Green Chorizo Recipe

By
Joshua Bousel
a photo of Joshua Bousel, a Contributing Writer at Serious Eats
Joshua Bousel
Joshua Bousel is a Serious Eats old-timer, having started sharing his passion for grilling and barbecue recipes on the site back in 2008. He continues to develop grilling and barbecue recipes on his own site, The Meatwave, out of his home base of Durham, North Carolina.
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Updated May. 06, 2020
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In this fresh take on the more traditional Mexican chorizo, green chilies give a very natural flavor that seasons the pork thoroughly with a spicy kick, but doesn't overpower the meat, creating a link with great flavor and balance.

Recipe Details

Green Chorizo Recipe

Active 60 mins
Total 90 mins
Serves 6 to 12 servings
Makes 3 pounds

Ingredients

  • 2 large fresh poblano peppers

  • 2 1/2 pounds pork shoulder, cubed

  • 1/2 pound pork fatback, cubed

  • 1 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

  • 2 fresh serrano chiles, finely chopped

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt

  • 2 teaspoon minced cloves garlic

  • 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 1/4 cup cider vinegar, chilled

  • Natural hog casings, soaked in lukewarm water for at least 30 minutes and rinsed

Directions

  1. Roast poblanos over an open flame on a gas stove or grill until skins are completely charred. Place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit for 30 minutes. Remove charred outer skins, cut in half, and remove the seeds and cores; finely chop poblanos.

  2. Place pork and fat in a large bowl. Add in poblanos, cilantro, serrano chiles, salt, garlic, oregano, cumin, and black pepper. Toss to coat meat with seasonings. Place in refrigerator until ready to grind.

  3. Grind the mixture through the small die of a meat grinder into a bowl set in ice.

  4. Using paddle attachment of a standing mixer, mix on low speed for 1 minute. Pour in vinegar, increase speed to medium, and mix until liquid is incorporated and sausage has a uniform consistancy, about 1 minute more. Chill until ready to stuff.

  5. Form a small patty of sausage and sauté in a skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

  6. Stuff sausage into hog casings and twist into 6-inch links. Refrigerate until ready to cook, or freeze for future use.

  7. Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and spread the coals evenly over entire surface of coal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate. Grill links over medium-high direct heat until sausage registers 160 degrees when an instant read thermometer is inserted in middle of link. Remove from grill, let rest for 5 minutes, and serve.

Special Equipment

Meat grinder, sausage stuffer, grill

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
334 Calories
28g Fat
2g Carbs
18g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 to 12
Amount per serving
Calories 334
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 28g 36%
Saturated Fat 10g 50%
Cholesterol 79mg 26%
Sodium 533mg 23%
Total Carbohydrate 2g 1%
Dietary Fiber 1g 2%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 18g
Vitamin C 20mg 99%
Calcium 31mg 2%
Iron 1mg 7%
Potassium 321mg 7%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)