Anyone can throw a chorizo on the grill. But making a PERFECT choripan, with crispy skin, juicy meat, well-done black marks, without burning it or leaving it raw… that’s art.
And like all art, it has technique.
After talking with neighborhood grillers, specialized restaurant chefs, and grandpas who’ve been making choris for 60 years, here I share the techniques that separate a decent chori from an epic one.
This isn’t theory. It’s pure practice, tested, and it works.
Rule #1: The Fire (It’s Not Just Any Flame)
Direct Fire = Burned Chorizo
The most common mistake: putting the chorizo over direct fire. Flare-ups, black smoke, burned skin, raw meat inside. Disaster.
The chorizo cooks with ember heat, NOT with flames.
How to Make Proper Embers
Light the charcoal: With crumpled newspaper and charcoal on top. No lighter fluid (I’ll explain why later).
Wait 30-40 minutes: The charcoal turns white-gray, with no flames. Those are embers.
Distribute evenly: Embers spread across the entire base of the grill. Uniform layer.
Check temperature: Place your hand 15 cm above the embers. If you can hold it for 3-4 seconds, the temperature is perfect. If you can hold it longer, it needs more heat. If you can’t even make it 2 seconds, it’s too hot.
The Ideal Temperature
Medium embers: Neither too strong nor too weak. The chorizo needs to cook slowly. 10-12 minutes total.
If the embers are too strong, raise the grate. If they’re too weak, stoke with bellows and wait.
Rule #2: The Clean Grill (Or You Ruin Everything)
The Horror of a Dirty Grill
If the grill has remains from last week’s asado, your chorizo will taste like burnt grease + old charcoal. Gross.
How to Clean
Before cooking:
- Heat the empty grill over the embers (2-3 minutes)
- Scrub with a strong wire brush
- The debris falls off
- Wipe with a damp cloth (careful, it’s hot)
Optional: Some grillers rub the grate with chorizo fat before putting the meat on. This prevents sticking.
Rule #3: NEVER Poke the Chorizo
The rule is simple: DO NOT POKE THE CHORIZO.
Why Not to Poke
- If you poke the chorizo, the juices run out
- The meat dries up
- It loses flavor
- The casing cracks
- The chorizo loses its identity
Period. End of discussion.
The Casing Puffs Up, So What?
Let it puff up. That’s NORMAL. That’s GOOD.
A puffed-up casing means the internal pressure is containing the juices. That’s exactly what you want. The casing is the barrier between the juicy interior and the heat.
DON’T break it.
Rule #4: Perfect Timing (Minute by Minute)
Here’s the science of the perfect chori.
Minute 0-3: Initial Searing
- Place the chorizo on the grill at medium temperature
- Leave it still. DON’T move it.
- The skin starts browning from underneath
- Fat starts dripping
Common mistake: Flipping the chorizo after 30 seconds because “it’s burning.” Leave it. If the embers are right, it won’t burn.
Minute 3-4: First Flip
- With tongs (NEVER a fork), flip the chorizo
- The side that was underneath should be golden, with grill marks
- If it’s black/burned: the embers are too strong, raise the grate
- If it’s pale: not enough embers, stoke the fire
Remember: DON’T poke. Let the casing puff up and hold the juices.
Minute 4-8: Cooking the Other Side
- Let the second side cook
- The skin puffs up a bit (that’s normal)
- Fat keeps dripping
- The smell is spectacular
Don’t touch the chorizo. Resist the temptation to flip it every 30 seconds.
Minute 8-9: Second Flip
- Flip again
- The chorizo is almost ready
- Both sides golden
- Feels firmer to the touch (without pressing too hard)
Minute 9-12: Finishing
- Leave it 2-3 more minutes, flipping every 1 minute
- You want even color
- Shiny skin from the fat
- Firm but not hard
Doneness Test
Squeeze gently with tongs. If clear/transparent juice comes out: it’s done. If pink/red juice comes out: it needs more time. If nothing comes out: you overcooked it, it dried out.
Total time: 10-12 minutes for standard parrillero chorizo (3cm diameter).
Bombon chorizo: 6-8 minutes. Extra fat chorizo: 15-18 minutes.
Rule #5: Movement (When and How to Flip)
Frequency
Minimum: 3 flips total. First at 3-4 min, second at 8-9 min, final adjustment at 11 min.
Maximum: No more than 5 total flips. If you flip every minute, you lose heat, the cooking is uneven.
Flip Technique
- Use tongs, never a fork (forks poke and release juice)
- Grab from the middle, not the ends
- Gentle flip, don’t slam against the grill
- Place it on a different spot on the grill (position rotation)
Rule #6: The Fat (Your Ally and Your Enemy)
Dripping Fat = Good
The chorizo has to release fat. That’s a sign it’s cooking. The fat goes to the collection tray, not into the fire.
Fat That Catches Fire = Bad
If fat falls into the fire, it creates flare-ups. Those flames burn the chorizo and give it a sooty taste.
Solution:
- Grill with collection tray (fundamental)
- If it catches fire anyway, move the chorizo to a zone without direct embers (indirect heat)
- Never throw water on it (creates smoke and cools everything down)
Rule #7: Lighter Fluid (NO, Please)
Some people use lighter fluid to start charcoal quickly. Massive mistake.
Why It’s Wrong
The fluid (kerosene, alcohol) impregnates the charcoal. When you cook, the smoke has a chemical taste. Your chorizo ends up tasting like gasoline.
The Right Way
- Crumpled newspaper
- Charcoal on top in a pyramid
- Light the paper
- Wait 30-40 minutes
Yes, it takes time. But the flavor is clean.
