Forum: cooking.stackexchange.com
Tags: <sausages><chorizo>
Title: Should Chorizo Be Peeled Before Cooking?
Question: For years I've been chopping up Chorizo and cooking it, with no other preparation. I've recently been told that I've been doing it wrong and should peel the Chorizo first. It's pain to peel, and I've not noticed any difference.  What is the skin of a Chorizo sausage made of, and should it be removed before cooking or not?

Answers:
sents: text: It depends on what chorizo you're using.
text: If you're using soft (i.e. uncooked) chorizo then
text: no, you don't need to remove the skin, because it should cook with the sausage.
text: If you are using the cured, ready to eat chorizo you should take the skin off as it will be tough.
text: This may well vary by brand, incidentally.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/4194/ElendilTheTall
score: 20
sents: text: Certainly, no chorizo skin is going to poison you.
text: On that basis, if you're happy with your results, then carry on.
text: I have used chorizo where the papery skin peels off quite easily -- but I have never seen a need to remove it.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/4214/slim
score: 16
sents: text: The cured chorizo available at my local grocery store actually has a plastic skin so obviously that must be removed in order to make it edible.
text: It also has metal clips holding the ends closed, so it's pretty clear that you're not supposed to eat it.
text: So, if you do choose to eat the skin, make sure it's not plastic.
text: Again, it should be pretty obvious.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/4414/timmyp
score: 9
sents: text: When talking about chorizo, it's worth specifying Spanish (papery skin, fairly dense, often cured) or Mexican (often plastic skin, loose, usually uncured).
text: Same name for two very different products.
text: Mexican should be peeled, Spanish usually shouldn't.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/3819/Dave Griffith
score: 9
sents: text: Slice off a chunk you need, shallow cut length ways, run under tap and ensure all skin is damp, peels away easily.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/20296/john
score: 4
sents: text: I purchased los angelitos chorizos in NJ the casing is hard has metal on ends.
text: it says remove casing before cooking.
text: It makes sense-the casing is plastic and I am more concerned with bacteria.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/22325/lolin
score: 2
sents: text: I have always peeled my chorizo before using because I thought they were wrapped in some kind of paper as opposed to being skinned.
text: My brother doesn't peel his
text: and he's still alive
text: so I guess it's a preference thing.
text: As for the difficulty in peeling them I have found that the more I pay for my chorizo, the easier they are to peel!!!!
text: I don't know why this is
text: but it seems to be the case, although the more expensive ones don't taste much different to the cheaper ones, they just peel easier.
text: The cheaper ones usually end up with a bit of a sorry looking chorizo and the more expensive ones seem to peel really easily.
text: I score the chorizo along its length and then peel.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/35153/user35153
score: 2
sents: text: I find the answer depends on what you are doing.
text: If the recipe is one where you add whole chorizos to a bean stew say, for slow boiling with the beans, then you will need to keep the skin on.
text: This will tend to hold it together and limit oozing to either end of the sausage.
text: the lovely paprika flavours will seep out into the stew, but the sausage will be intact for cutting up when serving.
text: If you are frying slices, eg before adding some mixed up eggs, like for a chorizo omelette, then remove the skin.
text: I find this best done with a small sharp knife peeling from the ends of the sausage (the chain links naturally give you an opening when you cut through them.
text: Put on your glasses and try and peel like an onion, ie upwards and roundwards.
text: The skin should come off reasonably easily.
text: On cooked chorizo slices, prepacked, eg for tapas, appetisers, try a slice.
text: If its rind is annoying, your decision will be to peel them.
text: Finally, I had some thin chorizo for grilling recently.
text: It said so on its packet.
text: I used it for frying into chorizo omelettes, and results wre that it was frazzled and hard.
text: So it may be a lesson to check what it says on the pack, just in case it has a type of use.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/21235/Bill Simpson
score: 1
sents: text: Personally, I keep it on; it tends to lose its form if you remove it, and it's just a matter of personal taste.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/9373/Inverted Llama
score: 0
sents: text: It's not only extremely difficult to remove the soft casing, but it mushes up the chorizo.
text: It really depends on what you're cooking with it.
text: If it's going to be ground up, as in an egg dish, then squeeze it out.
text: But the dish I make with it (my kids' #1 favorite meal!) is pasta with chorizo "balls" (more like mini sausage patties, than meatballs).
text: It's ruined if it gets mashed up...
text: btw, they've NEVER noticed the casing or had an issue with its taste.
text: If it's not harmful, I'm sticking with my method!
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/11195/Dale from Farmingdale
score: 0
sents: text: I just bought some Abuelita "
text: Ready to Eat" chorizo, and for this brand the recommendation seems to be the opposite of what is written above.
text: i.e. in the store the raw said on the package to remove the casing, and the ready to eat was silent, but "ready to eat" seems to be self-explanatory.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/69182/Martin
score: 0

Summary of the answers:
Chorizo with plastic skin should be removed, but otherwise it is optional. More expensive kinds tend to be easier to peel. One good way to remove it is by making a shallow cut lengthways and running the chorizo under a tap before peeling the skin away.
Whether you peel depends on the kind of chorizo you are cooking and you personal taste. Just make sure the skin is not made of plastic.