Hey Guys,
I'm planning on making some chouricos this coming weekend, I just hope the weather cooperates. I really want to make more sausages this year than last year. I really need to re-think my cold smoker from last year, as some of you know my smoker hazard... But this year I'm going to make sure that doesn't happen. I'm going to put the cold smoker out in the backyard instead of inside the garage. I also need to make sure the hot plate is far enough from the smoker box so I don't create too much heat where the sausages are going to leak from the fat in the sausage melting.
I need to head to the store this week to get the pork shoulder/pork butt and marinate the cubed pork in the wine, garlic, paprika etc..
Now, for the stuffing the meat in casings. I want to stuff them by hand this year with a small funnel with about an inch opening to allow the cut pork to get through. This is how they stuff the sausages in Portugal everything by hand. They claim that if machines are used to stuff the sausages it alters/effects the taste and quality. So this year I'm doing it by hand. I made a big mistake last time with grinding the meat, I now know to just cut the pork into cubes not grind it up.
Hopefully it all works out for me this year...