My Pantry Shelf

This month’s Charcutepalooza Challenge was meat grinding.  Oh, I really became excited about this one.  I recently picked up a meat grinder attachment for my Kitchen aide and have been tapping into the meat lover within making loads of sausage and meatballs.  You see, my grandfather was a butcher and though my father chose another career, he is a meat enthusiast.  I come from the kind of family that doesn’t consider a meal complete without some form of meat. (That would explain why I was nearly disowned during my 6 years exploring vegetarian and veganism.)  But back to meat grinding, it is so easy and the product is sensational!

Last year, we began purchasing pork by the half-hog from our fabulous young cousin who raises them for 4H.  There are so many reasons to buy fresh, local, conscientiously-raised meat, not least of which is that the quality is superb.  For this challenge, I ground a pork shoulder and made chorizo following Michael Ruhlman’s guidance in Charcuterie.  Though I have made a number of different types of sausage, chorizo is one of the most satisfying.  I think that is because I generally have a difficult time finding a chorizo that I can still put in my cart after I read the ingredient label.  The concept of using an entire animal is a good one, though it seems factory-based sausage companies have a different idea of what is suitable for consumption than most home cooks do.  This chorizo is  deeply flavored, full of completely recognizable fresh ingredients including lovingly raised meat, and is super lean.

If you are not using the chorizo right away (within one week), wrap it up in freezer paper and store in the freezer until you are ready to cook it up.  I like to break sausage down into 1/2 pound and 1 pound sizes.  Be sure to label the paper with the weight of the package and date.  Store all the individually wrapped meats in a ziplock bag to help prevent freezer burn and keep your freezer organized.

It was difficult to decide what to make first with this delicious meat!  Faced with the challenge of serving a pre-Mother’s Day brunch, I choose to create Huevos Diablos con Chorizo.  This dish allows the chorizo to take center stage in a spicy tomato-y ragu upon which an egg is cracked and poached.Adapt this recipe to suit your crowd.  You could easily double the recipe or vary the number of eggs based on the appetites and number of your guests.  I served this with a simple green salad and fresh foccacia bread to sop up the deliciousness.  Hot fresh corn tortillas would also be a nice accompaniment.  Make this for brunch, lunch, or dinner.  All the plates were licked clean.  This is a new favorite of ours.

Huevos Diablos con Chorizo

adapted from Epicurean Odyssey

serves 6

1 pound bulk Mexican chorizo (see recipe below)

1 Tablespoon olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup minced onion

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1- 24 ounce can diced fire-roasted tomatoes

1 cup tomato sauce

salt and pepper

1/2 cup water (optional- see note)

1 ounce tequila

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

6 eggs

Garnish- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano leaves

the Sauce (can be made 1-2 days ahead)

Heat oil over medium heat in a large saute pan, brown chorizo and break it up into small chunks.  Using a slotted spoon, remove chorizo from the pan and set aside.  If there is a lot of oil in your pan, discard all but 2 tablespoons.  If your meat is very lean (like mine was) you may need to add a little extra olive oil now.  Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to brown.  This will take about 5 minutes.  Add garlic, cumin, and oregano.  Stir. Cook an additional 1-2 minutes until the garlic softens and becomes fragrant.  Add fire-roasted tomatoes, tomato sauce, tequila, and salt and pepper to taste.  (The amount of salt will vary widely based on the amount of salt in your chorizo and tomatoes.  Start with 1/2 teaspoon and work up from there.)  Simmer sauce for twenty minutes to allow the flavors to meld.  Add red wine vinegar.  Taste sauce.  If it needs a little more salt, add it now.  If the flavors taste muted, add a dash more vinegar.  If the sauce is too thick, add some water.  I added 1/2 cup to my sauce.  At this point, you can either add your eggs or cool the sauce and refrigerate for another day.

the Eggs

If your sauce was refrigerated, heat it up to a simmer.  Use the back of a spoon to create mini-wells in the surface of your sauce.  Crack one egg into each well.  Cover and cook over medium-low heat until white is set, but yolk is still slightly runny.  This will take about 10 minutes.  Scoop one egg and a large spoonful of sauce onto each plate.  Garnish with chopped fresh oregano leaves.  Serve immediately.

Here is a  printer-friendly version of the recipe: Huevos Diablos con Chorizo

Ruhlman’s Mexican Chorizo

adapted from Charcuterie by Michael Ruhlman

makes 2 1/2 pounds

2 1/2 pounds diced pork shoulder

4 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon ancho chile powder

1 1/2 teaspoons hot paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons chipotle powder

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano (or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano)

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1 1/2 teaspoon tequila, chilled

1 1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar, chilled

Keep it cold! One key to good sausage is keeping the meat cold, so the fat does not begin to melt and negatively affect the consistency. 

Place all grinder parts in the freezer while you prepare the meat.

Cut meat into 1-inch chunks.  Toss with all ingredients except tequila and vinegar.  Chill in the refrigerator.

Assemble grinder.  Place bowl under the grinder inside a bowl of ice.  Grind the seasoned meat once through the grinder with a medium die.

Pour chilled tequila and vinegar over ground meat.  Stir to combine.  Cook up a small portion of the chorizo to ensure the seasonings are as you desire.

Using the paddle attachment of your mixer,  beat the ground meat on until the meat begins to stick to itself.  Use immediately, chill meat in a covered container, or weigh out and freeze for later use.

Here is a  printer-friendly version of the recipe: Ruhlman’s Mexican Chorizo

More posts about grinding meat:

Perciatelli with Meatballs

More Charcutepalooza posts:

Corning Beef and My First Reuban Sandwich

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