Last week I posted a review of Farm Fork Food by Eric Skokan,
https://cookingbythebook.com//cookbook-reviews/cookbook-review-farm-fork-food-by-eric-skokan/
I noted that there was recipe for Pork Chorizo I knew my chorizo-addicted wife would probably gravitate to. She did, quickly. I showed her the recipe last Wednesday and this Saturday we were at our butcher getting ground pork and salt back. We made chorizo patties and celebrated an amazing flavor. Author Erick Skokan notes that “Chorizo made from scratch is not only rewarding but substantially better than the store-bought version.” He’s right.
Eric also talked about the versatility of this sausage. You can cook and eat it on its own. Or combine it, as he does, with avocado halves. Or embed it, as we did, in scrambled eggs.
Suzen followed the recipe here in terms of the volume of spices. But, as the picture above shows, we started with fresh spices and chiles and toasted them in a pan to generate the most intense natural flavor. Once toasted, Suzie let the food processor create the volume of ground spices shown below.
One warning. This combination of spices is extremely hot. Suzen and I have a habit of seeing a recipe, saying “ah, we can make it hotter,” and then doubling down on the spices.
“I’m going to follow the recipe this time,” Suzen said. Something in her brain set off alarms. Once we ate the sausage patties, something in our mouth set off alarms. This mixture is HOT. Do not intensify it. There is back heat that arises after two or three seconds that can generate just a moment of panic. This is definitely not your typical store-bought chorizo. We are not going back.
Lastly, the directions here assume you have a meat grinder at home. We do, but for ease we let the butcher grind the pork for us. For the salt back, Suzen bought it solid, took it home and froze it, then let the food processor slice and dice. That processed salt back and butcher’s ground pork were mixed by hand.
I must say Suzen looks smashing with rubber gloves on and meat dripping from her fingers.
You can freeze these patties and cook on demand. One taste and you will be demanding.
Pork Chorizo
Yield: serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1 pound pork shoulder, cubed
- 4 ounces fatback or pork belly, cubed
- ¼ cup diced onion
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons ground chiles de arbol
- 1 tablespoon ground black Oaxaca chiles
- 2 tablespoons ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Sea salt
Preparation:
Pre-chill the grinder attachment, auger and cutting dies in the freezer overnight.
Pass the shoulder, fatback, onion and garlic through the grinder set with a medium cutting die. Change to a small die and pass the pork mixture through a second time. Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the spices and lemon juice and season with salt. Beat on low speed until tacky, about 3 minutes.
In a small sauté pan over high heat, cook 1 teaspoon of the pork mixture to check for seasoning. Taste and adjust if necessary.
Form the chorizo into 2-inch diameter patties. In a large sauté pan over I medium-high heat, cook until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the patties over and cook for about 2 minutes more. Transfer to a platter to rest.
Source: Farm Fork Food by Erik Skokan [Kyle Press]
Photo Information: Canon T2i, EFS 60mm Macro Lens, F/4 for 1/20th second at ISO 3200