HELP with CHOURICO/CHORIZO!!!

Hi all,

I'm new--and I signed up to ask this question:

I recently went to a little Portuguese restaurant with my parents and we had a wonderful chourico dish that arrived in a flaming ceramic pig called an "assador de barro." It was about 10"-12" long and maybe 5" tall, and you fill it with alcohol and set it on fire. Then, you skewer a sausage and roast it until crispy. My parents LOVED this dish and I want to get them one for Christmas but I can't find them anywhere. Unfortunately, the restaurant is only open in the summer so they aren't avaliable either. Does anyone know where I could locate one online or in the New York City area?

MANY MANY THANKS!!

Julia

Comments: 5

Ted Halloran Oct 30, 2006, 9:53pm EST

I know it as chorizo, a spicy mexican sausage. Beware of a version packaged in plastic, squeezed out as a mealy mess. There is also smoked chorizo, with which I have little experience. The fresh chorizo, uncooked sausage with intricate spices, that I have found locally is a totally different ingredient. Chorizo does not equal charico does not equal mexican sausage.

Ingredients really make a difference here.

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Travis B. Oct 30, 2006, 9:57pm EST

you can make your own fairly easy too.

INGREDIENTS:

* 2 cloves garlic, mashed
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 tablespoon vinegar
* 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons chili powder
* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
* 1 1/2 pounds ground pork

PREPARATION:
Mash garlic with salt; add remaining ingredients. Mix together and fry until brown.

You can spice this up with any number of chiles, paprika and other Mexican/Spanish spices..

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Dorine H. Oct 30, 2006, 10:38pm EST

Ted, Mexican chorizo is ***NOT*** the same!!!!! Completely different flavor based on completely different spicing!!! Do *NOT* substitute one for the other!!!

They use the same little dishes in Spain, and you can order from tienda.com

Travis, your recipe is for *Mexican* chorizo. The Spanish and Portuguese varieties are of much older origin, and are *European* in style. Mexican and Spanish cuisines are as different as night and day.

Lose the chili powder. Use Spanish smoked hot paprika--not Hungarian or McCormick's The taste is totally different. Skip the vinegar; use dry red Spanish or Portuguese wine. Double the garlic.

In Portugal and Spain (where I have lived) nobody makes chorizo patties and fries until brown. Maybe Mexicans do, I don't know. Chorizo and chouriço are both filled into casings and made into links then cured. People fry and otherwise cook the cured sausages. I have never seen loose, raw sausage sold in a market in either country.

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Julia Payne Oct 31, 2006, 9:31am EST

Thanks so much to everyone for all the help--I should specify, though, that I really need help finding the actual ceramic dish. I already have the chourico. Dorine, I could not find it on tienda.com--what is it called in Spain?

Here is a link to a page that has a picture. I tried calling the place where these people got theirs, but the language barrier made it too difficult to find out if they had any. http://www.omnitv.ca/ontario/recipes/lucy/r10_sausage.shtml?printfriendly

Does anyone out there know where I can track down one of these little ceramic pigs?

THANKS AGAIN!!!!!!

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HELP with CHOURICO/CHORIZO!!!

Comments: 5

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