Pork, Pork and More Pork

John and I stopped by Bristol Farms in Westlake the other day.  There was a beautiful pork shoulder in the meat case and I asked if I could have about 3 or 4 pounds.  The butcher must have been new on the job.  He cut off a hunk, put it on the scale and it weighed in at 10 pounds.  The meat guy says "so you want about 1/2 of this?"  I decided to save him the trouble and took the whole piece. 

All that pork made me think sausage.  I made 2 pounds each of Mexican Chorizo, Chinese Sausage and Garlic Sausage. 

And enough left over for this beautiful garlic-studded pork roast for Sunday dinner:

Mexican Chorizo:  To the freshly ground pork, add paprika, chile powder, ground ancho chile, ground coriander, ground cumin, salt and red wine vinegar.  I plan to use this in a pork stew for our Super Bowl party next weekend.

Garlic Sausage:  To the freshly ground pork, add minced garlic, chopped fresh thyme, salt, pepper and white wine.  Jeff made this sausage for us when they were here over Thanksgiving.  I loved having it in the freezer for last minute pasta dinners, so decided to re-stock.

Chinese Pork & Shrimp Sausage: To freshly ground pork and shrimp, add soy sauce, sweet sherry, chopped green onions, freshly chopped ginger, minced garlic, Chinese chile paste and Sirracha sauce.  This sausage can be used as a dim-sum filling, meat balls or simple patties.  When making sausage I always cook a small piece to check for seasoning, and let me tell you this one is a real winner!