Different types of chorizo

TastyReuben said:
I don't know how "authentic" it is, but we can get Mexican chorizo here from the big national brand Johnsonville. I'm betting that would work for you, JAS_OH1, and I'd think you could find that there. It's everywhere around here, even Walmart.
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I can almost guarantee it is not "authentic," but it will most likely be good -- and probably like what JAS is used to.

I've purchased Brats from a real German meat market in Dallas, and they are a lot different from Johnsonville. But, Johnsonville brats are still good.

CD
 
caseydog said:
I can almost guarantee it is not "authentic," but it will most likely be good -- and probably like what JAS is used to.

I've purchased Brats from a real German meat market in Dallas, and they are a lot different from Johnsonville. But, Johnsonville brats are still good.

CD
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My husband's cousins make sausage once a year: hungarian hot and Italian sausage. I think I can probably persuade them to make a batch plain that I can add my own Mexican blend into, then separate and freeze (I think they will want me to commit to 5 pound minimum).

CD, how much do those cryovac appliances like FoodSaver cost? Hoping they have a decent off-brand appliance on the market since I saw that they are rather pricey. I do a pretty good job using heavy plastic freezer bags and squeezing out the air, but I have often thought about getting one for other items that don't mold into the corners and crevices.
 
JAS_OH1 said:
My husband's cousins make sausage once a year: hungarian hot and Italian sausage. I think I can probably persuade them to make a batch plain that I can add my own Mexican blend into, then separate and freeze (I think they will want me to commit to 5 pound minimum).

CD, how much do those cryovac appliances like FoodSaver cost? Hoping they have a decent off-brand appliance on the market since I saw that they are rather pricey. I do a pretty good job using heavy plastic freezer bags and squeezing out the air, but I have often thought about getting one for other items that don't mold into the corners and crevices.
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I love mine, so it is worth it. However, Foodsaver has a gazillian models on their web site. All different prices. There seems to always be a handful that are on sale. I just took a quick look and saw one on sale for $89. Foodsaver.com

CD
 
JAS_OH1 said:
My husband's cousins make sausage once a year: hungarian hot and Italian sausage. I think I can probably persuade them to make a batch plain that I can add my own Mexican blend into, then separate and freeze (I think they will want me to commit to 5 pound minimum).

CD, how much do those cryovac appliances like FoodSaver cost? Hoping they have a decent off-brand appliance on the market since I saw that they are rather pricey. I do a pretty good job using heavy plastic freezer bags and squeezing out the air, but I have often thought about getting one for other items that don't mold into the corners and crevices.
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Are you a member of Sam's Club or Costco? They usually have some kind of combo Foodsaver kit on offer as well.

I really like mine. Even if all I did was use it to seal cereal bags and pretzels, I'd like it.
 
JAS_OH1 said:
[Mod.edit: This post and several following posts moved to form new topic (MG)]

So as many people from the Americas know, Mexican chorizo and Spanish chorizo are completely different. Mexican chorizo cooks up loose like regular "bulk" sausage and cooks into textured clumps, while Spanish chorizo is a cured sausage that has more of a texture like that of salami or pepperoni (with different seasonings/spices, obviously).

Our local Mexican restaurants have a great queso dip with chorizo called Queso Fundido. It's wonderful Mexican cheese blend with sauteed lumps of chorzio mixed in. I was so excited to try to make this at home since we haven't dined inside of a restaurant in over 3 years, so I bought some Cacique (a popular Mexican brand of foods that makes a variety of cheeses, etc.) chorizo. The chorizo tube had a "best if used by" date of January 1, 2022, so it was fresh. Their cheeses have always been quite nice, BTW.

Hubby had dental surgery several days ago so the idea of eating crispy foods was out of the question, so no crisp tortilla chips with dip, I figured. I was making chicken macaroni and cheese tonight with crumbled bacon topping, so hubby suggested cooking the chorizo and then using that as a topping instead. Great idea, right?

Can anyone say "epic fail"? There have been times when my food was lacking so deplorably that no one here knows about it, LOL. Yes, most of those experiences occurred well before I became a forum member here, but I would never post photos of food that I found to be mediocre or less, either in taste or in photos. Why bother? And if I did post photos, many of our kind forum members would have hit the like button out of sympathy...or something. In the South USA, when someone says, "Oh well she did the best she could, bless her heart..." Well the bless her heart thing isn't being kind at all, LOL. As in, "Wow, can you believe she wore that dress to church? She looks like a spotted cow standing next to a barn and a tractor. Bless her heart." So yeah.

Anyway, I started cooking the Mexican chorizo. And it had a weird texture, it was like a pate and didn't clump up. It very much reminded me of the texture of an oily pate. I have no idea what was in this Cacique chorizo other than it was made from pork products. After about 20 minutes of cooking, it still very much had that mushy texture and was not crumbly like I expected. I tasted some of it. It reminded me of Taco Bell hamburger meat from the 1970s that they used for their tacos (I haven't eaten a Taco Bell taco since 1976 for this very reason, no idea if it has gotten any better since then).

