Chorizo de Don Marco Perfecto

While I don't usually "give away" my sausage recipes, I have decided to post my Chorizo de Don Marco Perfecto recipe.


Servings: 48
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Preparation time: 2 hours
Category: Main Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients


* 1 1/2 pounds beef,stew meat all gristle, nerves, bone and sinew removed
* 1 1/2 pounds pork shoulder all gristle, nerves, bone and sinew removed
* 1 pound pork fat
* 2 1/2 fl. ozs. vinaigre de yema (see note below)
* 3 1/2 ozs. vinegar, white
* 2 teaspoons garlic powder
* 1 rounded tablespoon salt
* 1 rounded teaspoon ground black pepper
* 2 scant teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 2 scant teaspoons ground cloves
* 2 scant teaspoons ground oregano
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1 3/4 teaspoons ground chile de arbol
* 2 1/4 ozs. paprika (mild or sweet)
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground achiotte (annatto)
* 1 oz. Morton Tender Quick (optional)


Instructions


Add the vinegars in a large measuring cup. Add the spices and salt. If you are making chorizo for dry curing, use Morton Tender Quick and omit the salt. Don't use both, or it will come out way too salty.
Grind the meats through the small plate, then the fat. Keep the fat separate from the ground meats. Add the spices to the fat and mix well. Add all the meat and fat together. Re-grind through the large plate. Stuff the sausages into 1 1/2" casings, about 10 to 12 feet in length. Stuff them loosely and tie into 2 1/2 inch bollilos.
Hang overnight to dry in cool winter air, whence refrigerate for up to 7 days or freeze for up to 30 days.


Notes
After 7 days under refrigeration, the flavors had melded with the clove predominating slightly.
If using fresh garlic, use 2 heads, peeled and minced.
Vinaigre de Yema is made by Presidente Brandy (Pedro Domecq). It is factitious sherry brandy. After hours of wrangling on the phone with Pedro Domecq and affiliated brands, some lady, who works in that behemoth called to tell me that it is not imported into the U.S.A. - You can find it at most larger Mexican  supermarkets