Quick Alternative
Self-starting charcoal (comes with chemical starter already incorporated, less aggressive). Or a chimney starter (metal cylinder to start charcoal quickly, no chemicals).
Rule #8: Heat Zones (Pro Griller Level)
On a 60x40 cm grill, not all surface areas have the same temperature.
Division into 3 Zones
Hot zone (1/3): Direct embers, maximum heat. For searing at the start.
Medium zone (1/3): Moderate embers. For main cooking.
Cold zone (1/3): No embers (or very few). For finishing without burning.
How to Use Them
- Minute 0-3: Chorizo in hot zone, sear it
- Minute 3-9: Chorizo in medium zone, cook it
- Minute 9-12: Chorizo in cold zone, finish without risk
This gives you total control. If it’s burning, move to cold zone. If it’s too raw, move to hot zone.
Rule #9: The Wind (Your Invisible Enemy)
Wind messes up the grill in three ways:
- Cools the embers unevenly
- Stokes fire where you don’t want it
- Blows ash onto the meat
Solutions
Wind guards: Those metal sheets that surround the grill. Fundamental.
Orientation: Position the grill with the embers facing away from the wind.
Lid: If the wind is very strong, cook with the lid on (oven style). Faster but you lose grill marks.
Rule #10: Frozen Chorizo (The Sin We All Commit)
You forgot to thaw. It’s noon, people are coming at 1pm. What do you do?
Option A: Microwave Thaw (Bad)
It works, but the chorizo turns out weird. Uneven cooking, loses texture.
Option B: Hot Water (Worse)
The chorizo absorbs water, becomes spongy, falls apart on the grill.
Option C: Direct on Grill (Risky but Works)
- Put the frozen chorizo on the grill
- VERY low heat
- Cook it slowly (20-25 minutes instead of 12)
- Flip every 3-4 minutes
- The key is patience
It turns out decent, but not perfect. Better to thaw in the fridge 24 hours before.
Fatal Mistakes (That Ruin Everything)
Cold Chorizo on a Hot Grill
You take the chorizo out of the fridge (5°C) and throw it on embers (300°C). Thermal shock. The skin contracts, breaks, falls apart.
Solution: Take the chorizo out 30 minutes before. Room temperature.
Fire Too Strong
“Hurry up, the guests are coming.” Embers blazing, chorizo charred on the outside, raw on the inside.
Solution: Plan your timing better. The chori can’t be rushed.
Flipping with a Fork
The fork pokes, the juice runs out, the meat dries up. Use tongs.
Pressing the Chorizo Against the Grill
Some people do it “to get the grill marks.” All you achieve is squeezing out all the juice. The marks come on their own.
Cutting the Chorizo to Check If It’s Done
If you cut the chorizo in half on the grill “to see if it’s cooked,” all the juice runs out. You lost.
Learn to tell by time, by touch, by color. Don’t cut.
Chorizo Stuck to the Grill
You put the chorizo on before the grill was hot. Now it’s stuck. If you rip it off, it breaks.
Preventive solution: Grill nice and hot BEFORE putting the chorizo on. Or grease it beforehand.
Emergency solution: Wait 2 minutes, the heat releases it on its own. Don’t force it.
Advanced Techniques (Pro Griller Level)
Butterfly Cut
You cut the chorizo down the middle lengthwise BEFORE putting it on the grill. It opens like a book.
Advantages:
- Cooks faster (6-7 minutes)
- More surface contact with grill = more marks
- Crispier
Disadvantages:
- Loses juiciness
- Not the traditional way
When to use it: For bombon chorizos or when you’re short on time.
Indirect Cooking with Lid
Technique imported from American BBQ, adapted to the Argentine chori.
- Embers only on one side of the grill
- Chorizo on the opposite side (no direct embers underneath)
- Close the grill lid
- Cook 15-20 minutes without flipping
Heat circulates like in an oven. The chorizo turns out super juicy, no marks but with intense smoky flavor.
For whom: Those who want to experiment. Not traditional, but it works.
Wine Bath
Some grillers, in the last 2 minutes, spray the chorizo with red wine.
Result: Shiny coating, extra flavor, spectacular aroma.
Risk: If you use too much wine, you kill the embers. Use a spray bottle, not a glass.
Timing for Multiple Choris Simultaneously
If you’re cooking 15 chorizos, they won’t all be ready at the same time.
Rotation System
- Hot zone (center): The first 5 choris, searing
- Medium zone: The ones in active cooking
- Cold zone (sides): The ones that are already done, keeping warm without cooking more
You rotate: new ones to center, half-cooked to medium, done ones to cold.
This way you can serve them all together.
The Bread (Don’t Forget)
While the choris are cooking, take advantage of the last 2 minutes to toast the bread.
Technique
- Bread cut butterfly style
- Place it crumb-side down on the hot zone
- 30-60 seconds
- It should have golden marks, not black
Hot, toasted bread is 50% of the choripan. Don’t underestimate it.
Conclusion: Practice Makes the Griller
These techniques are proven, they work. But the truth is you’re going to have to ruin 10-15 choris before you master them.
The first chori will come out burned. The second raw. The third too dry. That’s fine. That’s how you learn.
After 20-30 asados, your hands just know. You don’t think, you do. And that’s when you make the perfect chori effortlessly.
Don’t get frustrated. Being a griller is like riding a bike: it seems impossible until it just happens.
Fire up the grill, grab the choris, and go for it. Practice is the only way.
Follow us on Instagram: @choripan_com_ar
More guides: