A mouth-watering recipe for spicy Spanish chorizo
Spicy Spanish chorizo is an iconic cured sausage born in Spain’s countryside. Its bold, fiery flavor—crafted from a precise balance of pork and spices—makes it a staple of Spanish cooking.
Served in tapas, stirred into stews, or enjoyed thinly sliced on crusty bread, spicy chorizo is cherished for its distinctive flavor and satisfyingly firm texture.
Origins of Spicy Chorizo
Chorizo is a traditional sausage that has evolved over the centuries into a genuine Spanish institution. Its roots reach back to Roman times, when meat-salting was already a refined craft—unlike smoked garlic sausage, which appeared much later.
Yet chorizo only assumed its modern identity in the Middle Ages, when Spanish explorers brought paprika (pimentón) home from the New World. The sweet and spicy nuances of paprika spawned countless chorizo styles, including today’s fiery version—coveted for its assertive flavor and knack for elevating almost any dish.
Ingredients for Spicy Chorizo
• Lean pork – forms the meaty base
• Pork belly – adds richness and moisture
• Paprika – lends that signature red hue and gentle heat
• Garlic – provides aromatic depth
• Whole black peppercorns – sharpen the flavor
• Hot chili pepper – turns up the heat
• Cumin – imparts earthy warmth
• Oregano – brings an herbal lift
• Bay leaves – layer in complex aroma
• Thyme sprigs – add fresh, aromatic notes
• Salt – essential for seasoning and curing
• Natural pork casings – for stuffing and shaping
Recipe by Christophe BASTOUILH
Authentic Homemade Spicy Chorizo
Equipment
- Hachoir
Ingredients
- 1150 g of pork shoulder
- 500 g of pork belly
- 50 g of sweet paprika
- 3 garlic cloves
- 7 g of black pepper whole
- 5 g of hot chili powder
- 4 g of ground cumin
- 5 g of dried oregano
- 5 leaves bay leaves
- 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 35 g of fine sea salt
- Natural pork casings, 30 mm in diameter
Procédé
- Place the casings in a bowl of cold water and soak for 1 hour.
- Cut the meat into chunks, remove the skin from the belly, and discard any cartilage or bone.
- Transfer the meat to a large mixing bowl.
- Using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, grind the salt, pepper, and all the remaining spices into a very fine powder. Sprinkle over the meat and mix until every piece is evenly coated.
- Pass the seasoned meat through a meat grinder fitted with an 8 mm (⅜-inch) plate.
- Slide a casing onto a 19 mm (¾-inch) stuffing tube, tie a knot at the end, and stuff, guiding the casing with one hand so each sausage keeps the same thickness.
- Hang the sausages in a space with about 70 % humidity at 12 °C (54 °F) for at least 3 weeks to cure.
