Chorizo in the city

[RossyW]

I don't think I knew what chorizo was until a couple years ago when I lived in Scotland for a year. Great stuff. Adding chorizo to scrambled eggs singlehandedly extended my flirtation with the Atkins diet from one day to about, um, 10 days. Anyway, when I was across the pond I read an article on NY Times online that said that a years long ban on the product had been lifted, and that chorizos could finally flood the NY market. Since then I've ordered two or three dishes that claimed to have chorizo in them (all at mediocre Mexican restaurants), and what I've received in each case was some sort of generic untasty red sausage. But I imagine the real product can be bought here.

So, the point is, does anyone know a marketplace that I can get a few links of real Spanish chorizo?

[Jeff T]

If you can't find it in the city, you can order it from tienda.com. They have imported chorizo and american-made spanish chorizo. I believe mexican chorizo is a raw product while the spanish is cured meat. I like them both, I have a great Norman Van Aken recipe for mexican chorizo that I make 15 pounds at a time and freeze what I don't eat and give away right away.

[Blondie]

Funny you should mention Scotland as the best chorizo I ever had I bought from a stall in the English Market in Cork City, Ireland. Another stall had my favorite tiny olives from the Pyrenees. God I loved that place.

I would be interested in finding real chorizo in NY as well.

[Suzanne F]

It's got to be Spanish? I got some tasty Colombian-style chorizo (fresh, not cured; herbs and lots of vinegar in the mix) at a butcher shop on Smith Street in Brooklyn (not far from all the trendy new restaurants). Can't remember the name, unfortunately, but it was a combination of Italian and Hispanic, next door to a non-trendy restaurant the served a delicious pernil.

[Bux]

Real Chorizo and authentic chorizo are questionable terms. In Spain, I've had a number of very different sausages that were all chorizos. As with many new world meanings for old world ways the word has different meanings in different parts of the world. (A Cajun andouille has next to nothing to do with a French andouille.) I gather that Mexican chorizos are quite different from Spanish ones. The east coast is more likely to see chorizos catering to a Puerto Rican, Dominican or Portuguese market (chorizo and chouriço respectively) and they're of style similar to most of those I've had in Spain. However, in Spain there are a number of chorizos made in large casings that are dried and designed to be sliced and eaten cold as well as the narrower chorizos that are meant to be used in cooking.

Spain has some of the best tasting pork and cured meat products in the world and I'd not argue that any of the chorizos made in the US are of quite the same quality, but we've had serviceable sausages by that name made in Brookly and New Jersey. In NYC, I have no trouble finding them in a couple of delis in the area west of SoHo. It's been a Portuguese (as well as Italian) neighborhood for some time. I have also seen chorizos made in Spain for sale in a couple of markets including Gourmet Garage. I have not tried those.

When I first read of Iberian hams being imported into the US, it turned out that the hams were cured in Spain but that the actual pigs were raised in Denmark. At the time, there were no hog farmers in Spain employing USDA inspectors. In order to import the final product, the meat must first be certified and then the product. Because I've yet to hear an update with news regarding pork raised in Spain which is certified by the USDA, I assume the "Spanish" chorizos sold here are also made from pigs raised outside of Spain and processed as sausages in Spain. I don't know where they might fall on anyone's scale of "real."

[Jason Perlow]

Didn't Joe Cocker do a song about this?

Hot town chorizo in the city

saute pan getting dirt and gritty

Been down, isn’t it a pity

Doesn’t seem to be chorizo in the city

All around people looking hun-gry

Lookin for some sausage, any given sunday

[Suzanne F]

That was Joe Cocker????

[slkinsey]

Fairway has several examples of the real thing.

[RossyW]

Thank you all, should be easy enough to try Fairway.

[Jeff T]

When I first read of Iberian hams being imported into the US, it turned out that the hams were cured in Spain but that the actual pigs were raised in Denmark. At the time, there were no hog farmers in Spain employing USDA inspectors. In order to import the final product, the meat must first be certified and then the product. Because I've yet to hear an update with news regarding pork raised in Spain which is certified by the USDA, I assume the "Spanish" chorizos sold here are also made from pigs raised outside of Spain and processed as sausages in Spain.

Here's an update on the first Jamon Iberico that will be imported to the US and it sounds like it will be a totally Spanish product. I'd love to have one, but it doesn't look like they will be available until 2005 and at $59/lb. for a 15 lb. leg it's quite pricey. I believe I read they will be making chorizo from the same pigs. Here's an article on the chorizo that's currently being imported. I've had it and its very good. The serano ham that is available is good also but it just doesn't have the depth and richness of the Iberico. If you get a good airfare, it will be cheaper to make the trip to Spain to eat it though.

