What Is Chorizo and How Do You Prepare It?

Chorizo is an ingredient in many recipes, but what exactly is it and how do you utilize it? This complete guide tells you how it's made, and how to utilize it in delectable Mexican meals!

What exactly is chorizo?

Chorizo is a common element in many Hispanic and Spanish-influenced cuisines, such as those found in the Philippines but many Americans are familiar with chorizo as a popular taco filling. This is only one type of chorizo. There is plenty to discover in the world of chorizos! From smokey cured Spanish chorizo to crumbly Mexican variations and flowery grilled chorizos of South America.

What is Chorizo Made Out Of?

Chorizo can be created from a range of various ingredients, depending on the type and location of production.

There are three most prevalent ingredients in Spanish chorizo. These are pork, smoked paprika, and garlic, with the pork coarsely chopped and combined with fragments of pork fat and regional seasonings. The chorizos are then packed into natural casings. Cured, then dried. The spiciness of different types of Spanish chorizos is one of the key differences between the longer, thinner chorizos that are typically spicy, and short, plump chorizos that are not.

Chorizo sold outside of Europe usually contains paprika, but it may not be Spanish paprika, which is quite expensive. It’s used in some places to add red color to the sausages similar to the original Spanish style. Many Latin American cuis­ines, especially Mexican ones, often include native chilies for color, flavor, and heat. Chorizo from Mexico contains vinegar in addition to its usual ingredients to simulate the effect of using white wines in some types of Spanish sausage.

It is usually the most readily available type of sausage in the U.S. Less expensive Mexican chorizos are often made with finely ground and seasoned organs (the spleen is a favorite). They're then packed into plastic casings, which are squeezed out before being cooked.

Chorizo is usually made from pork, but a variety of different types of meat and even vegetarian options are also available. Chorizo has come to mean any coarse sausage in much Latin American cuisine. They vary greatly in their sizes, shapes, coarseness, and component proportion, but usually include pork, garlic, and pepper. Some may include additional components such as herbs or native spices and some South American chorizos deviate significantly from the original Spanish recipe. In Argentina, many chorizos are pale in color and lack paprika. They resemble Italian fresh sausages rather than Spanish chorizo.

Spanish Chorizo vs. Mexican Chorizo

There are two main types of chorizo in America: Mexican chorizo and Spanish chorizo. Both are vastly different from the original recipe.

The most important point to remember is that Spanish sausages are usually made from coarsely chopped pork which has been dried and salted until hard. As a result, Spanish chorizo can be cut and eaten raw, exactly like salami or pepperoni. Mexican chorizos are created with finely ground, flaky pork, must be heated before consumption, and are typically spicier than Spanish chorizo.

In recipes, Mexican and Spanish chorizo are not interchangeable so make sure to use Mexican chorizo if you're creating Mexican cuisine. Chorizos are an important ingredient in Spanish cuisine, but they're also used in many Cuban dishes. You should be aware that Mexican and Spanish chori­zos are not interchangeable with other types of chorizos.

Chorizo of Various Types

There are so many different kinds of chorizos out there that listing them all would be impossible. However, here are a few variations you might find in grocery stores in the United States:

• Chorizo Cantimpalo
• Mexican Chorizo
• Mexican Green Chorizo
• Colombian Chorizo
• Argentine Chorizo

Chorizo Cooking Instructions

Chorizo is relatively easy to make, especially for people who are accustomed to making sausages.

How to Prepare Spanish Chorizo

Chorizo is usually served sliced and at either cold or warm temperatures and fresh Spanish chorizos must be cooked before they're eaten, and they're usually pan-fried, grilled, baked, and/or braised. 

Cut a slit down the length of the chorizo and take off the casing before using it in a soup or stew. The chorizo can then be sliced into coins of any thickness and added immediately to the saucepan. Chorizo chips can also be made by baking or frying thin slices of Spanish-dried chorizo. For other recipes, such as Cubans hamburgers called fritas, cut up the uncased chorizo into small pieces and put them through a meat grinder.

How to Cook Mexican Chorizo

Chorizo, like ground meat, is usually made from pork. It may be prepared without its casing (known as picadillo in Spanish) when it is used for cooking. As a result, certain brands of Mexican chorizo have inedible plastic casings that must be discarded. 

• Squeeze the filling from the sausage meat into a hot frying skillet to cook Mexican chorizos. There's no need to add oil because the chorizo fat will render and help fry the meat. 
• Using a spatula, thoroughly break up the meat into small pieces, as if you were making beef taco filling or spaghetti marinara. 
• Fry the chorizo filling, tossing often until the fat has rendered and the meat is crumbled.

How to Cook South American Chorizo

Chorizo is usually grilled before serving. Using the tine of a fork, poke small, shallow punctures around each piece of sausage you plan to cook. It lets some of the liquid out while also keeping them from exploding. Start by preheating the grill. Charcoals made from natural materials like wood or coconut shells provide the best flavor. On the other hand, gas grills or even grill pans work nicely. Cook them in the same way you would bratwurst, kielbasa, or Italian sausages. South American chorizos can also be shallowly fried to get a crispy, gold-brown exterior.

See More: Different Cooking Methods