I like Mexican chorizo, but if you look at the package and see what is in the typical product (pork salivary glands, etc.) that puts me off a bit. Also, a lot of the commercial product is very fatty. So for both of these reasons, plus because it is fun and easy, I like to make my own chorizo. This is an adaptation of El Chico’s Chorizo, which appears in Robb Walsh’s excellent The Tex-Mex Cookbook..  (Note – when making this for Chile con queso, I reduce the salt to 1 tsp. per pound of pork since the dip also has plenty of salt from the cheese.)

1 lb. good quality ground pork

2 tsp. chili powder

4 tsp. pakrika

2 tsp. salt

½ tsp. garlic powder

½ tsp. ground cumin

4 Tbs. red wine vinegar.

In a small bowl, mix together the salt and spices. Put the pork in a large work bowl, add the spices and the vinegar, and mix together until well mixed. Depending on how lean or fatty the pork was, you may or may not need any oil to cook the chorizo.

Note:  In the original recipe, boneless pork chops were cut into pieces, and pulsed in a food processor with the spices and vinegar until the meat was ground and the spices and meat were well mixed.  I had some excellent ground pork from a heritage pig on hand, so I did not start from scratch.