This was posted in rec.food.cooking and I thought it was appropriate
to repost here.

sf

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On Sun, 24 Oct 2010 14:04:16 GMT, "l, not -l" > wrote:

> I know there are a number of sausage makers in this group and thought you
> might be interested in a recipe in NY Times Magazine today.
>
> L.A.-Style Chorizo can be found at
> http://tinyurl.com/LA-chorizo which, for those who aren't so trusting,
> redirects to::
> http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/24/ma...1&ref=magazine
> --
> Change Cujo to Juno in email address.

Recipe

L.A.-Style Chorizo
By PETE WELLS
Published: October 20, 2010

Food: Cooking with Dexter: Not in My Backyard (October 24, 2010)

2 pounds pork belly, rind removed, cut into 1-inch chunks, well
chilled

1 pound lean beef, cut into 1-inch chunks, well chilled

3 slices white bread

¼ cup guajillo chiles, deseeded, rehydrated and puréed with 3
tablespoons simmering liquid

¼ cup tomato paste

2 tablespoons kosher salt

1½ tablespoons crushed garlic

2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano

2 tablespoons cumin seed, toasted and ground

1 teaspoon coriander seed, toasted and ground

1 tablespoon cayenne

1 teaspoon white vinegar.

1. If you are making sausage links, thoroughly rinse the casing of
salt and soak it in a large pot of cold water overnight. Thoroughly
rinse the casing again and place it in fresh, cold water until ready
to use.

2. Attach the knife and grinding-plate attachments to a stand mixer.
Run the pork and beef through the grinder into a large bowl, followed
by a slice of bread to push out any bits of meat stuck inside the
works. Discard any ground bread. Add the remaining ingredients and mix
together with your hands. Knead the meat until it seizes up and holds
together, about 2 minutes. At this point you can shape the sausage
mixture into patties.

3. If you are making links, replace the grinding plate with a stuffer
attachment with a ¾-inch opening. Select a length of casing and run
water from the tap through it in order to clear out any excess salt
and spot any holes, which you should trim out. Cut a length of casing
at least 3 to 4 feet long; tie it off. Run the casing between your
fingers to remove excess water. Stretch the open end of the casing
around the attachment’s nozzle and gradually slide the rest of the
casing onto the nozzle, an inch or 2 at a time. Leave about 3 inches
at the knotted end dangling free. Put the sausage in the hopper of the
grinder and turn it on (Speed 4 tends to work best). Hold the dangling
casing with one hand, and with the other, feed the sausage mixture
into the hopper with a wooden pestle at an even pace. When 2 inches of
casing are empty at both the knotted and free ends, stop stuffing and
slowly pull on the casing to free it from the stuffer nozzle. Run your
fingers over the casing to distribute the sausage evenly. Pinch the
middle of the sausage and gently twist it to form two long links. Keep
pinching and twisting to form links 4 or 5 inches long. Repeat this
process until all of the sausage meat has been used, pushing out the
last bits of meat with another slice or two of bread.

4. Whether you’ve made patties or links, refrigerating the sausage
overnight, wrapped in wax paper, will help it hold together as it
cooks. To cook, snip off a single length containing as many individual
sausages as you like. Don’t separate the links until they have been
cooked (in an oiled skillet, on the grill or under the broiler). Any
uncooked remainders will freeze well. Makes 14 sausages. Adapted from
Tom Mylan and Sara Bigelow at the Meat Hook in Brooklyn.

Note: Sausage casing can be bought from most sausage-making butchers
or ordered online at Amazon.com.


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As far as I'm concerned, I wouldn't waste my time, effort or money
with casings because I'd end up taking the meat out to make chorizo
con huevos anyway.

If you are making sausage links, thoroughly rinse the casing of salt and soak it in a large pot of cold water overnight. Thoroughly rinse the casing again and place it in fresh, cold water until ready to use.

If you are making links, replace the grinding plate with a stuffer attachment with a ¾-inch opening. Select a length of casing and run water from the tap through it in order to clear out any excess salt and spot any holes, which you should trim out.