. Let them soak until soft, about 20 minutes.
While the chiles are soaking, cut the pork shoulder into 2 inch pieces. Cut the back fat into small pieces and mix it together. Place the mixture in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Chilling the meat makes it easier to grind. Use a meat grinder to grind the pork and back fat into a coarse texture using a ¼" plate. Set aside.
Roast the dried chiles in a hot skillet.
Cut the pork shoulder into 2 inch pieces.
Cut the pork back fat into 1 - 2 inch pieces.
Grind the pork shoulder and back fat pieces together.
Drain the soaked chiles and place them in a blender with the apple cider vinegar, onion and garlic. Blend until smooth, about 45 seconds. Add the mixture to the ground meat. Add all of the remaining spices.
Blend the chiles and onions together.
Add the sauce and spices to the ground pork.
Using a gloved hand, gently mix it all together. Make sure the spices are evenly distributed throughout the meat. Just stir it together. Be careful to not squeeze the meat as that will change the texture of the chorizo.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground chorizo to the skillet, breaking it apart with a spoon as it browns. Cook for about 8-10 minutes, or until the meat is done (165°F). It can be difficult to tell when it's done because chorizo will not brown like ground beef, but it will dry out a bit. Use a thermometer to be sure.
Mix well to combine.
Cook the chorizo in a hot skillet.
If you're using sausage casings, you can stuff the chorizo mixture into them before cooking for traditional chorizo links. Sausage stuffers, like the one shown below, make this process much easier.
Ways to Use Homemade Chorizo
One of the best things about chorizo is its versatility. Here are some of the dishes you can create:
- Nachos: Layer cooked chorizo on tortilla chips with queso, pico de gallo, sliced black olives and sliced jalapeño peppers for a easy snack.Variations
- Breakfast Tacos: Combine cooked chorizo with scrambled eggs, hash brown potatoes and cheese. Wrap it all in corn or flour tortillas for a hearty breakfast.
- Tacos: Fill warm tortillas with chorizo, cilantro, onions, and top with your favorite salsa.
- Burritos: Add refried beans, grated cheese and pico de gallo to cooked chorizo for a filling meal.
Variations
If you like spicy chorizo, simply add more chiles and cayenne pepper.
Equipment
A meat grinder with a ¼" plate is perfect for grinding the pork should and back fat. Alternatively, you could pulse the meat mixture in a food processor. Follow the manufacturer directions for making ground meat.
Storage
Store leftover chorizo in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Top Tip
For a richer flavor, refrigerate the uncooked chorizo for 24 hours in an airtight container before cooking. This allows the flavors.
Chorizo is best cooked over medium heat to ensure the fat renders out slowly, allowing the flavors to intensify. Also, a heavy skillet, like cast iron, is ideal for browning the chorizo evenly.
Final Thoughts
Making your own homemade chorizo opens the door to creating countless and Tex-Mex and Mexican-inspired dishes. You'll be amazed at the depth of flavor and how easy it is to make. And once you've mastered it, you’ll never go back to store-bought chorizo again. Enjoy!
Related
Here are some terrific dishes made with fresh chorizo.
📖 Recipe
Homemade Texas Red Chorizo Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Meat Grinder with a ¼" plate
Ingredients
Dried Chiles
- 4 each Ancho chiles stemmed, seeded
- 4 each Guajillo chiles stemmed, seeded
- 4 tbs Apple cider vinegar
- 10 each Garlic cloves chopped
- 1 each Yellow onion chopped
Meat
- 1.5 lb Pork shoulder boneless
- .5 lb Pork back fat
Spices
- 1 teaspoon Cumin ground
- 1.5 teaspoon Cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon Black pepper freshly ground
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- .5 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
- 4 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon Coriander ground
- .5 teaspoon Cinnamon ground
Instructions
Prepare the Chiles
- Remove the stems and seeds from the dried chiles. Place them in a fry pan and roast the chiles over medium high heat until they become fragrant and begin to darken (about one minute). Turn the chiles over and roast the other side (another minute). Remove the chiles from the pan, place them in a bowl and cover them with water. Let them soak until soft (about 20 minutes).
Prepare the Meat
- While the chiles are soaking, cut the pork shoulder into 2" pieces. Cut the back fat into small pieces and grind it all together using a meat grinder with a ¼" plate. Set aside.
Put it All Together
- Drain the soaked chiles and place them in a blender with the apple cider vinegar, onion and garlic. Blend until smooth (about 45 seconds).
- Add the mixture to the ground meat.
- Add all remaining spices.
- Gently mix it all together with a gloved hand. Be careful to not squeeze the meat as that will change the texture of the chorizo. Just stir it together. Store extra chorizo in FoodSaver bags in the freezer.
- Cook over medium heat until done (165°F). It can be difficult to tell when it's done because chorizo will not brown like ground beef. But it will dry out a bit. Use a thermometer to be sure.
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