So all of that chorizo went into the garbage and I ended up using bacon for a topping for the mac-n-cheese like I always do. I am still chapped about it, my husband was saying that I should just get over it, not much money invested, but to me, even a couple of dollars wasted on inferior food is a waste of my time and a waste of resources.

Just thought I would share. :thumbsdown:
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I've always taken you for a very experienced cook. With a sense of humor lol.

Russ
 
TastyReuben said:
Are you a member of Sam's Club or Costco? They usually have some kind of combo Foodsaver kit on offer as well.

I really like mine. Even if all I did was use it to seal cereal bags and pretzels, I'd like it.
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Neither. Uh well.
 
caseydog said:
I love mine, so it is worth it. However, Foodsaver has a gazillian models on their web site. All different prices. There seems to always be a handful that are on sale. I just took a quick look and saw one on sale for $89. Foodsaver.com

CD
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Thanks!
 
We sometimes make our own, but usually just buy it at the grocery. I have no idea what the brand is, just know it when i see it. I'll look when we go today. If anybody wants I'll post our recipe.

We make a quicky sort of queso fundido sometimes that is very simple. Cook the loose chorizo in an oven ready skillet, drain the oil off or blot with paper towels, top with sliced or grated mexican melting cheese, like oaxaca or chihuahua if you can find it, use Munster if you can't and bake in 375 oven until melted. We warm flour tortillas and cut them into quarters, sixths or eighths depending on size and use them to pick up clumps of cheese and chorizo. To give fair credit, we had this a long, long time ago at the restaurant in the Mexican Pavillion at EPCOT in Disneyworld.
 
Re foodsavers, we have 1 but dont use it unless we are making big batches of sausage or cured meat. If it was on the counter might use it more, but to drag it out of the cabinet isnt worth it to me for small amounts.

When i make chorizo, I'll just make a small amount since we don't eat it that often and freeze it in 1 pound amounts in quart bags. I put the meat in the bag, get most of the air out, seal, flatten the meat so it is even and mostly fills the bag, then open to let any excess air out, reseal. The meat thaws faster that way, besides storing flat.

I've also been known to buy a couple packages of ground pork at the grocery and use that to make chorizo. It's got enough fat in it.
 
[Mod edit: copied over from another topic (TR))
TastyReuben said:
Finished with a chicken-chorizo-corn chowder:

View attachment 80538

This is a combination of three recipes and a little of my own, which means I’ll never be able to recreate it again. :laugh:
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Oh yes you can. I do that kind of thing all the time. If it's good (or even better, great) your taste buds will implant the memory of what you did in your head.

What kind of chorizo did you use? I once got some Cacique Mexican style and it was awful. I have a package I bought from Wild Fork (online delivery) that I haven't tried yet (also Mexican style). If you have a particular brand that might be available at a mainstream grocery store and you thought it was good, I would like to know, please.
 
JAS_OH1 said:
Oh yes you can. I do that kind of thing all the time. If it's good (or even better, great) your taste buds will implant the memory of what you did in your head.

What kind of chorizo did you use? I once got some Cacique Mexican style and it was awful. I have a package I bought from Wild Fork (online delivery) that I haven't tried yet (also Mexican style). If you have a particular brand that might be available at a mainstream grocery store and you thought it was good, I would like to know, please.
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Nah, with my memory, I can't remember squat. I made that yesterday, and I'd already be hard-pressed to tell you what went in it, beyond the main stuff. MrsT said, "Save this recipe, it's really good!" - I had to tell her to enjoy it in the moment, because there's no way I could ever make it again.

The chorizo was Mexican style; I'd have to go to a specialty place to even find Spanish chorizo. That stuff came from my local Kroger, so it's as mainstream as it gets...Johnsonville. It's the only chorizo I can get without driving 45 minutes or so. It's ok, I really don't have anything else to compare it to.
 
TastyReuben said:
Nah, with my memory, I can't remember squat. I made that yesterday, and I'd already be hard-pressed to tell you what went in it, beyond the main stuff. MrsT said, "Save this recipe, it's really good!" - I had to tell her to enjoy it in the moment, because there's no way I could ever make it again.

The chorizo was Mexican style; I'd have to go to a specialty place to even find Spanish chorizo. That stuff came from my local Kroger, so it's as mainstream as it gets...Johnsonville. It's the only chorizo I can get without driving 45 minutes or so. It's ok, I really don't have anything else to compare it to.
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Okay, cool. I like Johnsonville products. It's hard to get andouille and other "different" authentic sausages up here beyond the kielbasa and Italian sausage. Glad Johnsonville is pulling through for us!
 
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