Make Your Own Chorizo - A Low-Fat and Flavorful Home Version

Ahhhhh - Mexican Chorizo. It is one of those foods that - when it's good - can be heavenly, but . . . when it's bad, it can be a greasy and nasty nightmare. So, I thought, how about making it at home so I could control the ingredients?

Mexican style chorizo is made from ground pork, vinegar and spices.  I decided not to bother with trying to put it into casings because I always wind up removing the casings and using it like ground beef in recipes anyway.

First I did some research.

The Homesick Texan posts a fabulous chorizo with pork, vinegar, chiles and spices. Thank goodness HT agrees with me to skip the casings! The Spicie Foodie made a chorizo with less heat. Diane at The Whole Gang adds tequila to her chorizo! Wow! Must try this next time.  Menu in Progress makes an Oaxacan style chorizo with five different chile powders.

And, the King of Mexican Cuisine himself, Rick Bayless, adds pork, pork fat, chiles, spices and garlic to his Chorizo Toluqueño in his book Authentic Mexican. He recommends refrigerating for 2 days before using.

Many of the recipes call for using a meat grinder, but, seriously, who has a meat grinder these days?  I found that pulsing the pork in my food processor works just as well.

Chorizo is surprisingly easy to make and is very lean, depending on the cut of pork you use. I had to add oil to my pan to cook it because it was so very lean. And, I loved the flavor of my homemade version. So delicious. I have some stashed in my freezer right now for our next leisurely breakfast with chorizo and eggs!

EVERYDAY SOUTHWEST CHORIZO

1 pound pork, visible fat removed (I used center cut loin chops), cut into 1 inch cubes
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons chile powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon each: sugar, ground oregano, salt
1 tablespoon cumin
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 tablespoon olive oil

Pulse all ingredients in food processor until very fine chunks, similar to ground beef. Refrigerate mixture for at least 2 days before using. Use as you would ground beef.

--posted by Donna