Embotido Recipe

Chill meat and fat

Cut pork shoulder and fatback into 1-2 inch cubes. Refrigerate until firm but not frozen (about 30–60 minutes). Cold meat grinds more cleanly and yields better texture.

Hard-boil eggs: place eggs in a saucepan, cover with cold water, bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer 9 minutes. Transfer to ice bath, peel, and set aside.

Roast red bell pepper (optional): char over a gas flame or under broiler until skin blackens, place in a bowl covered with plastic to steam for 10 minutes, peel, seed, and julienne.

Peel garlic and roughly chop with onion so they're ready for mincing or grinding.

Grind or finely mince meat and fat

Using a meat grinder with a medium plate or a food processor in short pulses, grind the chilled pork shoulder and fatback together until finely minced but not pureed. If using a food processor, work in batches and pulse so mixture remains slightly textured.

Mince garlic and onion very fine (or pass through the grinder). If you prefer smoother embutido, process garlic and onion into a paste.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground pork mixture, minced garlic and onion, apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, salt, black pepper, allspice, and nutmeg. Mix by hand or with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle on low to medium speed for 2–4 minutes until mixture is sticky and well combined. This develops protein for a cohesive texture.

Fold in diced carrots, green peas, raisins, and sweet pickle relish (if using). Taste a small teaspoon by pan-frying quickly to adjust seasoning — add more salt, sugar, or soy to balance sweet-sour-salty flavors.

Cut the peeled hard-boiled eggs lengthwise into quarters or halves depending on casing size. Set aside for stuffing.

If using natural hog casings: rinse casings thoroughly under running water, run a thin stream of water through them to remove salt, and keep in a bowl of water until ready. If not using casings, lay out a double layer of aluminum foil (oiled) and a second sheet of foil for wrapping.

Grease the inside of a length (about 10–12 inches) of casing or oil the foil. Spoon about 1 to 1 1/4 pounds of the meat mixture into the casing, pressing to eliminate air pockets and creating an even cylinder roughly 3 inches in diameter. Leave 1–2 inches at each end free.

Lay the hard-boiled egg pieces and optional roasted red pepper strips along the center of the meat-filled casing lengthwise so they will appear in the cross-section.

Roll the casing closed around the filling and twist or tie both ends with butcher's twine to secure. If desired, tie the cylinder at 1–2 inch intervals to keep an even shape. If using foil, wrap tightly and twist ends; then tie the foil-wrapped log with twine.

Repeat to make 3–4 rolls depending on desired size. Place bay leaves on top of each roll or tuck beneath for aroma during steaming.

Set up a large steamer or a deep pot with a steamer basket. Fill the bottom with water, making sure the water level will not touch the rolls when placed in the basket. Bring water to a gentle boil.

Place embutido rolls in the steamer basket, cover, and steam over medium-low to medium heat for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, turning once halfway through if possible so they cook evenly. Internal temperature should reach 160°F (71°C).

Remove rolls and let rest for 20–30 minutes to firm up. Chilling in the refrigerator for 1–2 hours (or overnight) makes slicing cleaner.

Unwrap and discard bay leaves. Slice embutido into 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch slices.

To serve warm: pan-fry slices lightly in a tablespoon of oil over medium heat 1–2 minutes per side until edges brown. For cold serving, simply plate chilled slices.

Serve with banana ketchup, sweet chili sauce, or steamed rice as desired.