Portuguese Sausage- A Family Tradition
How to make Portuguese Sausage or Chourico. Our Portuguese tradition of making homemade sausage is passed on from generation to generation.
This is every Portuguese-American’s favorite time of year. It’s matança time! Soon we will all be enjoying Portuguese Sausage (a.k.a. Chourico, or in Spanish chorizo). If you have read our about page, you know that I am first generation Portuguese-American. To keep our culture alive my parents have continued certain traditions here in America. My favorite is making homemade chourico the old fashion way. Years ago we would have a matança (the slaughtering of a pig) in the colder months, as my parents have gotten older they have switched to buying the pork from a butcher. I’ll spare you pictures of the slaughter from years ago, it’s pretty gruesome.
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When making chourico you start off with pork butt or shoulder, no need to trim all the fat off, the fat makes it delicious! Cut it up into small bite size pieces. Add whole garlic cloves, whole bay leaves, paprika, ground red pepper, and salt. Then pour cheap white wine all over it and let it marinate for at least 24 hours in a large shallow basin. My mom usually stirs it a few times to make sure the flavors are evenly spread throughout the sausage. Halfway through the marinating process saute some of the sausage and taste it to see if you need to add more salt or ground red pepper. I usually prefer spicier sausage. You will lose almost half the flavor during the smoking process, so make sure it is overly seasoned.
Once the meat has marinated it is time to start stuffing that sausage! You need to rinse the casings a few times each, check for holes, and tie them off in about 2 feet sections with cooking twine. Only tie off at one end leaving the other open to insert over a funnel.
Attach the open end of the casing over a 1-1.5″ funnel. Be gentle so the casings do not tear. Pull a few inches over the opening of the funnel so it doesn’t slip off while you’re stuffing the casting.
Before you start stuffing the casings remove all the bay leaves and garlic cloves. The bay leaves will tear the casing. Start with a few pieces of sausage and slowly work them into the end of the casing. Make sure you keep a good grip on the funnel and casing so it doesn’t slip off. Keep filling until the casing is filled and firm.
As you have stuffed them you will notice air pockets throughout the casing. To get rid of them just use a hand needle and pop them. **Do not misplace needles, tie something colorful to them so they don’t end up inside the sausage!!!** Keep squeezing the meat down and filling until most of the air pockets are gone. Once it is completely filled, pull the open end off the funnel and tie it with cooking twine. Gently place them in a tub basin, they tear easily.
This is a family affair, the more the merrier! It takes all day to fill the casings, so invite all your tia’s and tio’s (aunts and uncles) over.
Next it is time to smoke the sausages. Every Portuguese family I know has one of these in their backyard. If you know someone who is Portuguese and you’ve always wondered what was up with it now you know, it’s to smoke sausages. The chourico is gently hung on a wooden pole (we use an old broom stick). They can be pretty close together but they shouldn’t be touching. They are hung close to the top so they don’t burn or get smoked too fast. This is where serious fire building skills are needed. There have been stories over the years of whole sausage batches catching fire :(.
Once the poles are hung, start a fire using regular firewood, not a blazing fire. You want a smoldering fire. The fire is kept going for 3-4 days and you have to keep an eye on it throughout the day and night to make sure it smoking the whole time. Getting the heat right is is the trickiest part, too much heat will dry them out and ruin all of your hard work! Halfway through the smoking process, let the fire go out and flip the sausages. Rebuild the fire and start again for another 24-48 hours. At the halfway point, you will be able to tell if they are drying out properly or not enough. Adjust fire accordingly.
Portuguese Sausage- A Family Tradition
Ingredients
- 64 lbs. trimmed cubed pork butt cubed
- 2 C garlic cloves halved
- 1 1/2 C salt
- 6 liter jug Carlos Rossi rhine wine, any inexpensive white wine will do
- 14 oz McCormick paprika
- 1 1/2 oz black pepper
- 1 oz ground red hot pepper
- 10 bay leaves
- 40-50 castings depending on the size of castings
Instructions
- Start by trimming most of the fat off the pork. Cut pork into cubes, about 2 inch diameter. Place all the cubed pork, seasonings and wine in a large basin. Try not to break down the bay leaves because they will have to be removed before filling casting. Mix everything together making sure all the seasoning is evenly throughout the pork. Cover (we use a garbage bag). Place meat in fridge. Mix every 12 hours for 2 days. At every mixing, cook a handful of pork to taste if any more seasoning is needed. Remember when smoking, the pork will lose a lot of flavor. I highly recommend over seasoning.
