Argentine Chorizo Sausage (Homemade Recipe)

Argentine-style chorizo is a fresh, uncured sausage made with pork, beef, pork fat, garlic, paprika, oregano, and red wine. This recipe makes about 1 kilogram of sausage. Keep the meat cold, brown the links over moderate heat, and cook them to 160°F (71°C) at the center. Serve hot in bread with chimichurri or salsa criolla.

Making sausage at home takes a little planning, but the steps are manageable. I focus on three things: cold ingredients, even-sized links, and a thermometer check. Those choices help you get savory, juicy sausage without guessing whether the middle is cooked.

This is fresh sausage, not cured meat. It needs refrigeration and thorough cooking. You can stuff it into natural casings or shape it by hand, then cook it in a heavy pan or on a grill.

What makes Argentine-style chorizo different?

Argentine-style chorizo is a fresh sausage seasoned with garlic, paprika, oregano, salt, pepper, and often red wine. It is commonly served in bread as choripán, with chimichurri or salsa criolla. This version uses both pork and beef, but stays mild enough for a weeknight meal.

The word “chorizo” covers many sausages, and recipes vary by region and cook. This recipe follows a practical Argentine-inspired style: coarsely ground meat, a clear garlic-and-paprika flavor, and no curing step. Since it is uncured, it must stay cold and reach a safe internal temperature when cooked.

The fat matters as much as the seasoning. This batch uses 200 grams of pork fat for 800 grams of meat, making the fat about 20% of the one-kilogram meat-and-fat mix. That gives the sausage enough richness to brown well without relying on a long ingredient list.

Ingredients for a 1-kilogram batch

This batch uses 500 grams of pork shoulder, 300 grams of beef chuck, and 200 grams of chilled pork fat. Weigh the ingredients for a reliable ratio, and keep them cold while you work. The seasonings and wine are added to that one-kilogram meat-and-fat base.

Use plain, unseasoned meat and pork fat. If your butcher grinds the meat, ask for a coarse grind and keep it refrigerated until you are ready to mix. A kitchen scale is helpful, especially for the salt and spices. Do not add curing salt: this recipe is for fresh sausage, not a cured product.

How to prepare and shape the sausage

Preparing the sausage means keeping the meat cold, distributing the seasonings evenly, and shaping links that cook at a similar rate. You can use a grinder and casings, or skip both and form links by hand. Either way, refrigerate the mixture promptly and keep raw meat separate from ready-to-eat food.

Grind and mix the meat

Cold meat and fat are easier to handle during grinding, and keeping the mixture chilled is a key food-safety step. Chill the grinder parts, bowl, meat, and fat before you begin. If you do not own a grinder, ask a butcher to grind the pork, beef, and fat for you.

1. Cut the pork shoulder, beef, and fat into pieces that fit your grinder. Grind them through a coarse plate into a cold bowl.
2. Add the salt, paprika, oregano, garlic, pepper, and red wine.
3. Mix by hand or with a sturdy spoon just until the mixture looks evenly seasoned and feels tacky. Tacky means it clings slightly to your fingers rather than falling apart. Avoid warming it with long mixing.
4. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the mixture while you prepare the casings, or shape it into links.

If the meat grows warm or soft, pause and chill it before continuing. Do not leave raw sausage at room temperature while you work. Clean hands, tools, and surfaces that touched raw meat before they contact other food.

Stuff casings or shape links by hand

Natural casings make familiar sausage links, but they are optional. If using them, rinse them according to the package instructions and fit them onto your sausage stuffer. Fill the casings evenly without packing them so tightly that they split during cooking.

Twist or tie the filled casing into links of a similar size. If you prefer a no-casing version, shape the cold mixture into even links by hand. Similar thickness matters more than exact length: links with matching thickness are more likely to cook at the same pace.

Place the links on a clean tray, cover, and refrigerate until cooking. For best food safety, use a refrigerator set to 40°F (4°C) or below. Keep the tray away from foods that will be eaten without cooking.

How to cook Argentine chorizo safely

Cook the links over moderate heat so the outside can brown without splitting before the center is done. A thermometer, not color or cooking time, tells you when they are safe to eat. Ground pork and beef sausage should reach 160°F (71°C) at the center.

Stovetop method

A heavy cast-iron, carbon-steel, or stainless-steel pan works well. Preheat it over medium heat for about 3 to 5 minutes. Add only a thin film of high-smoke-point oil if the sausage sticks; some fat will render as it cooks.

1. Lay the links in the pan with space between them. If the pan is crowded, cook in batches.
2. Brown them gently, turning from time to time. Avoid piercing the casings, since that lets fat and juices escape.
3. If the outside browns before the center reaches 160°F (71°C), lower the heat and cover the pan briefly. Check the thickest link with a calibrated food thermometer. Put the probe into the center without touching the pan.
4. Remove the links when they reach 160°F (71°C), then let them rest for about 3 minutes.

