Chorizo is a well-seasoned pork sausage that may be purchased cured or fresh. Today we’re going to cover how to make fresh Mexican-style chorizo, using dried chile peppers and vinegar. My version of this tasty sausage uses half pork and half chicken to help lighten things up a bit. It can be tough to find fresh chorizo in the supermarket, so why not try making your own?

Oh, chorizo. You might be one of my top picks for meat when I want to create a dish full of flavor. Unfortunately, where I live in the northeastern United States, fresh chorizo can be tough to find in regular supermarkets.

➕ Why is Mexican chorizo different? 

Most of my local grocery stores do carry Spanish chorizo (or its cousin, Portuguese chourico). These are cured pork sausages that are flavored with smoked paprika for a vibrant red color (source). As delicious as these are, sometimes I have a recipe where only fresh chorizo will do. 

That is where Mexican chorizo comes in. Mexican-style chorizo is a fresh sausage that may be made from other meats (or soy) in addition to or in place of fatty pork. This type of sausage is typically flavored with chili peppers (or chili powder) and vinegar. 

As mentioned, it can be tough to find good Mexican chorizo here outside of the specialty stores. Since I recently acquired a meat grinder, I decided to give making Mexican-style chorizo a try. The results were fabulous, and I’m so excited to share the recipe with you today!

You can bet I’ll be making my keto chorizo stuffed zucchini boats soon. Aside from making chorizo and eggs for breakfast, or tacos, it’s one of my favorite ways to use fresh chorizo! 

🐷 Homemade Chorizo Recipe Ingredients 

What is chorizo made out of? Here is what you need to make Mexican chorizo: 

• 2 lbs pork butt or pork shoulder (907 grams)  
• 2 lbs chicken thighs (907 grams; boneless and skinless) 
• 2 teaspoons salt 
• 6 dried ancho chiles  
• 10 dried guajillo chiles 
• 2 dried Japones chiles 
• 6 tablespoons white vinegar 
• 7 cloves garlic, minced 
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano (use Mexican oregano, if possible) 
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin 
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika 

Some people also like to add other spices like cinnamon or ground cloves, or herbs like thyme and bay leaves. Use my recipe as a jumping off point to make it your own! 

What is the main ingredient in chorizo?

Chorizo’s main ingredient is typically pork (both pork meat and pork fat). However, it’s possible to find beef, chicken, and even soy spiced up with chorizo seasonings. 

Which chile peppers should you use for fresh chorizo?

You could take a little shortcut and use chili powder in place of the dried chiles in this recipe. That said, this is a slow food recipe, and I recommend going the extra mile by using the dried chiles. Your chorizo will be more flavorful, and you can more easily control the heat this way.

The chile peppers that are best to use will depend on the heat and flavor you are looking for. I chose to use mostly guajillo chiles because they have mild-medium heat and great flavor. According to Wikipedia, the guajillo chile is the second most commonly used dried chile in Mexican cuisine.

(Can you guess what the most common dried chile pepper is?)

Through the years, I’ve come across recipes for Mexican chorizo using:

• Aleppo peppers
• Ancho peppers
• New Mexican chile peppers (i.e., hatch peppers)
• Guajillo peppers
• Chiles de Arbol (be conservative with adding these- they are hot!)

There is no one right answer as to the best dried pepper to use. Feel free to use what you have on hand and what fits your tastes.

I went with 6 ancho, 10 guajillos, and 2 japones peppers (for a little extra heat). You’ll want to use somewhere in the range of 16-18 dried chiles for this recipe. Between the dried peppers and the smoked paprika, your chorizo will have that lovely characteristic red color.

If you can’t find them at Walmart, you can pick up the dried guajillo peppers on Amazon. It’s also nice to use Mexican oregano rather than regular oregano here, though it is not necessary.

🔥 How to Make Chorizo

Here are the step by step instructions for how to make Mexican chorizo: 

1. Cut the stems off of your dried chiles. Heat them in a cast iron skillet for a couple of minutes to help bring out their flavor. Be careful not to burn them! 

2. Soak the chiles in hot water for 30 minutes. After they have soaked, split them open and discard most of the seeds. 

3. Place your soaked chiles, the garlic, 3 tablespoons of the chile soaking water, and the vinegar in a food processor. Blend this mixture into a chunky paste. You may need to stop the food processor a few times and scrape the sides down with a spatula if the mixture is sticking. 

4. Keep your ingredients at 38-40°F/3.3-4.4°C (almost frozen) for easier cutting and grinding. Cut the chicken and pork into 1-inch (2.54 cm) cubes (or smaller). 

