Make Your Own Chorizo

Why should you make your own chorizo? Mexican chorizo (as opposed to Spanish or other kinds) is easy to make at home and you can make it with far less fat than store-bought chorizo. Use it to make chorizo con huevos (scrambled eggs and sausage) for a tasty brunch or brinner dish, and to add a punch of Mexican flavor to other dishes too.

I did a little research, and chorizo (we pronounce it ‘choh-REE-zoh’) is common in Spain, Portugal and their former colonies. The Mexican-style version is a little different in that it is not cured. (It’s a fresh sausage that’s either sold loose or stuffed into casings.) It uses some spices that might seem odd to you, like cinnamon and cloves. These warm spices with beef or pork are really quite common in Mediterranean countries. Keep in mind that it must be cooked before eating.

I lived in Northern California for many years, and Mexican restaurants and food trucks are pretty common there. One of my favorite dishes was always chorizo con huevos, and I decided to try it at home. That first attempt was also the first (and only) time I’ve bought Mexican chorizo at the grocery store. It came in a 10-ounce package, and I crumbled it into the fry pan and proceeded to cook it up.

ACK! I wound up with about a quarter cup of meat – the rest was all fat. (Note: I’ve recently noticed a Johnsonville product in my local grocery store. It looks fairly lean, but it’s normally priced around $7 per pound which seems kind of expensive to me.)

There’s Gotta Be a Better Way!

I knew there had to be a way to make it myself with less fat, and found a base recipe that I have adapted over the years to better suit our tastes. You can make this recipe with ground beef or pork, or even chicken or tofu for that matter. I’ve tried it with beef and with pork, and don’t notice too much of a difference. Since I always have lean ground beef on hand, I usually make it with that. Because it’s so much leaner than most commercial versions, you can use a lot less. I’ll typically use a quarter or even a fifth of a pound to flavor four scrambled eggs when I make chorizo con huevo.

In doing a little research for this post I found a number of other ways to use chorizo that I’m going to explore later, like adding it to queso, to refried beans, or to fried diced potatoes as a filling for burritos.

How to Make Your Own Chorizo

It just takes a few minutes to make a pound of your own chorizo, and it freezes extremely well. Just add your ground beef, pork, chicken, or whatever you decide to use to a medium-size mixing bowl and add the herbs and spices. Mix it lightly but thoroughly with a spoon. (Mixing with your hands is not recommended as some of the seasonings may stain.) Then add the liquids, which serve two purposes. The vinegar adds acidity that is authentic to Mexican-style chorizo, and the vinegar and water together help ensure that the spices and herbs are distributed evenly throughout the mixture.

Making Chorizo con Huevos

Not to harp on it too much, but this is a fresh, uncooked sausage, so it must be cooked before you eat it. To make chorizo con huevo for two people, crumble about a fifth to a quarter pound of your chorizo to a 10-inch skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally and breaking it up into a fine crumble as you go. At first, it will release a lot of liquid (mostly the vinegar and water you added), but after about five minutes the liquid will evaporate and you’ll start to see it sizzle.

Saute it at least a minute or two after that point just to be sure it’s fully cooked. Drain it if there seems to be too much fat, and spread it out evenly in the pan. Add four beaten eggs to the pan, trying not to disturb the chorizo too much. As the eggs begin to set, use your spatula to drag the cooked curds to the center; repeat until the eggs are scrambled to your liking. Top with about a half cup of shredded mild cheddar, Mexican cheese blend, or other cheese of your liking. Use it to fill warm tortillas and top with salsa, chopped cilantro, or other toppings of your choice.

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