Adding A flavorful Portuguese Chorizo To Your Food May Intensify Its Flavor

Although Portuguese chorizo and Spanish chorizo are related, they are not the same. It is highly garlicky, contains a lot less paprika than the Spanish variant, and is cold-smoked before being dry-cured.

This is a classic generic form that doesn’t contain starter cultures and is made with potassium nitrate, sometimes known as saltpeter. Very good flavor goes well with a strong red wine.

Ingredients:

2.5 kg of lean pork meat with no connective tissue or fat
500g of back fat from pork
15 freshly chopped garlic cloves
1 cup (4 ounces) of sweet or spicy paprika

Two tablespoons of smoky paprika
2 tablespoons of hot pepper paste, handmade or purchased
1/4 cup dry red wine, plus additional if necessary
100 ml of white wine, plus more if necessary

2 and a half cups of water
2 tablespoons of fine sucrose sugar
2 tsp. coarse kosher salt, plus extra, if necessary
15 ounces of 34-mm hog casings, ready for stuffing, cut into 18-inch (45-cm) lengths

Guidelines:

Use a kidney plate to grind the meat, then chop the fat into small cubes.
Combine sugar, salt, pepper, meat, and fat. Transfer to an airtight jar and refrigerate for 3 days to cure.
Include the remaining ingredients and fully combine them.
Firmly stuff into hog casings measuring more than 42 mm, and secure with ties onto 10″ (25 cm) rings.
Use a thin layer of cold smoke for two days, eight to ten hours per session, at 18° C (64° F).
Dry at 12–15°C (54–59°F) and 75–80% humidity for 21–30 days.