Homemade Chouriço Sausage

Homemade Chouriço Sausage

Smoky, garlicky pork sausage cured with wine and paprika, then smoked low and slow.

Total 17 hr Makes 10 sausage links Calories 410/serving

Dietary

Keto, Wheat free, Dairy free, Nut free

Allergens

Red meat

This Portuguese-style chouriço gets its deep red color and tangy backbone from a generous dose of sweet paprika and dry red wine, with garlic and smoked paprika layered in for warmth. The seasoned pork cures overnight before being stuffed into casings and smoked over low heat, yielding links suited to grilling, stews, or bean dishes.

Ingredients

  • 4 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes, with some fat
  • 8 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup sweet paprika
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 bay leaves, crumbled bay leaves, crumbled
  • 1 cup dry red wine
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon curing salt (Prague Powder #1)
  • 12 feet natural hog casings, soaked and rinsed

Method

  1. In a large bowl, combine the cubed pork shoulder with minced garlic, sweet paprika, smoked paprika, kosher salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, oregano, cumin, bay leaves, red wine, red wine vinegar, and curing salt. Mix thoroughly with your hands until the meat is evenly coated.

  2. Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate to cure, stirring once or twice, for at least 24 hours.

  3. Working in batches, grind the cured pork through a meat grinder fitted with a coarse (3/8-inch) die into a chilled bowl.

  4. Mix the ground meat by hand for 2 minutes to redistribute the fat and seasoning evenly and develop a slightly tacky texture.

  5. Fry a small test patty in a skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes per side and taste; adjust salt or paprika in the remaining mixture if needed.

  6. Thread the soaked hog casings onto the stuffer tube and fill with the sausage mixture, twisting into 6-inch links as you go, taking care to avoid air pockets.

  7. Prick any visible air pockets with a sterilized needle, then hang the links on a sausage rod or rack at room temperature to dry briefly.

  8. Preheat a smoker to 165°F using oak or hickory wood.

  9. Smoke the sausages at 165°F until they reach an internal temperature of 150°F, about 3 hours.

  10. Remove the sausages from the smoker and let cool at room temperature on a rack for 30 minutes before refrigerating or freezing.

Rate this recipe

★ 3.8 (1)

Homemade Chouriço Sausage

This Portuguese-style chouriço gets its deep red color and tangy backbone from a generous dose of sweet paprika and dry red wine, with garlic and smoked paprika layered in for warmth. The seasoned pork cures overnight before being stuffed into casings and smoked over low heat, yielding links suited to grilling, stews, or bean dishes.

17 hr 10 sausage links 410 cal

Ingredients

  • 4 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes, with some fat
  • 8 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup sweet paprika
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 bay leaves, crumbled bay leaves, crumbled
  • 1 cup dry red wine
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon curing salt (Prague Powder #1)
  • 12 feet natural hog casings, soaked and rinsed

Method

  1. 1

    In a large bowl, combine the cubed pork shoulder with minced garlic, sweet paprika, smoked paprika, kosher salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, oregano, cumin, bay leaves, red wine, red wine vinegar, and curing salt. Mix thoroughly with your hands until the meat is evenly coated.

  2. 2

    Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate to cure, stirring once or twice, for at least 24 hours.

  3. 3

    Working in batches, grind the cured pork through a meat grinder fitted with a coarse (3/8-inch) die into a chilled bowl.

  4. 4

    Mix the ground meat by hand for 2 minutes to redistribute the fat and seasoning evenly and develop a slightly tacky texture.

  5. 5

    Fry a small test patty in a skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes per side and taste; adjust salt or paprika in the remaining mixture if needed.

  6. 6

    Thread the soaked hog casings onto the stuffer tube and fill with the sausage mixture, twisting into 6-inch links as you go, taking care to avoid air pockets.

  7. 7

    Prick any visible air pockets with a sterilized needle, then hang the links on a sausage rod or rack at room temperature to dry briefly.

  8. 8

    Preheat a smoker to 165°F using oak or hickory wood.

  9. 9

    Smoke the sausages at 165°F until they reach an internal temperature of 150°F, about 3 hours.

  10. 10

    Remove the sausages from the smoker and let cool at room temperature on a rack for 30 minutes before refrigerating or freezing.