- On filling day, rinse each casting a few times. Check for hole or defects. Using baking twine, tie off one end of casting.
- Remove all the garlic cloves and bay leaves before filling. Place the open end of the casting on the funnel. while holding the casting onto the funnel, begin to fill casting with cubed pork. Slowly work the meat to the end of the casting. Use a safety pin to pop any air pockets. Tie the other end once it is filled.
- Place the filled sausages onto your stick without touching, place in smoker, start your fire.
- Be careful that the flames do not reach the sausage. Remember, low heat for a long period of time. Keep any eye on the fire for flare ups or if fire goes out.
- After 24 hours, let the fire go out, flip the sausages. Then start the firing process over again. At this point when you flip them, you will need to determine if you are halfway done or if it will take longer than an additional 24 hours. This is tricky, and where experience comes into to play. Smoking for 24 hours on each side is usually the minimum. An additional day or two may be needed.
- When your sausage is done, place them indoors and let them dry.
- **If your smoker is like ours, place some sort of gate in front of pit opening. If the fire goes out, animals will come and eat all the hard work you have just put in.
And this is what Portuguese sausage or chourico looks like when they are done! Let them dry out for another day or two indoors. Leave a few out for the week and freeze the rest. One day I will take up the torch and make them with my generation of Portuguese-Americans, until then leave it to the velhos (old people) who know best :).
You can serve chourico uncooked along with cheese on a platter or broil/grill them. My favorite is a chourico omelet!
Here are a few Portuguese chourico recipes that I enjoy.
Caldo Verde Soup
Cozido à Portuguesa
Grilled Chourico
Cataplana de Marisco
Chourico Bread
Mussels in Chourico Sauce
If you ever get the chance to try homemade Portuguese chourico, don’t pass it up! It is by far the best sausage you will ever try. It has to be homemade or it doesn’t have my stamp of approval.
What family traditions do you have?
Bon Appetit!
What!? This looks amazing. We love sausage, and the spicier the better! I have never in my life tried to make my own. So cool!
It is some of the best sausage I have ever had. I love getting some for my freezer:)
My entire family has it shipped to us from the East coast to Michigan. ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT. Would love to learn to make it ourselves.
I’d love to know where to purchase it on the east coast as the only one my family ever purchased ours was in San leandro on the west coast, but they went out of business years ago!! ????
Somerset, Mass, Gaspars brand, in Fall River, Mass that’s where the factory is. It’s in all the stores like Safeway, Walmart, etc. I even saw an add on Pinterest where you can order it on a website! Wife is from
Just the way I learned to make them. Delicious.
Story is fantastic, love authentic foods, but the recipe would be nice.
I will get it from my parents and add it next time we make them.
Thank you Melinda, appreciate it.
hello their my parents have taken ill i would like to supprise them by making the
sausages for them but its one of those recipies thats in my moms head and she cant remember would you be able to send me the recipe please
Awesome! As the sausage-making season is coming closer, I’M looking for new recipes to try out. Thank you for sharing!
Hi Melinda, could you pls send me the recipe. So exciting to make chouriço. Looks great in your posting.
Thank you very much for share.
God bless
Hi Melinda,
Could you pls send me the Recipe. Looks yummy…
Thank you.
Ana, my parents are filling them today and will be posting that recipe within a few days once I get it from my mom. I told my mom to write every measurement down this time. As you know Portuguese women cook by eye not by measurement. LOL
These look amazing please post the recipe and thanks for the great article.
Mike
Thank you! I will be posting the recipe shortly.
Yes! Please post the recipe. Also a detail- – what type of wood do you use to smoke the sausages?
They use regular firewood. Nothing fancy 🙂
The recipe is posted! Let me know if you have any other questions.
I found your article on making Chorico sausage, fascinating and well written. I plan to make a small batch(8lb) this coming week, and do have a couple questions: I noticed that your recipe doesn’t include any nitrates (curing salts) for preserving the meat. Does the wine and regular salt take it’s place? and is the smoking process more for flavoring and dehydrating the sausage than cooking it? do they require refrigeration while they are drying indoors after the smoking? or are they like salami?
Joel, I honestly say I don’t now the technical answer to your questions. I know that this is how my parents and past generations have done it in the past. They only need to sit out for a day after the smoking process is done. Then we put a few in the fridge that we plan on eating within the week. The others we wrap in freezer paper, bag them and put in the freezer for the year. Hope this helps.
