Mexican Pork Chorizo

[tmlarsen]

What is your favorite way to use Mexican Pork Chorizo in a recipe? I'm thinking about using some in our turkey/pork burgers.

[DiveFan]

Pati Jinich comes through!

Caught this Chorizo episode on Create TV:
http://patismexicantable.com/2011/05/...

The sweet potato and chorizo 'salad' has moved to the top of my list ....

[tmlarsen]

Thanks for the heads up on Pati's site. Her recipes look amazing.

[DonShirer]

For dinner last night, we heated up a frozen meal from our favorite deli: Cuban Chicken with Shrimp and Chorizo. The label lists as ingredients: Boneles chicken thighs, shrimp, chorizo, cilantro, lime juice, garlic seasonings, olive oil, white wine, jalepeno peppers, scallions tomatoes, black beans over white rice. Tasted great.

I looked to see if there was an online recipe...found dozens with chicken and chorizo or shrimp and chorizo, and it shouldn't be too hard to add the third ingredient. Here is one to start with:

http://overrice.blogspot.com/2010/04/...

[tmlarsen]

That sounds good! I have everything in the house, except the chicken and shrimp, to make this. Thanks.

[DiveFan]

Just noticed this new recipe for 'Chorizo Scotch Eggs' in the page bottom 'scroll':
http://www.chow.com/recipes/30315-cho...
Looks like a winner!

[tmlarsen]

Interesting. Thanks for the post.

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

Fry up half a chub, add to a small can of refried beans, add in some diced onion, and top with your cheese of choice for a dip.

Fry up a chub, mix in cooked rice, bell peppers of your choice, onion, corn, oxaca cheese, and stuff into Poblano peppers. Bake, and eat.

[katecm]

I like to render it in a hot coated cast iron. While it's rendering, chop a large red pepper, an onion and some garlic. Throw in the veggies and let them soften for a few minutes. Add in a can of diced tomatoes and stir, seasoning with salt, pepper, smoked paprika, maybe cayenne if you like spicy. Then add a large can of chickpeas and let everything stew together. Top with a poached egg and serve with crusty bread for a hearty breakfast or a fantastic dinner.

[Hank Hanover]

If you lost the tomatoes and the chickpeas and added cubed tators, you would have a mean hash.

[tmlarsen]

That's what I'm thinking. My son-in-law has never had chorizo and I can't wait for his reaction. I love introducing new flavors and cuisines to my family..

[Hank Hanover]

You could always mix it with ground chuck to limit the shock.

[katecm]

I do that time, and it's awesome if you use half sweet potato, half yukon. The sweet and spicy is a great mix.

[dave_c]

Mexican Pork Chorizo... To me that's the stuff in the plastic tubes that has an ingredients list that one won't dare looking. The delicious stuff that's full of offal stuff.

Chorizo and egg (or ground beef) tacos, a base for chili, a base for "Mexican" style casseroles.

[tmlarsen]

I'm a fan of scrapple, so this didn't scare me too much.

[DiveFan]

I'm not opposed to offal, but most commercial Mexican style chorizo produced NOB is way too fatty, doesn't have enough meat and the (lymph nodes?) texture is offputting. If you can't find a good locally made brand, it is easy to make your own:
http://life-eos.blogspot.com/2012/02/...
The 'ground pork' can be any combo of your favorite pig parts.

Surprisingly, I've never found chorizo from local carnecerias to be too spicy.
If you really like chile heat, go for a chorizo and rice stuffed chile (relleno).

[cajundave]

My two favorite ways to use Mexican chorizo.

Fry and mix with refried pinto or black beans.

Fry and mix with onions and fried potato cubes. Fold into tortia with Chihuahua cheese and make quesadillas.

[travelerjjm]

I agree with paulj that there are different Mexican-style chorizos with different uses. But honestly, I often prefer to make my own. The grocery store and carnicerias' versions often have pig parts such as cheek and offal. These can be good or bad additions depending on your view.

