ISO Chorizo

[voodoocheese]

I'm on the hunt for chorizo! I am looking for the crumbly kind- similar to the texture of an Italian sausage. I have already found slicing chorizo at Formaggio and the stiff stuff at various Groceries; but no luck with the one I want. If it helps, places like Felipe's and Boca Grande serve the kind I'm looking for...

[tallullah]

Are you looking for Mexican or Portuguese? Formaggio sells Spanish Chorizo, you'll find Portuguese at most of the super markets in the area, including Market Basket, and you'll find Mexican at the Stillman Farms. There are pretty significant spicing differences between all three.

[almansa]

I assumed Mexican from the OP's description, and they do sell it at Market Basket in Somerville, but I'm not a fan. It's too sour and I find myself having to correct recipes if I use it. Actually I don't use it, but I have friends that do and I have to fix their sour food. I just make my own, but I'd like to try Stillman's. I'll check them Friday @ Copley.

[tallullah]

Good to know about Market Basket in Somerville. I've only seen the Gaspar's Chouico. What Mexican brand do they carry?

[voodoocheese]

Mexican, if you please. Although I love all chorizo; I have a need for the crumbly kind (it is so good with scrambled eggs!)

[fredid]

Since Angela (of Angela's) makes a mean gordita with great chorizo, I would give Luis (her son - Joel is her other son and he may also be able to help) a call and ask if they're willing to tell you where they get it!

[Allstonian]

Stillman's Farm stand had both pork and lamb chorizo at the Saturday morning farmer's market in Union Square a couple of weekends ago.

[BostonZest]

I bought the lamb chorizo and will play with it this weekend and report back. Perhaps pork and clams and chorizo.

Penny
http://www.bostonzest.com/

[Food4Thought]

I love the Stillman's pork chorizo. It comes in a thick sausage casing, but more often than not I take it out of the casing, the texture is just as you describe and very nicely seasoned.

[emilief]

Roche Bros. carries Gaspar's Linguica and Chorizo- portugese products. Has texture similar to Italian Sausage.

[almansa]

or you might find it easier to make it yourself. Market Basket in Somerville has the soft chorizo, but imo there's too much vinegar in it.

[voodoocheese]

I'm in Somerville, so I'll try that Market Basket kind first- then I think I might have to go the JP... how difficult is it to make it at home?

[Gio]

It's not difficult to make at home... at all! Here's the recipe I've been using:

lb Pork butt -- ground (sometimes I use ground Bison or a mixture.)
1 ts Coarse salt
1 ts Black pepper -- freshly Ground
2 tb Ancho chile powder
4 Cloves garlic -- minced
1/2 bunch n Fresh oregano -- chopped
1 ts Ground coriander
1 tb Ground cumin
2 tb Red Wine Vinegar

In a medium size bowl, mix the pork, salt, pepper, chile powder, garlic, oregano, coriander, cumin, and vinegar thoroughly.

Refrigerate, in an airtight container, overnight. This allows the flavors to meld.
The chorizo may also be frozen.

Yield: 1 pound chorizo

[StriperGuy]

That sounds dang good. You could also mix up the mix of chiles. I might use some chiles pequines and some chipotle to add a little smoke. Boy, I have to try that..

[Gio]

You are going to be surprised to taste how good it really is. I made it for the first time when I was going to make a last minute COTM recipe and found I didn't have any chorizo on hand. I haven't bought it since. You can alter/modify/change the recipe to sout your own taste. I do.

I think the original recipe comes from the Too Hot Tamales out in Californina....from one of their shows.

[devilham]

I used to LOVE there show, they had such a good report (spelling? I mean a good back and forth dialogue)......when I used to make chorizo for a resteraunt we would use alot of paprika as well as the ingredients you listed.

[StriperGuy]

You have now got me obsessively thinking about making my own chorizo. Need to find sausage casings...

[BarmyFotheringayPhipps]

Ask at the butcher counter at the Somerville Market Basket. I've bought them there.