Edited June 23, 2003 by Jeff T (log)

[Elissa]

anyone tried the chorizo from tienda.com?

[Bux]

Here's an update on the first Jamon Iberico that will be imported to the US and it sounds like it will be a totally Spanish product.  I'd love to have one, but it doesn't look like they will be available until 2005 and at $59/lb. for a 15 lb. leg it's quite pricey.  I believe I read they will be making chorizo from the same pigs.  Here's an article on the chorizo that's currently being imported.  I've had it and its very good.  The serano ham that is available is good also but it just doesn't have the depth and richness of the Iberico.  If you get a good airfare, it will be cheaper to make the trip to Spain to eat it though.

It appears it's the slaughterhouse that has to be certified, not the farm. It's all a little bit confusing. In any event, jambon bellota is not very cheap even in Spain. Most shops, or charcuterias, have cured pork products available from different suppliers and of different quality at different prices and the top prices are generally higher than I have ever seen for any ham sold in NYC. Thus it's not surprising that when real Bellota from Pata Negra pigs hits NYC, it will be very expensive.

La Tienda sells the Palacio brand chorizo made in Spain, but made from pork raised in Denmark acording to Amanda Hesser (see article quoted above). That's the same brand I've seen in Gourmet Garage. They also have a pretty broad selection of both slicing and cooking chorizos made in the US. It's a far greater range of products than I've seen in NY since Casa Moneo (West 14th Street) closed up shop a long time ago. Casa Moneo sold a good brand of Cantimpalo slicing sausage. I have not found anything of that quality since in NYC, although I've better in Spain. I found the La Tienda web page entitled A Common Sense Guide to Spanish Chorizo Sausage to be informative on the subject of chorizo, although there's more to be said on the subject. I'd like to get my hands on some of the wild boar chorizo we saw in markets in Spain.

[EJRothman]

Triunfel Market at 227Court Street in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn carries quiet good Chorizo. (718 624 2170)

The owner, Mr. Martinez, has lost his lease as the building owner is raising the rent. This modest local market carries many ethnic goods of Spanish and Hispanic origin and is an asset to the neighborhood and the city. Mr. Martinez has started a petition to save his store, and livelyhood, but I do not know if this has done any good.

In any event, if possible, try this stores chorizo. It is quite good, very likely undercuts Fairway's prices, and supports a good cause.

-Eric

Edited June 23, 2003 by EJRothman (log)

[sammy]

Thank you all, should be easy enough to try Fairway.

My favorite brand is Palacios which can be found near the deli counter at Fairway. It is sold in a "loop" tied with a distinctive red piece of string.

[Aquitaine]

I've only had the Palacios. (It was quite nice sliced and warmed up, eaten with cabrales and a Granny Smith apple -- thanks to she-who-can't-be-named-but-has-recently-been-indicted....) I'd be interested in trying another "good" example, if someone can suggest one. (Bux, I, too, miss the old Casa Moneo. What a great store!)

Triunfel Market at 227Court Street in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn carries quiet good Chorizo. (718 624 2170)

Hey, EJRothman, when do they have to close shop?

Checked my files for sources that I've collected over the years. Haven't contacted these companies myself, but Gerald and Cameron Hirigoyen in their book, "The Basque Kitchen" (New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 1999) list the following:

*

Chorizo and Basque sausage

OKOKI, INC.

175 Graham Street Stratford, CT 06497

Tel: (203) 378-3700

Fax: (203) 377-9590

Distributor

La Espanola Meats, Inc.

25020 Doble Avenue Harbor City, CA 90710

Tel: (3 10) 539-0455

Fax: (310) 539-5989

Retailer/ Distributor

[EJRothman]

Triunfel Market at 227Court Street in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn carries quiet good Chorizo. (718 624 2170)

Hey, EJRothman, when do they have to close shop?

First of all, a correction - the store is owned by a Mr. Martinez, not Mr. Truinfel. I will edit my previous post accordingly.

Second of all, I just checked the rest of the NYTimes article (Lexis-Nexis for full text), and it said that as of May 18th, 2003, the store had 9 days left to vacate. I have walked by recently, however, and the store appears to still be open and operating. Maybe the petition worked.

-Eric

[Mrs. B]

I have been lurking for years and finally my husband got tired of my back-seat comments and made me log in.

