Mexican Chorizo Verde is a relatively new sausage (roughly 80 years old or so) and trust me when I tell you it’s pretty delicious!! It comes the region of Toluca, Mexico and instead of using the traditional chili’s that are in Chorizo, it uses lots of greens (spinach, lettuce, peppers, herbs, etc.). It’s an herb forward sausage that’s complex, nutty, bright, and very tasty.

Much like many traditional Mexican sausages this recipe uses vinegar. Vinegar is used to help extend the shelf life of this sausage. It does this by lowering the pH and creating an environment that not very hospitable to some unwanted bacteria. It is important to know, that adding vinegar to a sausage recipe will denature the proteins of the meat. This will keep the meat from binding together when it’s mixed. The end result will be more of a loose textured and crumbly sausage which is pretty standard in the Mexican sausage world. Often you might see this sausage in a casing but IMHO this sausage would be better made and stored in a Ziplock bag as I prefer to cook this sausage on a frying pan rather than in a casing.

You can freeze this sausage in 1/2-pound portions and take out what you need. It’s a fun sausage that’s delicious and is sure to have everyone talking at your next get together.

Follow these sausage preparation practices when making this sausage.

Clean and Sanitize all of your equipment.
Keep your meat and grinder parts super cold (below 34F)
Any liquid or ingredients that is added to the mince needs to be ice cold
Mix everything together till it’s well incorporated
Allow to cure in your refrigerator for1-2 days and drain off any excess liquid
Cook till the internal temperature reaches 155F

Here are a few things you might find useful when making sausage

Enjoy the video and the recipe. If you have any questions feel free to ask away. If you make this at home I’d love to hear about how it came out!!

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Chorizo Verde

A very flavorful green sausage

Prep Time1

Cook Time7

Total Time7 1

How much do you want to make? 1000 grams

Ingredients

Metric – US Customary

1000 g pork shoulder 70/30 lean to fat ratio
100 g leafy greens you can use spinach, arugula, lettuce, kale, swiss chard, water cress, etc.
35 g fresh cilantro
20 g fresh parsley
3 g fresh oregano
250 g green peppers roasted you can use poblano, chilaca, hatch, New Mexico, anaheim, it's up to you
60 g green spicy peppers roasted you can use jalapeno, serrano, etc.
90 g green tomatillo roasted optional
12 g fresh garlic cloves
140 g fresh onion rough chopped
60 g toasted pumpkin seeds optional – you can use almonds instead
4.5 g toasted coriander seed
22 g salt
6 g black pepper
3 g cumin powder
1.5 g clove powder
.5 g bay leaf powder
120 ml red wine vinegar
60 ml red wine

Instructions

Clean your meat of any silver skin, sinew, arteries and cut into small strips or cubes. Place in the freezer for an hour or until the temp reaches 32f – 34F.
Grind your very chilled meat/fat on a 10mm plate (course) and place back in the freezer while you prepare the rest of your ingredients
Toast the pumpkin seeds (if you are using them) till they take on a little color. Then toast the coriander seeds till they take on a little color as well and become very aromatic. Set to the side.
Roast the green chilis on an open flame till the skin has become completely black. Place in a bowl and cover with cling film. Let that rest for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes wash the charred skin off the peppers, deseed, and remove the stem.
roast the tomatillos (if you are using that) on an open flame until the skin gets charred. Remove the skin and set to the side.
Blanch the rest of your greens (herbs and leafy green vegetables) in boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain and set to the side to cool.
In a blender add the spices, the toasted coriander, and the pumpkin seeds. Blend for 20 second till everything is chopped up well.
Next add the wine and red wine vinegar to the blender. Blend for another 20 seconds.
Finally add the blanched vegetables, roasted peppers and tomatillos, as well as the garlic and onion. Blend for another 20 seconds. You are looking for a slightly chunky green paste. Cool this mixture down before moving on to the next step.
Add the green paste to the ground meat and mix well to combine. Once it has been mixed well cover and refrigerate for 1-2 days. This will allow all of the flavors to come together and allow the vinegar to cure the meat.
After 2 days your sausage is ready. You can store in freezer friendly bags (in 1/2-pound portions) or keep in your refrigerator for up to a week. Often you will see this in a casing, but I always remove the meat from the casing and fry on a hot skillet so putting this sausage in a casing is completely optional.

To Cook

To cook this sausage, I will always remove it from the casing (if it's in a casing) and pan fry the sausage till it's cooked (internal 155f). Once it's cooked, I will then add it to my tortillas/tacos, or I will crack a few eggs to the sausage and finish cooking the eggs for a green chorizo con huevos (green eggs and sausage)
This sausage is a loose textured and crumbly sausage

If you want a Green Chorizo that's more bound together here's what you should do

Omit the vinegar
Only add 8% (by the weight of the meat) of the green paste to the recipe
Add 3% binder like a potato starch or a high Heat nonfat milk.
Reduce the salt content to 1.5% by the weight of the meat/fat

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5 thoughts on “Mexican Chorizo Verde”

Andy
November 28, 2022 at 5:56 pm

Nice recipe, completely unexpected!
Cooking Mexican style tutorial sounds great.
Thanks
Arif Abrar
December 7, 2022 at 12:25 pm

Awesome sounding sausage. I’m going to try this in beef with a 70:30 ratio.
here’s a question. I’d like to make it in a casing. And I won’t be putting in the red wine. Pakistan being a dry country, good red wine is hard to come by – so I’d rather drink what I have than put it into a sausage :). Should I exclude the red wine vinegar too if i want to have a more bound sausage, but in a casing.
P.S. I’m a huge fan of your work. Next time I’m stateside, I’d love to come visit and have a beer (and a sausage) with you :).
1. Eric
  January 9, 2023 at 1:21 am
  
  Yes. Omit the vinegar and the wine, only add 5% – 10% of the green chili sauce, add a binder like potato starch, and adjust the salt to 1.7%. Should be banging!!!
Daniel Bieszk
September 13, 2023 at 2:16 pm

Could you leave it in the casing and grill it
1. Eric
  October 1, 2023 at 12:39 am
  
  yes. It will be rather crumbly though.

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Mexican Chorizo Verde