I can’t tell from your smoking instructions if you are cold smoking only or cooking slowly while smoking. Are these uncooked but edible sausage like pepperoni or if they afe fully cooked or if you still need to cook them as you don’t say what temperature you use during smoking other than warning not to let them get too hot and burn.
They are fully cooked. You can eat them once the smoking process is done. The heat temp during the smoking process is well over the cold smoking temp range. Hope this helps. Sorry I can’t be more help. I was lucky to even get a recipe since they always make things by memory.
Ola Melinda
muita obrigado pela sua receita do chorico a moda Portuguesa.
This is as far as I will go with my Portuguese as it is not sufficient enough to write an email with.
My name is Nelson Filipe I was born in EastTimor and have been living in Australia since 1975 because of the Indonesian invasion of my country.
A few days ago I was talking to brother inlaw about making our own chorico but the Portuguese way. Only the best will do right.
He being English myself being Portuguese born in East Timor raised in Australia, our biggest problem was, where do we start.
I have spent the whole day on the internet searching for recipes and eventually I came across your website and read about how you and your family make your very own Portuguese chorico and how simple you made it.
I would just like to say muita obrigado for sharing your family’s recipe and hopefully we can do it some justice all the way here in down under.
Obrigado
Nelson
Nelson, you made my day! I wish you and your brother-in-law the best of luck. Just remember, the temperature of the fire is very important. Keep a close eye! Please send me pictures.
can I buy the portguese sausage already made please reply
Robert, what area do you live in? Several Portuguese markets sell them throughout the United States. You may be able even order it online.
Obrigado for posting this recipe, I too am the torch bearer for our Portuguese Ohana/family in Hawai’i. Somive tried to learn from my Aintirs and Vovo and nana and mom to make sure our Azorean São Miguel traditions don’t die.
So reading your post brought back memories of the many Festas and matanza that have past and the Velhos that are gone. So irony in our family after 5 generations a man has to continue our food traditions, since my female cousins don’t cook much Portuguese now but as we’ve gotten older they ask me for my mom’s recipe for Pão Dôce/ massa Souvasda, Papos Secos and Bolos Levedos. As well as Linguiça and Morcella. Bifanas and Prego Na Pão and Vinha D’ Alhos. Still prevalent all these yrs. in Hawaii Portuguese community.
Less not forget the fejão and cal do Verde and Soupish. Oh and famous out here Malassadas!
Thanks. Do you folks make Linguiça and Morcella too? Would like to see your recipe. We made more Linguiça than all. I know their similar but not the same.
Aloha.
Kelena
Growing up my parents only made chourico. Calde Verde is my favorite soup! I will share my family recipe soon. I have few other Portuguese family recipes posted. Check them out and let me know what you think. https://www.homemadeinterest.com/portuguese-shrimp-turnovers/ & https://www.homemadeinterest.com/portuguese-rice-pudding-arroz-doce/ & https://www.homemadeinterest.com/portugese-style-baked-rockfish/
Subscribe to our newsletter so you will get all the new Portuguese I’ll be posting soon!
Hi going to Surrey BC and there is no place there to buy chourico. Everytime I go I pack a suitcase with a bunch for my niece. Would love to make your mom’s recipe but my niece dosnt have a smoker is it necessary to smoke them? Can I omit the smoking part?
My family has never tried not smoking them. Smoking it what gives them the great flavor they have. If you try it, please let me know how they are. I’m interested to see if that would work.
Liz, I spoke to a few Portuguese in my community and they said you can dry them out in the over at a low temp for two days if you don’t smoke them. Hope this helps.
Would it be possible to make the meat mixture and then cook this without the casing?
I love my chourico but am getting too feeble to do the casings I grew up in Fall River, Ma but now live in the suburbs of Chicago where there is no place to buy chourico. I usually have to order it. Thanks
Sure Dolores, we cook the meat once a day to check the seasoning. The same way we season this meat is how we season our bifanas and beef.
Love it. Good job!
Hello have a question for u can u estimate the temperature of ur smoker I have a electric smoker
Philip, I’m not sure the temp of the fire. I’m assuming it also depends on the distance from were the sausages to the heat. I think is you look up your smoker model, maybe they have recipes for it. Try and find one that is similar.
We’ve just had some black pig chourico made by a lovely little Portuguese woman named Gloria. She runs the local shop in the sleepy town of senhora da Rocha. We’ve been coming for a few years now and made friends with her and her husband which has paid off because we get to try all her home cooking. Another favourite of mine was her roast figs stuffed with almonds and seasoned in anise. Apparently they eat then at Christmas but I’d have them all-day everyday lol. God bless Portuguese cuisine. Obrigado ????.
