There are many styles of Chorizo — the dry-cured Spanish style; the fresh-style Mexican Chorizo that really packs some heat; the fresh, beef-laden Argentine chorizo. And then there's Chaurice.
Chaurice is a Cajun variant of Chorizo that has been around since the late 1800s. It's Chorizo, but with a whole lot of what-what going on inside — you can think of it as a cross between Mexican Chorizo and Andouille. It's hearty, with chunks of coarsely ground pork shoulder and pork belly, a smattering of onion and garlic, a plethora of spices, and a heat that starts as a spark, then builds and builds until it's a 3-alarm fire. In your mouth.
3 hours
3 hours
- Meat grinder
- Sausage Stuffer
- 8 pounds pork shoulder
- 2 pounds pork belly
- 4 bay leaves
- 10 allspice berries
- 1 tbsp. black peppercorns
- 2 medium onions
- 2 heads garlic
- 1 bunch fresh parsley
- 1 bunch green onions
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 tbsp. kosher salt
- 1 tbsp. dextrose
- ¼ cup ancho chile powder
- ¼ cup New Mexico chile powder
- 2 tbsp. paprika
- 1 tbsp. ground cumin
- 2 tsp. cayenne
- 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup sherry vinegar
- 4 cups water
- 2 tbsp. white wine vinegar
- 20 ft. hog casing
Measure out all the ingredients to have them ready to go for the steps below.
Place 2 mixing bowls in the freezer ahead of time.
Dice the pork shoulder and pork belly into small ½- to 1-inch chunks. Place in the chilled mixing bowls.
Place each bowl in the freezer for 15 minutes to keep the meat as cold as possible through the preparation steps.
Using a Spice Grinder, pulverize the bay leaves, allspice berries and black peppercorns until they're a fine powder.
Mix all of the ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
Place an additional large mixing bowl in the freezer.
Prepare the Meat Grinder with the coarse die.
Remove the chopped pork shoulder and pork belly from the freezer. Grind the meat through the coarse die into the empty chilled mixing bowl.
Once ground, mix together the ground pork, the diced pork and the spice mixture together, either using a large wooden spoon, the stand mixer’s paddle attachment, or don food preparation gloves and mix together by hand.
Remove enough meat to make a small patty, and place the remaining meat mixture in the freezer to keep the meat as cold as possible.
Form the small amount of meat that was set aside previously into a patty, and saute. Taste, and adjust the seasoning as needed.
At least 30 minutes before using the casing:
Add 4 cups water and 2 tbsp. white wine vinegar to a bowl.
Place the 20 ft. of Hog Casing in the water / vinegar mixture.
Once the meat has been in the freezer for 30 minutes to 1 hour, we're ready to roll.
Prepare the Sausage Stuffer.
Press meat through the stuffer until the ground meat just barely pokes through the end of the spout.
Push the open end of the Hog Casing over the end of the stuffer, and continue to push the casing onto the stuffer until you reach the end of the casing. Tie a knot at the end of the casing.
Stuff the sausage into the casing, twisting every 8-inches to make a link.
Wrap the sausages in Butcher Paper or place in a sealable plastic freezer bag. Use a Sharpie to label the package Chaurice: made {{current_date}}.
Refrigerate the sausages at least 24 hours before using, to let the flavors meld.
Refrigerate the sausages for up to 1 week or freeze the sausages for up to 1 month.
Please cook the sausage before eating it. Chaurice is often served in jambalaya, but can also be used in gumbo or red beans and rice.