Chorizo criollo

Ingredients

Sausage

• 700 gpork shoulder
• 300 gbeef chuck or flank
• 250 gpork back fat
• 3 tspsalt
• 1 tbspsweet paprika
• 1 tsphot paprika
• 6 clovesgarlic, crushed
• 1 tbspdried oregano
• 2 tspblack pepper
• 1 tspground cumin
• 150 mldry white wine, very cold
• natural hog casing, about 2 m

To serve

• crusty bread rolls
• chimichurri
• salsa criolla

Directions

1. Cut the meats and fat into cubes and freeze them for 30 minutes until firm at the edges but not solid.
2. Mince coarsely, through an 8 mm plate. Chorizo criollo is a coarse sausage and you should see the grain of the meat in a cut end — a fine mince gives a springy hot-dog texture that is entirely wrong.
3. Keep the meat cold at every stage. Warm fat smears instead of staying in distinct pieces, and a smeared sausage renders greasy on the grill.
4. Mix in the salt, paprikas, garlic, oregano, pepper and cumin, then the very cold wine, working just until it comes together and no more.
5. Fry a teaspoon and taste. Adjust the salt and paprika now.
6. Fill the casings loosely and twist into 12 cm links. Loose filling matters — a tightly packed chorizo splits over coals every time.
7. Hang or lay the sausages uncovered in the fridge for 12 hours. This dries the casing slightly and lets the seasoning settle through the meat, and it is what separates a butcher’s chorizo from a home one.
8. Grill over medium coals, well away from flame, for 25 to 35 minutes, turning often.
9. Slow and steady. These are raw sausages with no cure, so they need to reach 71°C (160°F) in the middle, and fierce heat blackens the outside long before that happens.
10. Split lengthwise, lay in a bread roll and spoon chimichurri over for a choripán.

Technique

• Cold meat, coarse mince, loose filling.
• Twelve hours uncovered in the fridge before grilling.
• Medium coals to 71°C (160°F). Never over flame.

Substitutions

• All pork, which is common, though the beef is characteristic of the River Plate version.
• Formed into patties if you have no casings.
• More hot paprika or a chopped chilli for a picante chorizo.

Variations

• Choripán, which is what most of them become.
• The Spanish cured chorizo is a different thing entirely — dried, not grilled.

History

Sold by the metre at Uruguayan butchers and grilled before the beef; the leftovers go into bread as choripan.

Frequently asked questions

What is Chorizo criollo?

Chorizo criollo is a charcuterie & cured from Uruguay: coarse pork and beef sausage, the first thing grilled at any asado. Sold by the metre at Uruguayan butchers and grilled before the beef; the leftovers go into bread as choripan.

How long does Chorizo criollo take to make?

Chorizo criollo takes 1 hour plus 12 hours resting of preparation and 35 min of cooking. The recipe makes makes about 12 sausages. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Chorizo criollo?

Yes, within limits. All pork, which is common, though the beef is characteristic of the River Plate version. Formed into patties if you have no casings. More hot paprika or a chopped chilli for a picante chorizo.

What is the most important thing to get right in Chorizo criollo?

Keep the meat cold at every stage. Warm fat smears instead of staying in distinct pieces, and a smeared sausage renders greasy on the grill.