Cured Spanish Chorizo

Author: Marthinus Strydom
Category: Meat Curing
Serves/Qty: 1.00
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Heidi Strydom

If you think of Spain, you think of Jamon, Tapas, Paella and of course, Chorizo! This cured pork sausage is world famous and rightfully so. It's full of flavor and a staple food in my house.

Marthinus Strydom

The Story

Spanish chorizo is known for its rich red colour and tangy, smoky flavour, equally delicious eaten in slices as tapas or used in cooking to give wonderful depth to a bean stew or egg dish. Chorizo in its present form has only been enjoyed in Spain for the last few centuries, as its main flavouring spice, pimentón, or smoked Spanish paprika, was introduced to Spain in the sixteenth century from the Americas by the explorers and conquistadors.

More about Spain

Spain, a country on Europe’s Iberian Peninsula, includes 17 autonomous regions with diverse geography and cultures. Capital city Madrid is home to the Royal Palace and Prado museum, housing works by European masters. Segovia has a medieval castle (the Alcázar) and an intact Roman aqueduct. Catalonia’s capital, Barcelona, is defined by Antoni Gaudí’s whimsical modernist landmarks like the Sagrada Família church.

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Ingredients
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This is an EQ recipe. If you change the weight, then the ingredient list will update and show the exact weight for your ingredients.

70 % lean pork
30 % pork back fat
2.50 % salt
0.20 % cure #2
0.33 % smoked paprika
0.66 % sweet/smoked paprika
0.20 % cayenne pepper powder
0.30 % garlic powder
0.60 % brown sugar
0.20 % dextrose
hog casings

Method

Instructions

  1. Clean your meat of any silver skin, sinew, arteries and cut into small strips or cubes. Place meat and fat in the freezer for an hour or until the temp reaches 32f – 34F.
  2. Grind your very chilled meat on a 6mm plate. Rechill the meat
  3. Rehydrate the starter culture in distilled water for 30 minutes prior to use
  4. Mix the spices and starter culture with your meat and mix till it becomes very tacky. If you grab a small handful it will stick to your hand if you hold your hand upside down.
  5. Stuff your mince meat into the casings, link, and prick out any air pockets. Weigh your chorizo and record the weight.

Fermenting and drying instructions

  1. To ferment your sausage, hang at room temperature (75F-85F) with a high humidity (80%) for 24 hours (if you have a way to test the pH you are aiming for anything between 4.9 and 5.2)
  2. after fermentation place the meat in a drying chamber where the temperature is 55F and the humidity is 80%. Here it will stay till it looses 40% of its weight.
  3. After you hit your weight loss target your chorizo is ready to enjoy.