Awk!!! I`m developing a nut allergy from all this. (You`re NUTS!)
Basic Chorizo Principles: Well, tell ya what- - let`s lay out a few basic principles, then see what we can do.
(1) Chorizo in the "New World" is different from the "Old World." Lacking the Spanish peppers, everyone in the New World used their local varieties. Particularly in pepper-mad Mexico, some of the results departed markedly from Spanish tradition.
(2) Spanish chorizo is typically a fermented, dried sausage, whereas in the Americas it is typically a fresh sausage or a smoked, semi-dried, cooked sausage. Fermentation is unusual.
So, having said that, we`ll concoct a smoked, fermented version that you`ll never find elsewhere. I`ll provide a few recipes which you can prepare any of three ways: fresh, smoked/semi-dried, or fermented/smoked/semi-dried. We'll formulate it for one kilo of pork, which is about the least amount you should make and still be able to measure the ingredients accurately enough, and you can scale it up if you want. A few days later, I`ll also provide a recipe (the only one I`ve found so far) of a fermented/smoked/semi-dried Spanish sausage, based on Spanish paprika and pimentón, which you might enjoy. That way, those folks who don`t care much for "picante" hotness (you know who you are, eh?) can still have fun with the recipe and make something edible at the same time.
A few Choice Recipes: However, here`s a good start. Last October, I listed a few links to recipes for my favorite chorizo recipes. At
http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.ph ... c&start=86 , we talked about some of `em, but not about the fermented version. Frankly, I didn`t think it was as good as some other recipes, but it was an instructive exercise to do. In particular, it contrasted old world and new world practices, meaning that we usually slam our sausages with vinegar rather than give `em the subtle tang that fermentation does.
(That`s our justification, CW`s and mine, and we`re sticking to it.) (...although I can be bribed with... uh...)
The Fermented Example: Let`s start with an abbreviated version of the last "Project B" fermented/smoked recipe, as modified by CW. From that, you can get the bacterial and sugar loading. You can find the recipe at
http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.ph ... &start=644 with important notes at
http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.ph ... &start=647
● 1 kg pork mince
● 2.7 gm cure #1 (to give 140 ppm nitrite)
● 10.6 gm salt (to give 1.1% salt)
● 9 gm dextrose (glucose) powder (to give 0.75% sugar)
● 125 ml water (usually, vinegar would be used)
● 32.5 gm chiles (ancho, pasilla)
● 1.6 gm herbs/spices (clove, coriander, cumin, oregano)
● 17 gm garlic
● 7 gm sweet paprika
● 0.7 gm black pepper
● 0.24 gm Bactoferm LHP
Yes, that`s right, a quarter of a gram of LHP. Check my note for a way to get a reasonably close amount. If you don`t hit it exactly, don`t worry- - this is a starting amount, and it will multiply as it feeds on the sugar. (...sounds scary, no? Actually, no. It`ll quit when it runs out of sugar.)
Modify (Ferment) Your Favorite Recipe: So, let`s go out on a limb, here. Take your favorite
fresh chorizo recipe. (
Redzed: keep it clean and simple by using Melissa Guerra`s recipe, mentioned in the first link above. If you want, substitute paprika for the ancho chiles. It changes the flavor, but brightens the color.) (
Me...? I`m going with the sriracha one.) Modify your chosen recipe so that, for every kilo of pork:
● Add 2.7 gm cure #1 (to give 140 ppm nitrite) to the "fresh" recipe
● Back down on the normal salt amount by (1-.0625) * 2.7 =2.5 gm
● Add 9 gm dextrose (if fermenting)
● Substitute water for vinegar (if fermenting)
● Add that 0.24 gm of Bactoferm LHP (if fermenting)
Note that you can make a semi-dried, cooked sausage without fermenting, if you prefer. However, we're more interested in fermenting, for this exercise.
Now, prepare it according to CW`s instructions. Refer to the above link.
...hope you enjoy it. I like mine best when chopped up and scrambled in eggs, but there are other enjoyable ways. Maybe I`ll sneak a few of `em in here in the next few days.
Duk