CHOURICO PORTUGUESE RECIPES

Steps:

• Heat oil in a deep pot over medium high heat. Add potatoes and onions, cover and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add garlic, bay leaves, and kale to the pot. Cover pot and wilt greens 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add beans, tomatoes, chourico, and broth to the pot and bring soup to a full boil. Reduce heat back to medium and cook 5 to 10 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender.
• Serve soup with hunks of crusty bread and butter.
• Cook's Note: If you are in Mystic, ask for cherise (phonetic pronunciation), if you want to sample the chourico.

Steps:

• Combine the pork, garlic, salt, paprika, white pepper, oregano (or marjoram), sugar, black pepper and red pepper in a large bowl and mix well. If using cubed pork butt, pass through a food grinder fitted with a coarse die. (Alternately, transfer in 2 batches to a food processor and process until finely ground.) If using ground pork, mix the pork and spices together and proceede to step 2.
• Transfer to a large bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to meld.
• The following day, add the wine and liquid smoke to the meat and stir well to combine.
• To test the seasoning, heat the oil in a small skillet, and cook about 2 teaspoons of the mixture. Adjust seasoning, to taste.
• Smoking the Links:
• Preheat a home smoker to 175 °F.Load the wood chips. I use applewood or cherry. You may use whichever flavor you prefer the best.
• Smoke the sausage for about 3 1/2 to 4 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 165 °F. We use an internal thermometer for this which we place inside a link in the smoker. [See Note 3]
• Remove the links from the smoker and use as desired.
• We serve ours with Baked Beans & Brown bread.