[smtucker]

Lately, the hog casings are on the top shelf, above the lamb, in the pork area. The bag has a cartoon picture of a pig face. Less than $5 for enough casing for 25lb of sausage.

[StriperGuy]

Which leads to another question... I was thinking of getting a pork shoulder and asking some supermarket butcher to grind it, and then proceeding. Can you stuff a sausage casing without any special tools? i.e. just spoon it in. Or does one really need a meat grinder with the sausage stuffing tube attachment?

[BarmyFotheringayPhipps]

I don't see why not. There was sausage before there were meat grinders with special attachments.

[skippy66]

Take it from someone who has made sausage many times before– there's no way that you are going to get the meat mixture into a sausage casing without some sort of specialized sausage stuffing apparatus ableit a hand stuffer or a meat grinder attachment.. Stuffing it in with a spoon is not an option.

[BostonZest]

Barmy, I'll bet Salem Street Hardward sells a manual grinder with sausage attachment. Give them a call. They run between $25 and $125 depending on the material. Stainless are the high end.

I'm going to my cookbook shelf to decide how to use my Stillman's lamb chorizo today.

Penny
http://www.bostonzest.com/

[StriperGuy]

That is what I thought...

[Gio]

Striper... there are stuffers and tampers available that are simple tools requiring no machines.

http://images.google.com/images?sourc...

Look at the first thingamabob..... Don't laugh.

[djd]

You could also try Casa de Carnes around the corner on Bow Street—I remember buying good chorizo there (or was it linguiça?).

[voodoocheese]

Oh man- I just went to the Somerville Market Basket for the first time... and last.
Also, didn't spot the chorizo; but I might have just missed it while trying to avoid getting run down, run over and/or flattened by shopping carts. Never. Again.
I did see ground linguica and lots of Portugese chourico- but no Mexican. I'll keep searching!

[smtucker]

You went on a Saturday for your first visit? To use the Somerville Market Basket, you have to go into training. Start with a Monday night, and work up to Thursday before even considering a Saturday. I too, went for my first time on a busy day, didn't know the layout, was overwhelmed by the sheer number of people and didn't return for a year. But, really, it is worth a return visit, but choose a less wild time of day.

[itaunas]

Somerville Market Basket doesn't normally carry smoked chorizo (as you noticed they have plenty of linguica/chourico), the Chelsea Market Basket does have Mexican Style smoked/cooked chorizo from NYC (ok, but still not great). At one time Somerville had a similar Brazilian product to columbian chorizo and they make things like fresh Kielbasa, but never seen fresh chorizo either. La Internacional carries some combination of guatemalan, columbian, and salvadoran chorizos brought up from NYC. I believe all cooked, if I remember correctly the guatemalan and columbian are smoked. Casa de Carnes has Brazilian linguica for churrasco (pure pork and mixed pork/beef), as well as thinner versions for frying. No chilis and any red color is usually from either sazon or some paprika, but it has the garlic in common. Tony's foodland has some other options to the side of the butchers case (including sometimes Brazilian linguica calabresa which has some chilis) as does La Sultana, the butchers station at both have Brazilian fresh linguica.

No magic bullet here, the chorizos brought up from NYC are a pretty mixed bag and not certain about local fresh except for the Brazilian linguica. But if you hunt around Somerville and try enough brands, you might find something you like.

The other choice is smoked chorizo from the Smokehouse in Norwell which is a good option, but usually only from specialty stores (Savenors I believe carries it). I have seen written claims that this is Spanish style, but unless its changed since I have had it this was Mexican cooked/smoked.

[skippy66]

Pick up a copy of Bruce Aidells' Complete Sausage Book. Its all about making sausage and very infomative. After reading this thread over the past few days, I pulled the book off the shelf and started thumbing through it again. I just finished making the Spicy Louisiana Poultry Sausage–made with boneless, skinless chicken and turkey thighs and bacon (everything's better with bacon).

[StriperGuy]

Hit Latin American grocery stores in Lynn, or the Hi Lo in Jamaica Plain, or probably Tropical Foods in Roxbury.