Pork is one type of meat that is often used in Mexican cooking and especially to make a variety of delicious sausages. Spicier than the Spanish versions, Mexican sausages are used in recipes for creating appetizers, breakfast dishes, soups, stews, and tacos. Experiment with the type and amount of seasonings and spices used when you make your own version of Mexican sausage depending on the dish you are cooking.
Chorizo
Chorizo is a Mexican style of hot, crumbly sausage often served with scrambled eggs tucked inside of flour tortillas and eaten for a filling breakfast. Chorizo includes spicy flavors such as chili powder, coriander, cumin, garlic, and Mexican oregano. Sometimes chorizo is even spiked with a few shots of tequila for an extra, hot flavor.
Chorizo Verde
Rather popular in Toluca, chorizo verde is made with a mixture of fresh herbs and seasonings along with plenty of green chili peppers. The chilies give the sausage its green color hence the name verde.
Longaniza
Longaniza is a long, thin type of sausage similar in flavor to chorizo. The recipe for making longaniza varies in some regions of Mexico as different spices may be used. For example, in the Yucatan area, the sausage is always made with achiote before smoking.
Moronga
Moronga, or blood sausage, is considered to be a delicacy to some south of the border and is made from fresh pig’s blood. Some of the herbs and spices used for making moronga include cilantro, garlic, mint, onions, and chili peppers. Moronga is often served with chili verde or other sauces and eaten in tacos.
Salchichon
Salchichon is native to Spain and this cured sausage resembles hard salami. Salchichon is served in a variety of ways including wrapped in bacon inside of a hot dog bun, along with cheese, or as an appetizer.
Mexican Sausage (Chorizo) Recipe
What You Need
- 6 ounces guajillos chilies
- 2/3 cup vinegar
- 5 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 pounds ground pork
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
How to Make It
Clean the chilies, remove the seeds and stems then cut in half lengthwise. Place the chilies in a small bowl, cover with hot water and let sit for 30 minutes.
Discard the water and put the chilies in a blender or food processor with the vinegar and the peeled garlic cloves and then puree until smooth.
In a large mixing bowl, add the ground pork, oregano, paprika, salt, black and red peppers, coriander, cumin, and allspice and mix well together. Add the pureed chili mixture to the pork and mix well.
Shape the pork into patties and fry in a skillet or frying pan for about 10 to 12 minutes until they are no longer pink inside.
Serve your chorizo for breakfast with your favorite type of eggs.
Serves 4 to 6 depending on the size of the patties.