RECIPES
Oaxaca Style Chorizo
This and the chorizo verde are my favorite versions of this Mexican-style bulk sausage. Although Oaxaca has many types of chorizo, I gave it this name because that is where I found the recipe. It should be made, not just with pork shoulder but with an especially fatty piece of that cut. The meat should be ground with a medium to small blade, but in a pinch it can also be pulsed in a food processor. Please note that in California ancho chiles are often improperly referred to as pasillas. If you cannot find the real pasilla chile powder (or make your own from the long, thin, nearly black dry pasilla chiles) just use another tablespoon of ancho powder.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons pure chile powder from ancho chiles
1 tablespoon pure chile powder from pasilla chiles
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon canela (the true Ceylon cinnamon), or substitute the more common cassia cinnamon
Heaping ½ teaspoon dried leaf oregano
Heaping ½ teaspoon marjoram
Heaping ½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 ½ teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 1/4 pounds ground extra fatty pork shoulder
Directions
Place the chile powder in a large bowl, add the remaining ingredients, except for the pork, and mix into a paste. Add the ground pork to the bowl and mix well by hand. Leave the chorizo in the refrigerator to absorb the flavors for at least an hour before using.