I too miss the old Casa Moneo. On May 28 Dining in/Dining out, Florence Fabricant had a short article titled: "FOOD STUFF; Flavors of Spain, Wholesale to Retail " and mentions Despana Brand Foods in Jackson Heights which made me think of the old Casa Moneo. According to the article they make their own chorizos. Has anybody tried them?

[Eric_Malson]

I can personally recommend La Espanola Meats as a source for Spanish ingredients, especially chorizos and cured meats. Most of the kinds I've tried have been quite good, although I'm not too crazy about the Cantimpalos cocktail sausages. Their lomo embuchado (cured pork loin) is really delicious--it's a great appetizer/nibbler. You can get more information on their website:

La Espanola Meats

They also have an extensive selection of Spanish food products of all types. It's worth giving them a call to have them send an illustrated catalog--the pictures on the site are a bit vague as to what product is what.

La Espanola is also the only American source I know of for those wonderful, large white haricot beans used to make fabada asturiana.

As far as chorizos readily available in NYC go, I find the Quijote brand just fine for most cooking uses. The cured one sold at Fairway with the ends tied together is quite tasty. And actually, for cooking, the Goya chorizos available in most grocery stores are really OK.

[bpearis]

Didn't Joe Cocker do a song about this?

Hot town chorizo in the city

saute pan getting dirt and gritty

I believe that was Nick Gilder.

[weinoo]

Ahh, the great Nick Gilder.

Anyway, Citarella's and Agata both carry the "real" stuff imported from Spain via Denmark.

[phaelon56]

Didn't Joe Cocker do a song about this?

Hot town chorizo in the city

saute pan getting dirt and gritty

I believe that was Nick Gilder.

Surely you jest.... The original song that was paraphrased is "Summer in The City" by John Sebastian and the Lovin' Spoonful.....

How about just taking tyhe PATH train to Newark, walk a couple blocks to Ironbound, get some excellent Chorizo at Seabra's or one of the other groceries and then stay for a nice dinner.

Back in the early 90's, Hilshire Farms or one of the other national brands had something that was available in the grocery store where I was living at the time - Ithaca NY. It was called "Mexican Country Style Sausage" and rivaled some of the better chorizo's I've had (not the best but it was still good). One of my co-workers at the time grew up in the Yucatan and assessed it as the best Mexican style chorizo she'd had in the US. Don't know if it's still around if it's just not stocked where I shop.

OTOH, Wegman's offers a poultry based chorizo that is totally disgusting and bears no real resemblance to real chorizo.

[Jason Perlow]

Didn't Joe Cocker do a song about this?

Hot town chorizo in the city

saute pan getting dirt and gritty

I believe that was Nick Gilder.

Surely you jest.... The original song that was paraphrased is "Summer in The City" by John Sebastian and the Lovin' Spoonful.....

It may of been the Lovin Spoonful that sang it, but:

http://www.lyricsfreak.com/j/joe-cocker/51848.htm

[Mrs. B]

Didn't Joe Cocker do a song about this?

Hot town chorizo in the city

saute pan getting dirt and gritty

I believe that was Nick Gilder.

Surely you jest.... The original song that was paraphrased is "Summer in The City" by John Sebastian and the Lovin' Spoonful.....

It may of been the Lovin Spoonful that sang it, but:

http://www.lyricsfreak.com/j/joe-cocker/51848.htm

I hate to break up this conversation, but what does all this have to do with chorizos and where can one buy them in the city?

[bpearis]

Surely you jest....  The original song that was paraphrased is "Summer in The City" by John Sebastian and the Lovin' Spoonful.....

for some reason i was thinking of "Hot Child in the City" by Nick Gilder. In my mind I managed to make the lyrics fit.

[phaelon56]

Didn't Joe Cocker do a song about this?

Hot town chorizo in the city

saute pan getting dirt and gritty

I believe that was Nick Gilder.

Surely you jest.... The original song that was paraphrased is "Summer in The City" by John Sebastian and the Lovin' Spoonful.....

It may of been the Lovin Spoonful that sang it, but:

http://www.lyricsfreak.com/j/joe-cocker/51848.htm

I know music far better than food. This one has been bugging me and I did happen across the answer today at no less an authority than Cocker.com - the official Joe Cocker web site. Yes.... Joe sang the song but his own web site properly gives credit to the members of the Lovin' Spoonful who co-wrote the song (including the principal writer John Sebastian) - from Joe's lyrics page......

"Summer In The City (J.Sebastian/S.Boone/M.Sebastian)"

Edited June 29, 2003 by phaelon56 (log)