This Smoked Honest Cooking Chorizo is for Mexican chorizo rather than Spanish. There are lots of options in either case, but I don’t know anything about making Spanish chorizo. On the Mexican side, however, there are a few I’ve used. This is the one I generally use as a starting point. When ready, you can let it sit for a few hours so the flavors will meld. However, I find it’s delicious just after making as well. Will keep in the refrigerator for a few days, and it freezes nicely.
Ingredients
Ingredients:
1.10 lb. or 500 grams of ground pork
*1 tbsp. cumin seed
*1 tsp. coriander seed
*5 whole cloves
*2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. thyme
1 tbsp. granulated garlic
1 tsp. sea salt
*5 whole peppercorns (or 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper)
Toast (optional) starred items separately, then grind and mix all.
Then add:
2 tbsp. Ancho chile powder OR substitute with a combination of
2 tbsp. paprika mixed with 1/2 tsp. cayenne powder OR
2 tbsp. paprika mixed with 1 tsp. red chili powder
3 tbsp. apple cider vinegar (can substitute with red wine vinegar)
Directions
Method:
- In a dry skillet heated on high, toast the chiles on each side for about 10 seconds or just until they start to puff.
- Fill the skillet with enough water to cover chiles. Leave the heat on until water begins to boil.
- Then turn off the heat and let chiles soak until soft, about 30 minutes.
- After chiles are moist, drain the water and place the chiles and vinegar in a blender, also adding the diced onion and chopped garlic. Puree until a smooth, bright red paste is formed (can add a splash of water or vinegar if it’s too dry to blend). It will look like ketchup.
- Add the chile puree to the ground pork, along with the rest of the spices. Mix well.
- To test the flavors, pinch off a small piece and fry it up in a skillet for a minute or so. Taste it and add more spices if needed.
- Let it sit for a few hours so the flavors will meld.
