1000's of words
- Thread starter Rich G
- Start date
Cliff Bartlett
R.I.P. 5/17/2021
Looks spectacular Rich. What a great way to spend a day. I notice that you just go with the fat content in the shoulder. Most of the recipes I've used call for the addition of additional hog fat. This looks a little easier and probably healthier.
Rich G
TVWBB Honor Circle
Yeah, if I had trimmings from ribs and such, I would have added that in, Cliff, but, not wanting to make the extra stop these days (my local meat guy has back fat almost always, but I was coming from CostCo), I just went with what the piggy gave me.
Oh, and I'd go with "lazier and probably healthier...."
R
Greg in Utah
TVWBB Pro
Awesome
Brad Olson
TVWBB Diamond Member
Really nice, Rich! One of these days you're going to have to indulge in some heritage pork to make a small, special batch.
Dustin Dorsey
TVWBB Hall of Fame
Dang, I missed this somehow. Excellent sausages! I love that you are using grams. What temp did you cook them at? Did you give them a water bath at the end because those casings look perfect?
Rich G
TVWBB Honor Circle
Thanks, Dustin! It's just so much easier to use grams and percentages of cure/spices to scale recipes up and down. I learned this many years ago when I started baking bread.
The charcoal snake held pretty steady at about 170F until the internal temp hit 155F. When they came off the grill, they went in an ice bath to cool them down quickly. I did the same with the bratwurst which I poached at 170F rather than smoking them. That always seems to do the job on the casings so they don't wrinkle up.
Oh, and if for any reason the chorizo looks like a sausage you want to try, I modified a tradtional Spanish Chorizo recipe for that, so it isn't Mexican Chorizo which is more prevalent in the States. Paprika is the main spice and flavor component in that one, and it's delicious!
R
Tony-Chicago
TVWBB Wizard
So 155 or 170 is the final temp? What are the differences with traditional chorizo? Will be making this weekend. Thanks!Thanks, Dustin! It's just so much easier to use grams and percentages of cure/spices to scale recipes up and down. I learned this many years ago when I started baking bread.
The charcoal snake held pretty steady at about 170F until the internal temp hit 155F. When they came off the grill, they went in an ice bath to cool them down quickly. I did the same with the bratwurst which I poached at 170F rather than smoking them. That always seems to do the job on the casings so they don't wrinkle up.
Oh, and if for any reason the chorizo looks like a sausage you want to try, I modified a tradtional Spanish Chorizo recipe for that, so it isn't Mexican Chorizo which is more prevalent in the States. Paprika is the main spice and flavor component in that one, and it's delicious!
R
Did you re-freeze the pork after slicing but before grinding?
Rich G
TVWBB Honor Circle
170F was the grill temp, 155F was the final sausage temp before being removed from the grill and place into the ice bath.
Spanish chorizo is most frequently a dried/cured sausage (like salami), and is VERY paprika heavy. Mexican chorizo also has paprika, but is more heavily spiced with chile powders, oregano, cumin, etc. I fell in love with Spanish chorizo on a trip to Spain, and while usually a dried sausage here in the States, was readily available in fresh form for grilling in Spain.
I typically do not refreeze or partially freeze the meat before grinding. I usually cube it up to grinder size pieces the night before so that it can have a long overnight in the fridge to ensure that it's very cold. If you are doing the slicing/cubing and grinding same day, then it is probably advisable to at least get your meat into the freezer for an hour before grinding. Nothing ruins sausage texture quicker than fat that gets too warm during processing.
Make sure you put your grinder parts in the freezer, too.....helps a lot! Oh, and keep a couple slices of stale bread handy, and shove them through after the end of the pile of meat.....they will ensure you get all of the meat out (don't want to leave any in the grinder!), and any bread that makes it in your mix will not be noticeable in the least.
R
Spanish chorizo is most frequently a dried/cured sausage (like salami), and is VERY paprika heavy. Mexican chorizo also has paprika, but is more heavily spiced with chile powders, oregano, cumin, etc. I fell in love with Spanish chorizo on a trip to Spain, and while usually a dried sausage here in the States, was readily available in fresh form for grilling in Spain.
I typically do not refreeze or partially freeze the meat before grinding. I usually cube it up to grinder size pieces the night before so that it can have a long overnight in the fridge to ensure that it's very cold. If you are doing the slicing/cubing and grinding same day, then it is probably advisable to at least get your meat into the freezer for an hour before grinding. Nothing ruins sausage texture quicker than fat that gets too warm during processing.
Make sure you put your grinder parts in the freezer, too.....helps a lot! Oh, and keep a couple slices of stale bread handy, and shove them through after the end of the pile of meat.....they will ensure you get all of the meat out (don't want to leave any in the grinder!), and any bread that makes it in your mix will not be noticeable in the least.
R