5. In a large bowl, place the chicken, pork, chili pepper paste, salt, oregano, cumin, and smoked paprika. Stir to combine. Refrigerate this mixture while you set up your meat grinder. 

6. Using a meat grinder, coarsely grind the mixture. Send the mixture through the grinder slowly, so that you do not create a jam. 

7. Refrigerate this ground mixture overnight to give the flavors time to develop. 

8. You can use this homemade chorizo recipe, as a ground meat mixture or make chorizo links. Learn to make sausage links with hog casings in my homemade sausage with chicken recipe. 

How to Cook Chorizo

Cook fresh homemade chorizo the same way you’d cook ground beef. You can cook it in a skillet over medium heat, or add it to your favorite recipes. Because this chorizo contains poultry, it needs to be cooked to a minimum safe temperature of 165F (74C). 

🌡️ How should you store fresh chorizo? 

This recipe makes about 4 lbs and 12 oz of chorizo. You can keep it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in an airtight container. Unless you are feeding a crowd, you are going to want to store some of this chorizo in the freezer. 

I use my FoodSaver vacuum sealer for packaging the sausage into 1-pound portions. You could also use casings and make chorizo links before sealing. 

That said, fresh chorizo is almost always removed from the casings and crumbled during cooking. It seems like a lot of extra work to fill casings that will eventually end up in the trash.

But back to storing your chorizo. I’m going to give you some tips on using the FoodSaver in the next section because its use is not entirely intuitive.

If you don’t have a vacuum sealer, a low-tech option is to double bag your chorizo in freezer zip-close bags. You can use a straw to suck out as much of the air as possible before closing the bags. It is not as good as a vacuum-sealed bag, but it does a decent job of preventing freezer burn.

🤔 How to Seal Homemade Chorizo 

So, if you do have a FoodSaver vacuum sealer, there are a few things you should know. First, when you are filling the FoodSaver bags, be careful to keep the edges of the bags clean. Even small amounts of oil or food on the edge of a bag will prevent proper sealing. 

Second, after filling the bags, freeze them unsealed for 1-2 hours. This will help prevent oil and water in the food from traveling to the edge of the bag while the air is being sucked out. Again, you want to keep the edges of the bag clean for a good seal. 

Finally, make sure the “easy lock” latch is turned all the way to “operate” before you begin the vacuum sealing process. If it is not in place, the machine may seal your bags without removing all of the air. Once you get the hang of vacuum sealing, it’s quite easy! 

FAQs 

Can I substitute Mexican chorizo for Spanish chorizo? 

Yes, you can swap Mexican chorizo for chorizo from Spain if you don’t mind the texture and flavor change. Make sure to fully cook the chorizo sausage if you’ve changed the recipe to use raw chorizo. 

Why is Mexican chorizo so red? 

Mexican chorizo gets its characteristic red color from paprika and chili peppers. 

What organs are in chorizo? 

You can purchase chorizo with organ meats and chorizo made with pork muscle and fat only. There is not a standard list of offal typically included in store-bought chorizo sold in the United States. Check the ingredients list of the product you’re interested in to see what’s in it. 

Why is there vinegar in chorizo? 

Vinegar is one of the ingredients that gives chorizo its special flavor and it also helps to preserve the meat. 

Is carnitas the same as chorizo? 

No, carnitas and chorizo are not the same. Carnitas is a braised or roasted pork that’s cooked in oil or lard and shredded. Chorizo is a spiced ground pork sausage, well-known for its heavy use of paprika and chili peppers. 

Can you tell when chorizo is done? 

Fresh chorizo that is fully cooked will be darker and crisper. Chorizo should reach the safe temp of 160F (71C) when checked with a meat thermometer. If the chorizo contains chicken or other poultry, it should reach 165F (74C). 

Can I eat chorizo raw? 

This chorizo recipe is made of ground raw meat and must be cooked before eating. You can also purchase a firm cured chorizo sausage that is ready to eat (source). 

👨🏻‍🍳 More Pork Recipes 

Here are some more delicious recipes for pork to try: 

• Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin 
• Chicken Bratwurst with Pork 
• Air Fryer Pork Roast 
• Pork Belly Air Fryer Recipe 
• Boston Butt Pork Roast Recipe 

If you enjoyed making chorizo, don’t miss my Homemade Sausage recipe. Before long, you’ll be a sausage-making pro with a freezer full of your delicious culinary creations!

Have you ever tried making chorizo? If so, what are your favorite types of dried peppers to use? Tell me about it in the comments below!

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