The last time I was in Portugal was the first time I had heard of black pig. Every meal I had with black pig was amazing! Portuguese people love to feed others that’s for sure. I will have to look for the stuffed fig recipe, it sounds delicious. I have another Portuguese recipe posting next week that is super easy that you should check out. Muito obrigada 🙂
thank you so much for the information, I have always wanted to make Portuguese sausages. my parents make them.
I have made chourico using this recipe 4-5 times now. Mostly I love the results, although I struggle with keeping the sausage from crumbling apart after slicing it — the crumbly results are very similar to what is shown in the picture of sliced chourico and cheese on the cuttingboard.
I have a notion that draining the meat of all the liquid before stuffing the sausage will help with this problem. I will try that next time I make a batch.
Some changes I made that worked pretty well:
* I smoke my chourico in an offset BBQ smoker, shooting for ~150F and all the smoke I can get. This method gets the smoking done in ~6 hours rather than 48 hours, which makes finding time to make chourico much easier.
* I tried stuffing by hand for the first 2-3 batches. That’s for the birds. I bought a ~$75 compression sausage stuffer on eBay and got the stuffing done in under an hour. The crumbliness of the sausage actually improved when I used the stuffer.
* Rather than mess around with whole bay leaves (and removing them!) I just used ground bay leaves. That worked really well.
* The recipe does not call for a curing agent (e.g. #1 Cure, Instacure, Prague Powder, etc.) but I added some just in the name of food safety. I dissolved it a bit of wine and poured it into the mix. I used the same ratio of 1 tsp cure to 5 lbs of meat that is common for sausage-making.
* I fell in love with Chourico on the Caribbean island of Bonaire a few years ago (this is no joke — they have a HUGE european grocery store on the island that is incredibly well stocked with meats and cheeses), and what I loved about it was the spicy kick it offered. The recipe here is much milder, so I more or less doubled the amount of cayenne pepper it calls for.
I intend to keep playing with the recipe until I zero in on the perfect version (for me). I can post a detailed recipe when I am done, if anyone cares.
Dave those are great tips! I think the crumble you mention is the air that is trapped. My tips would be to really squeeze and using a needle to get the air out. All the shortcuts are great, especially for the younger Portuguese generations. I will share these tips with my parents. Thanks again!
Melinda
I plan on giving this a try. Can I use onion powder and crushed piri piri pepper? Also I’m confused with the portion size it says 20-50 sausages. How many sausages will 64lbs of meat make me approx?
Hey Richard, you can season however you’d like. Just make sure that it is a powder. Pepper flakes can rip the casing (that’s why you remove the garlic cloves and bay leaves). They amount of sausages all depends on how big your casings are. Our’s always seem to vary in size. This recipe makes 40-50, not 20-50. Please tell me how they turned out! I’d love it if you could send me a picture too. Boa Sorte!!
Dave, how are you hanging them in the smoker?
How many/much is 2 C garlic cloves? What does the C stand for?
C is for cups. We love garlic 🙂
Thank you so much for posting! It’s impossible to find Portuguese sausage in Colorado, and I have been dreaming of chouricio for the last 5 years (since I left California). Finally, a recipe that’s not all fancied up and is just like my neighbors made. Thank you so much! I cant wait to make breads and the caldo verde soup I’ve missed so much.
Wow, your not kidding saying it’s about imposable to get a recipe for Chourico. I grew up in New England, but have been in North Carolina for 25 years.
Of course in New England we could get all kinds of great brands of Chourico. I am going to try this recipe out, if you have any tips please share I will do the same once I’ve given it a run.
at the beginning of your text you say “DO NOT trim the fat off” – but at the instructions for print you say to trim the fat off. so what is it?
You do not want to trim ALL the fat, you trim most of it as instructed in the post.
Matança, not matanza
Thank you, I am fixing it now.
64lb is 24kg?is that correct?
What wine do you use,my dad still passing the tradition down to me,also did Leitao , do you have recepi for leitao?
It should be 29 kgs. I love leitao!
I almost feel like family after reading your recipe! I live in Connecticut and am graced with friends in Westerly who allow me to participate in their Sopressata making during our winters. I make a few sausage recipes but really small scale. It would be fun to try something like this but it’s really out of the question. Have you or anyone in your family scaled down the recipe? Most I could do would be 8 Lbs. Many thanks for making my day!
No we haven’t but the ratio should be equal if you divide it.