I know what you’re thinking. “Isn’t this just hot dog logic?” No. Hot dogs can use lips and other unspeakable things. Chorizo is held to a higher standard.
Good chorizo makers use primal cuts: shoulder, loin trimmings, and back fat. Bad ones might use pork snouts or ear cartilage, but you’ll taste the difference. It gets gristly and weird.
If you’re worried, check the label. If it says “pork” without specifying, be suspicious. If it says “pork shoulder,” you’re golden.
A Quick Note on Texture
Here’s where it gets fun. Mexican chorizo is raw and loose—you squeeze it out of the casing like toothpaste. It uses finely ground pork, almost like a paste.
Spanish chorizo is cured and chopped. You slice it like salami. The meat is coarser; you can see the little chunks of fat and lean.
Both are delicious, but they use the same parts of the pig. It’s just a question of how fine you grind it and whether you smoke it or not.
The Best Cuts of Ibérico Pork - Campo Grande - All For One
