Step 1

Dice the pork into smallish 1-inch (2.5-cm) cubes.

Step 2

In a large bowl, use your hands to mix together the pork, salt, ancho, paprika, cayenne, cumin, black pepper, garlic, and oregano until everything is equally distributed. Cover and refrigerate the chorizo mixture until you’re ready to grind.

Step 3

Meanwhile, place your meat grinder in the freezer until chilled through, at least 30 minutes. (By way of explanation, this helps keep the meat cold as you process it. If the grinder isn’t cold, the meat will become too warm and it won’t grind properly, which will ruin the texture and result in a dry, crumbly, less flavorful chorizo sausage, which ultimately leads to sadness.)

Step 4

Set up the grinder with a 3/16 (medium) die or, if you’re using a KitchenAid grinder attachment, start with the larger of the two dies for the first grind and then switch out to the second, smaller die for the second grind. Turn the grinder on and slowly add the pork through the feed tube. Be careful not to overload or overfill the grinder. Add the pork slowly, piece by piece, so the elbow doesn’t get overfilled or clogged. If you notice any smearing or clogging on the die, turn off the grinder and clean out the die. Also check your pork to make certain it’s still cold. If at any point the grinder is no longer cold, return it to the freezer until it’s thoroughly chilled and refrigerate the pork rather than leave it at room temperature.

Step 5

After the first pass through the grinder, use your hands to completely combine all of the ingredients. Then pass it through the grinder a second time. (The more you grind the meat, the finer the texture will become and the firmer the resulting chorizo sausage will be.) After the second grind, use your hands to once again thoroughly mix the ingredients until the mixture becomes sticky and fully combined. (The sausage should stick to your hand when you turn it upside down.) Cover and refrigerate the chorizo mixture until chilled through, about 1 hour.

Step 6

If you’re using natural casings, they’ll need to be soaked in room-temperature water for at least 1 hour before using. You’ll want to change the water several times and we’ve found that running water through them a few times before trying to put them on the extruder tube makes everything way easier. This also resultsin a softer and more pliable casing, which makes it easier to slide the casing onto the extruder and less likely to split when being filled.

Step 7

Prepare your stuffer or stuffing attachment according to the manufacturer’s directions. Add the loose sausage mixture to the stuffer or stuffing attachment and pack it down to remove all air pockets. Lubricate the feeder tube with water and slide the casing onto the tube.

Step 8

Once the casing is entirely scrunched onto the feeder tube, pull 2 inches (5 cm) of casing off the tip of the tube. Grasp the casing end with one hand and begin cranking with the other hand. Once you can see meat begin to make its way out of the tube, pinch off the end of the casing so the meat is forced to expand inside the casing as you slowly pull away, keeping a grip on the casing. Be sure both the casing and the counter on which the sausage will fall are very wet and lubricated to prevent any ripping or sticking. (You may find it handy to keep a squeeze bottle of water nearby for this). When about 3 to 4 inches (8 to 10 cm) of chorizo sausage mixture has made its way into the casing, let go of the end and use one hand to feed the casing off of the tube while the sausage is being cranked out with your other hand. As you are doing this, be mindful about filling the casing. You want to find that sweet spot where the casing is filled with meat and a little amount of air remains but not so full that it will bust when you begin twisting. Once all the meat has been stuffed into the casing, leave 6 inches (15 cm) empty casing on the end and cut off any excess to reserve for future use.

Step 9

Tie off one end of the sausage and twist, making a simple knot. Measure the desired length of the sausage and mark your workspace with either a piece of tape or line it with parchment and mark it with a pen or pencil to help ensure consistency in the length of all your links. You want to twist the links so that you get about 3 links to 1 pound (455 grams). In general, each sausage should be 5 to 6 inches [13 to 15 cm] long. Starting from the tied-off end of your sausage, use one hand to pinch it at the appropriate length. Then, keeping a hold on the pinched spot, slide your other hand down and pinch off the next length. Now, twist by picking up the sausage, holding onto the 2 pinched spots, and swinging it like a jump rope. Repeat until no sausage remains. When you get to the end, tie it off with a simple knot. You should have 15 to 20 links of homemade chorizo, each 4 to 6 inches in length.

Step 10

Lightly poke each sausage link with a fork no more than 2 or 3 times where air bubbles are visible. These tiny holes will allow some liquid to release while the sausages cook and prevent them from exploding. (No need to go wild here with the poking. The more you poke the sausage, the more likely it is to dry out during cooking. Do not poke holes in the casing if you’re planning to smoke the sausage.)

Step 11

Place the twisted links in a single layer on a baking sheet or plates, being careful that the links don’t touch one another. Refrigerate, uncovered, overnight to dry out the casings.

Step 12

Snip the sausages at the seams to separate them into links (or, if desired, leave them as a whole rope of links like those you might have seen in cartoons!). Cover and refrigerate for up to several days until ready to cook.

Step 13

To cook your homemade chorizo, you have a decision. You can grill the links over a charcoal or gas flame, sizzle them in a skillet, braise them in beer, toss them in the smoker, or cook them according to pretty much any recipe that calls for raw chorizo. Whatever approach you decide to take, you want the chorizo to be thoroughly cooked. We’d love to hear what you did with your chorizo so let us know in a comment below! Originally published January 22, 2017.