Mexican Chorizo

Mexican Chorizo is really easy to do at home. I love my chorizo to be a little meaty and goes great for breakfast or even in a taco. The blend of spices and herbs make this chorizo very flavorful. Let the mixture sit for a couple of days in your refrigerator, so the spices can marinate the pork. This is a staple in my home, even the kids love it.

Mexican Chorizo Recipe

2 lbs ground pork

5 dried chili pods of your choice

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp Spanish oregano

1 tsp onion powder

½ tsp ground cumin

4 garlic cloves

2 tbsp vinegar of your choice

I like to grind my own meats at home. I have the Kitchen Aid stand mixer with the meat grinder attachment. It is honestly such a convenience when I need to have something ground up. Plus it is so much cheaper to grind your meat at home, compared to buying from the butcher. For example, this pork meat that cost me $1.99 per pound, it would have cost me $3-4.99 a pound if done by my butcher.

Once your pork meat is ground up, we will need to heat up some water. You do not have to boil, you just want some hot water for our chili pods.

In this recipe, I used New Mexico chili pods, you can use any type of chili pods of your choice. The only difference between the chili pods is the flavor and heat. I like to make my chorizo flavorful, so I typically use New Mexico, California, Guajillo or Pasilla chili pods to name a few.

Take your chili pods and remove the seeds and stems. If you are wanting a spicier chorizo, add the seeds.

Now place the chili pods in the hot water and let them soften for 20 mins.

Once the chili pods are soften and pliable, place them in a blender with all of your spices and herbs.

Give a blend, if the mixture is not blending well add a little bit of water you had your chili pods soaking in.

You are looking for a paste consistency, so add as little as possible.

After blending, let the mixture cool to room temperature or place in the fridge for about 20 minutes.

I like keep meat at safe temperatures, so adding hot items to cold food and not cooking right away is not safe. Sorry that is the restaurant manager in me speaking.

Once everything is nice and cool, add your chili paste into your ground pork and mix well.

For best results, place the chorizo in air tight ziplock bags and let it sit in the fridge for 2 days. That will allow the marinade to penetrate the meat really well.

Cook up and Enjoy!