Fermented Sausage
Wildfire Chorizo
Spanish Style Dry Cured Chorizo
Wildfire Chorizo is a fermented, dry-cured sausage built on a 50% lean meat / 50% pork blend, using lean wild game or lean beef. Smoke at 65-70°F / 18-21°C (cold smoke) and dry to 35-40% weight loss, stuff into 36-40 mm all natural hog casings, grind at 3/8". Exact amounts scale to any batch weight in the DeepWoodz Smokehouse app for iPhone and Android.
The dry-cured cousin of fresh chorizo and a completely different product — this one hangs and dries instead of going in a pan. Smoked pimentón gives it the deep red and most of the flavor, so buy decent paprika for it. Sliceable, keeps well, and worth the wait.
- Internal temp
- 35-40% weight loss
- Smoker temp
- 65-70°F / 18-21°C (cold smoke)
- Casing size
- 36-40 mm
- Casing
- All Natural Hog Casings
What goes in it
- Kosher Salt
- Cure #2
- Dextrose
- Smoked Paprika (Pimentón)
- Garlic Powder
- Oregano
- Starter Culture (T-SPX)
- Red Wine Vinegar
- Hot Paprika (Pimentón Picante)
Amounts are calculated for your batch weight in the app — including the cure, which is held at a fixed, food-safe rate.
The meat
Lean Wild Game · Lean Beef · Pork Butt · Pork Shoulder
Bear or wild hog: take it to 160°F and hold 3 minutes. Freezing, smoking and curing do not kill trichinella — only heat does.
How it's made
- Grind pork through a 3/8" coarse plate. Keep below 34°F.
- Dissolve starter culture in distilled water per package directions.
- Mix all dry seasonings with vinegar and dissolved culture.
- Mix into ground meat until well combined and slightly tacky with good protein extraction.
- Stuff into 36-40mm hog casings. Twist into 8" links or tie into rings.
- FERMENT: Hang at 85-90°F, 85-90% humidity for 18-24 hours.
- SMOKE (optional): Cold smoke at 65-70°F for 4-6 hours.
- DRY: Move to 55°F, 75-80% humidity. Dry for 3-5 weeks until 30-35% weight loss.
- Use Spanish smoked paprika (pimentón) specifically — it gives the classic deep red color and the signature smoky-sweet flavor that defines this sausage. Regular paprika won't cut it. Flavor intensifies with drying time.
- SAFETY: Cure #2, starter culture, and salt are locked ratios. Do not reduce.
Wood
Oak · Apple
Safety
- Cure #2 and starter culture are required — do not substitute
- Maintain proper fermentation temperature and humidity
- Dry until target weight loss is achieved before consuming
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