Homemade chorizo — You’ll wonder why you didn’t make it sooner

My mother-in-law got me the best prewedding gift ever: a KitchenAid Pro mixer and a meat grinder attachment for it. The mixer gets used every single day, but the grinder remained in its box until just this morning, when I decided I was going to make my own spicy sausage. Because what else is a girl to do on a Friday afternoon?

Even though it’s a tough contender to my pasta attachment, this meat grinder might be my favorite KitchenAid accessory ever. And homemade chorizo might be the best kind of homemade meat ever.

Since it only takes, like, 15 to 20 minutes to make, there’s no reason to not make it. To start, just grab a big, 1-1/3-pound slab of very marbled pork butt, and slice it into 1- to 2-inch slices.

After you slice them, then you make your ground meat. It’s seriously so easy you’ll wonder why you don’t do it more often. Simply stuff, turn on, and churn. Seriously, I’m not kidding you — it’s actually that easy.

After you’ve ground up all your fatty pork butt, then you want to mix in the spicy Mexican seasoning. I added a bit more chili powder because we love spice in this house, but you can definitely tailor your chorizo to fit your needs (and taste buds).

Once you’ve added the spice, it’s time to get your hands dirty by mixing it all together. You could use a spoon, but it’s easier to use your hands to really get the mixture very evenly distributed.

After you mix, you have a couple of options. You can save it for later by wrapping it, or you can cook it. We went with the latter, clearly.

Homemade chorizo recipe

Yields 1-1/2 pounds

Ingredients:

• 1-1/3 pounds highly marbled pork shoulder or pork butt
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1-1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 1-1/2 teaspoons garlic salt
• 2 teaspoons dried Mexican cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• Dash salt and cracked pepper

Directions:

1. Pat the pork dry. Using a sharp knife, cut into about 1-inch cuts, and place in a casserole dish.
2. Attach a meat grinder to your KitchenAid mixer, and place a bowl beneath it. Turn the mixer on to medium (about 4 to 5). Carefully place the meat into the grinder, 1 piece at a time, until the meat starts to grind. Repeat until all the meat has been ground.
3. Add the chili powder, paprika, garlic salt, cilantro, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, vinegar, salt and cracked pepper. Mix with your hands until fully combined.
4. Roll the meat into logs, and wrap them tightly in saran wrap or sausage casing. Chill until ready to use, or crumble up the chorizo and use immediately.

More chorizo recipes

Easy chorizo queso dip
Chorizo ragu over creamy polenta
Smoked chorizo stuffing