Spaanse Chorizo - Monsieur Saucisson (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between chorizo and chorizo? ›

Yes, they are similar, but they are not the same. Portuguese chourico and Mexican/Spanish chorizo are both spiced pork sausages. However, Mexican chorizo is fresh and not fully cooked, and Spanish chorizo is cured. Portuguese chourico is a smoked sausage, so it is fully cooked and ready to eat.

Spanish style chorizo is made using a combination of Spanish spices, prominently both dulce and picante pimentón de la Vera. Like any other dry cured salami, it is allowed to hang after it has been mixed and stuffed, until it loses ~30-40% of its initial weight, and is ready to eat at that point.

The red color so characteristic of chorizo is gived by a special paprika known as "pimenton". This feature is what makes different Spanish chorizo from other sausages elsewhere.

Mix pork, Aleppo peppers, chili powder, garlic, salt, black pepper, oregano, cumin, cloves, and coriander together in a large bowl until thoroughly blended.

Some of the cheapest commercial chorizos use offal stuffed in inedible plastic casing to resemble sausage links, rather than muscle meat. Before consumption, the casing is usually cut open and the sausage is fried in a pan and mashed with a fork until it resembles finely minced ground beef.

“Chorizo is made by grinding pork shoulder with salt, pepper, oregano, garlic, and pimentón [a smoked paprika from Spain], and stuffing it into a natural pork casing,” explains Fernández.

The use of chili powder and other aromatic spices gives Mexican chorizo its signature heat and depth of flavor, making it a versatile ingredient in many Mexican dishes. Whether used in tacos, burritos, soups, or egg dishes, Mexican chorizo adds a punch of flavor that enhances the overall taste of the dish.

Do I need to remove the sausage skin? You may wish to remove the skin of the chorizo before eating as they can be chewy and unpleasant to eat. However, this is not essential.

Use as a dip or spread on tortillas, tostadas, or bread. Topping: Top sopes, tostadas, nachos, or Mexican pizza. Refried beans: Stir into refried beans to eat as a side dish or as a spread for molletes or tortas. Stuffing: Combine with other ground meats and use to stuff a roasted turkey or other fowl.

The white powdery substance on the chorizo casing is mold. But don't worry; it's completely safe as long as it's happening to a fully cured chorizo. The mold is of penicillin species and chorizo developing it is a good sign, as it indicates that curing is successfully fighting off bacteria.

Is there donkey meat in chorizo? ›

What meat is used for Chorizo…. Most Chorizo is made with coarsely chopped pork, pork fat and, sometimes, bacon. You can buy it made with wild boar, horse meat, donkey, beef and venison. Surprisingly there is no trace anywhere of Lamb Chorizo although there are several recipes for lamb cooked with Chorizo.

No matter which method you choose, remember to always cook your chorizo to a minimum internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit. You can use a meat thermometer to check for this.

Chorizo is made with intestines, because it's a sausage and sausage is packed into pork casings, which are made from intestine. But chorizo is mostly comprised of highly seasoned ground pork. Whether it's fresh or dried and the particular recipe vary by chorizo-making tradition.

Mexican chorizo is generally a fresh sausage and is usually cooked like ground meat or other sausage links. Spanish chorizo, on the other hand, is a dried cured sausage with a completely different texture.

Chorizo can be bought as a whole sausage of either soft cooking chorizo – which must be cooked before eating – or a firmer, drier cured sausage that can be sliced and eaten without cooking. It is also sold thinly sliced, like salami, to be enjoyed raw as tapas.

The two most commonly sold types of chorizo are Mexican and Spanish, both of which have differences in their preparations and seasonings. They're both often made with pork, though Mexican chorizo can be made with other proteins.

Talking about must-try flavors in the Sinaloa's cuisine, Chilorio is a very popular pork dish that you can only find in the northwest of Mexico. Its bright red color may remind you of Chorizo, but the flavor is very different.

1. Ingredients. One of the primary differences between Mexican chorizo and other types of chorizo is its ingredients. While Spanish chorizo typically contains pork, paprika, and garlic, Mexican chorizo is made with fresh ground pork and a blend of aromatic spices and seasonings.

Achorizado. These smaller chorizos are cured and ready to eat, but they're really designed for cooking in stews and soups. They can be placed in whole to gently soften in the sauce, or chopped up so their flavour melts into the braising liquid and lends the dish its unmistakable taste.