The time will vary with link thickness, pan, and stove. A fixed cooking time cannot replace the temperature check. Excessive heat can split the casing and render out fat while the middle is still undercooked, leaving a dry sausage that is not yet safe to eat.

Grill method

Set the grill for medium heat and, if possible, create a cooler indirect zone. Brown the links over the hotter area, turning them periodically. If they darken before reaching the safe temperature, move them to the cooler zone to finish cooking.

Check the thickest link with a thermometer. The center must reach 160°F (71°C). Grill marks and browned casings are not proof that the middle is done. Use a clean plate and utensils for cooked sausage, not the tray or tools that held it raw.

Pan and oil choices

Cast iron and carbon steel hold heat well, but bare or seasoned surfaces may need a thin film of oil. Stainless steel is non-reactive and suits pan cooking, including deglazing with wine. Avoid leaving acidic wine in contact with bare, unseasoned iron for a long time.

Oil smoke points vary by brand and refinement. Refined avocado oil is often listed near 520°F (271°C), while canola oil is commonly near 400°F (204°C). These figures are not cooking targets; cook the sausage over moderate heat, not at the oil’s smoke point.

Induction works only with pans that have a magnetic base. Oven and grill ratings also vary by product, including the pan body, handle, lid, and coating. Check the maker’s guidance for your specific cookware rather than assuming one temperature limit fits all pans.

Practical cooking scenarios and serving

These examples show how to adapt the same recipe to a normal home kitchen. One uses a pan and a thermometer; the other uses a grill with a cooler area for finishing. Both rely on the same endpoint: 160°F (71°C) in the center of the thickest link.

If your sausage browns quickly in a skillet, reduce the heat and cover it briefly rather than turning up the burner or piercing the casing. If you are grilling and the outside is ready first, move the links to the cooler zone. In either case, check the center before serving.

Serve the hot links in crusty bread as choripán, with chimichurri or salsa criolla. You can also serve them without bread alongside vegetables or potatoes. Keep cooked sausage and serving utensils separate from anything that touched the raw mixture.

Cleaning and storing

Clean up promptly after handling fresh sausage. Raw mixture should stay at or below 40°F (4°C), and surfaces, bowls, and tools that touch it need washing before they are used for other food. Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container.

For stainless steel, add a small splash of water, stock, or red wine to the warm pan and scrape up browned bits with a wooden or silicone utensil. Let the pan cool before washing. Do not expose hot cookware to an abrupt temperature change.

For bare cast iron or carbon steel, wash without soaking, dry completely, then apply a very thin layer of oil. Follow the manufacturer’s care instructions for coated pans. Keep raw sausage refrigerated until you cook it, and do not treat this fresh recipe as shelf-stable.

Frequently asked questions

These answers cover common questions about ingredients, shaping, cookware, and safe cooking. The key points are simple: this is fresh sausage, it needs refrigeration, and the thermometer endpoint is more dependable than appearance or timing.

Can I make this chorizo without a meat grinder?
Yes. Ask a butcher to grind the pork, beef, and fat coarsely, or shape the seasoned mixture into links if you can buy coarsely ground meat.

Do I have to use casings?
No. Shape the cold mixture into evenly sized links by hand. Casings are optional and mainly give the sausage its familiar linked form.

Is this sausage cured?
No. It is fresh, uncured sausage. Keep it refrigerated and cook it thoroughly; it is not shelf-stable.

What temperature should the center reach?
Cook ground pork and beef sausage to 160°F (71°C). Check the thickest link with a calibrated food thermometer.

Can I use only pork or only beef?
The recipe is written for pork shoulder, beef chuck, and pork fat. Changing the meats may change the flavor and fat balance, so keep the total meat-and-fat amount at one kilogram and cook to the same safe temperature.

Why did my casing split?
High heat can brown the outside and render fat before the center cooks. Use moderate heat, turn the links gently, and lower the heat or move them to a cooler grill area if they brown too fast.

Should I poke holes in the links?
No. Avoid puncturing them while cooking, since holes let fat and juices escape. If a casing splits, continue cooking gently and check the center temperature.

Can I cook the links in stainless steel?
Yes. Preheat over medium heat, use a thin film of oil if needed, and avoid overcrowding. Stainless steel is also suitable for deglazing with a small splash of liquid.

How do I know whether my pan works on induction?
Check whether the pan has a magnetic base and confirm the manufacturer lists it as induction compatible. Not every stainless-steel or multi-layer pan works with every induction cooktop.

What is the easiest way to serve it?
Serve the cooked links hot in crusty bread with chimichurri or salsa criolla. Use clean utensils and keep them separate from tools that touched raw sausage.

(This article was written by one of our staff writers, Steven R. Bancroft. Visit our Meet the Team page.)