Since Mexican chorizo is a fresh sausage, it can be made at home. It is easy and you can spice it as you wish, and use whatever cuts of meat you want. I make both beef and pork chorizos. I add them to meatloaf, scrambled eggs, breakfast burritos, spaghetti sauce and other dishes I want to kick up a notch. Even though it is not the same as Andouille at all, I sometimes replace one with the other for a flavor variation -- but never in gumbo!

[paulj]

There's nothing wrong with cheeks (guanciale is made from cheek or jowl) or offal. However one of the top ingredients in the cheapest chorizo is salivary glands. Again nothing inherently wrong with those. But a lot of Americans get all squeamish when it comes to non-muscle parts of the animal.

But the chorizo made in-house in a grocery may be the same ground pork that they season as bulk breakfast sausage, italian sausage, or sell as unseasoned ground pork - most likely shoulder, without any offal. And in my experience, the butcher at a carniceria may be rightly proud of the chorizo he makes himself - though the spicing might be too hot for some of us.

[travelerjjm]

I completely agree! I love cheek tacos, BTW.

I made the chorizo from the recipe in Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing by Rytek Kutas and I ended up doubling the spices because it was too mild. I like a bit of spice, having lived in the American Southwest for 40 years.

[paulj]

I've been buying unseasoned ground pork and trying to spice it the Spanish chorizo style. However this last time I ended up closer to the Mexican (too much guajillo powder).

[travelerjjm]

Spanish Chorizo is not as easy as Mexican. Spanish is traditionally a dried or cured sausage. Yes, one can approximate the taste with a fresh sausage. You can make an uncured dried chorizo and stuff it and dry it, but it still must be cooked. You can also use a cure and make a dried, cured sausage. The latter need not be cooked -- like the Spanish chorizo one fines frequently in Spain or Mexico (yes, you can get Spanish chorizo in Mexico; I used to get it often in Puerto Vallarta for eating with cheese while drinking rum, tequila or whatever).

[chefj]

Regular good quality Spanish paprika, garlic and pimentón is what is usually used in Spain, most Mexican/ Southwestern chilies would not really work due to their flavor and heat. If you want it the Picante style use the picante pimentón instead of dulce.

[Hank Hanover]

I mix it with ground beef and make a rice casserole (rice on the top layer) or a spicey mexican shepherd's pie (mashed potatoes on top).

I mix the two meats and saute them then I turn the heat down and sweat whatever veggies I use in all that flavored fat. When I am through I soak up the extra grease with paper towels. Then I use the meat for the bottom layer of my casserole but you could use it for anything (tacos, burritos, enchiladas, mix with scrambled eggs).

Several weeks ago I was able to score ten pound chubs of Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage for $1 each. I add chili powder and smoked paprika to it and make a pretty good chorizo.

[tmlarsen]

The rice casserole sounds kind of like dirty rice. Thanks for the idea!

[paulj]

I can think of roughly 3 types on US markets:
- cheapest commercially made - cooks down to an orange paste and fat
- grocery store brand - ground pork plus some generic seasonings
- specialty of the house in carnicerias.

They have different uses.

[tmlarsen]

Thanks for the info. I knew of only two kinds, the Mexican and the Spanish.

[BigSal]

Huevos revueltos con chorizo (scrambled eggs with chorizo).

[mucho gordo]

Add that to a tub of Country Crock garlic mashed potatoes and wrap it all in tortilla for a great breakfast burrito. Some cheese and a serrano cili are optional.

[tmlarsen]

The first time I had chorizo it was fixed this way.

[escondido123]

The local chorizo where I live is too fatty for something like a burger and really needs to be fried fairly crispy. Maybe for a topping but I wouldn't put it in the meat.

[JungMann]

You have a point. Chorizo from the carniceria is usually pretty fatty and too coarse to stick together, though it's not hard to season ground pork similarly if you want a chorizo burger. As far as storebought goes, however, my favorite Mexican sandwiches are always brimming with crispy chunks of chorizo. It also makes a great creamy and spicy pasta sauce.

[tmlarsen]

Thanks, we decided not to put it in the burgers, but I will be making a big old mess of scrambled eggs this weekend.