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Chorizo santarrosano
Chorizo santarrosano: Santa Rosa de Cabal's thin, garlicky pork sausages, grilled and eaten with arepa and lime
Santa Rosa de Cabal, on the road to the hot springs in Risaralda, is lined with grills where thin, tightly linked pork chorizos sizzle over charcoal and are sold with a small white arepa and half a lime. They are leaner and finer than Spanish chorizo, with no paprika: just pork, a little fat, spring onion, garlic, cumin and a touch of coriander, so they taste fresh and herby, with a smoky edge from the coals. Squeeze over the lime, wrap a piece in the arepa and eat it standing up. Making them at home needs natural casings and a sausage stuffer or a piping bag, and a night in the fridge for the flavours to settle. Overstuffing is the classic problem: tight casings burst on the grill, so fill them firmly but leave a little give. Chef's tip: keep the meat and fat very cold, even half-frozen, while you mince and mix; warm fat smears and the sausages turn crumbly instead of juicy.
- Total time
- 85 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the sausages
To serve
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (7)
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Mince 1 ¾ lb pork shoulder and 7 oz pork back fat through the coarse plate of a mincer, or pulse in short bursts in a cold food processor until the size of lentils. Keep everything cold.
10 minStep 2: Add 4 spring onions, 4 garlic cloves, ½ oz fresh coriander, 1 tsp ground cumin, 2 ½ tsp salt, 1 tsp ground black pepper and ¼ cup iced water. Mix firmly with your hands for 2 minutes, until the mixture turns sticky and holds together.
5 minStep 3: Fry a teaspoon of the mixture until cooked through and taste it; adjust the salt or cumin in the raw batch if needed.
3 minStep 4: Thread 3 m natural sheep or narrow pork casings onto the nozzle of a sausage stuffer or a wide piping bag. Fill evenly and firmly, about 2 cm thick, without air pockets. Prick any bubbles with a pin.
20 minStep 5: Twist into 10 cm links, then tie between each link with 2 m kitchen string. Lay on a tray, cover and refrigerate overnight so the casings dry and the flavours settle.
10 minStep 6: Light a charcoal grill or heat a griddle pan over a medium heat. Grill the chorizos for 12–15 minutes, turning often, until the skins are browned and crisp and the centre reaches 160°F with no pink.
15 minStep 7: Warm 6 small white corn arepas on the grill for 2–3 minutes a side. Serve each chorizo with an arepa and half of 3 limes to squeeze over.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 28 g
- Carbs
- 22 g
- Fat
- 40 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does chorizo santarrosano take?
- About 85 minutes in total: 60 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of spring onions?
- Chives, or a little finely sliced onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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