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Homemade Mexican Chorizo

Name: Homemade Mexican Chorizo
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 8 Dried guajillo chilli; 4 Dried ancho chilli; 80 ml Apple cider vinegar; 6 Garlic cloves; 1 tsp Ground cumin; 1 tbsp Dried oregano; 0.5 tsp Ground black pepper; 0.25 tsp Clove molido; 1 tbsp Salt; 1 kg Pork molida

30 min (30 prep + 0 cook) Medium 8 servings Toluca

Edmond Bojalil

Recetas Mexas

Published: 11 Mar 2026 · Updated: 30 Mar 2026

Ground pork seasoned with dried chillies, vinegar, and spices.

About this recipe

Homemade Mexican chorizo is a preparation of ground pork seasoned with a blend of dried chillies - mainly guajillo and ancho - vinegar, garlic, cumin, oregano, cloves, and pepper. Unlike Spanish chorizo, the Mexican version is raw and crumbles when cooked, turning a deep red thanks to the chillies. It is prepared by grinding or finely chopping pork with fat, mixing it with the chilli and spice paste, and letting it rest for at least 24 hours so the flavours meld. It requires no pre-cooking or casing, though it can be stuffed into casings if desired. It forms the base of countless dishes: tacos, quesadillas, eggs with chorizo, potatoes with chorizo, sopes, and tortas. Making it at home guarantees superior flavour and full control over the ingredients.

History & Origin

Chorizo arrived in Mexico with Spanish colonisers in the sixteenth century, but the Mexican version evolved in a radically different direction from the Iberian original. While Spanish chorizo is stuffed into casings, cured, and dried with paprika, the Mexican version adopted native chillies as the star: guajillo, ancho, and pasilla replaced paprika, and cane vinegar took the place of wine vinegar. Toluca, in the State of Mexico, became the capital of Mexican chorizo, where artisan charcutiers perfected family recipes over generations. Toluca chorizo is distinguished by its intense green colour (with herbs and green chillies) or red (with dried chillies), and the city holds an annual fair dedicated exclusively to this sausage. In Toluca's markets you can still find families who have been making chorizo for over a century with jealously guarded recipes. Every region of Mexico has its own variant: in Oaxaca chocolate is added, in Yucatán achiote is used.

Estimated cost

£12.00

Total cost

£1.50

Per serving

* Approximate prices based on UK supermarkets

Nutritional information per serving

340

Calories

22g

Protein

Carbohydrates

26g

Fat

Fibre

780mg

Sodium

* Approximate values. May vary depending on ingredients used.

Method

1
Toast slightly the guajillo chillies and ancho in a comal (flat griddle) hot for 30 seconds on each side. No the quemes or the chorizo quedará amargo.
2
Soak the chillies toasted in hot water for 15 minutes until soft. Drain and set aside a littlel water of remojo.
3
Blend the chillies soaked with the vinegar, the garlic, the cumin, oregano, pepper, clavo and salt until you get a paste lisa and smooth. Add a littlel water of remojo if necessary.
💡 La pasta should be thick, not aguada.
4
Place the pork molida in a container large. Pour the pasta of chillies on the meat and mixture with your hands until it is completely integrada and the meat has a colour red even.
5
Cover the container with plastic and refrigera for minimum 24 hours, ideally 48 hours, for that the flavours integren completely.
💡 El chorizo mejora each day that reposa. You can guardarlo until 5 days in the fridge or congelarlo until 3 months.
6
Para cocinar, desmorona the chorizo in a frying pan hot without oil (the fat of the meat es enough). Cook over medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring frecuentemente, until it is well golden and cooked.