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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?

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+1 great question. wondered this myself as sometimes they just cannot seem to be peeled. – Sam Holder Jan 24 '11 at 9:52

6 Answers

up vote 10 down vote accepted

Certainly, no chorizo skin is going to poison you. On that basis, if you're happy with your results, then carry on.

I have used chorizo where the papery skin peels off quite easily -- but I have never seen a need to remove it.

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Thanks, the Chorizo I've been using only has a papery skin and I'd never thought about taking it off until someone said I should. I think I'm going to stick with leaving it on. – Andrew Wilkinson Jan 25 '11 at 15:06
up vote 11 down vote

It depends on what chorizo you're using. If you're using soft (i.e. uncooked) chorizo then no, you don't need to remove the skin, because it should cook with the sausage. If you are using the cured, ready to eat chorizo you should take the skin off as it will be tough.

This may well vary by brand, incidentally.

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+1. Followup question: would it typically be true that the skin comes off the cured chorizo easily and be harder to remove from the soft chorizo? I think I have had chorizo that was cured, but still had skin that was very hard to remove, but I'm not sure. – Erik P. Jan 24 '11 at 16:25
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With soft chorizo it's easy to just squeeze it out - no need to try to peel it. – Jefromi♦ Jan 24 '11 at 20:16
@ErikP., with cured chorizo it can be a bit fiddly to get the paper off. I usually make three longitudinal cuts and try to remove each of the resulting three strips of paper in one go. – Peter Taylor Mar 6 '12 at 11:22
up vote 4 down vote

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. It also has metal clips holding the ends closed, so it's pretty clear that you're not supposed to eat it.

So, if you do choose to eat the skin, make sure it's not plastic. Again, it should be pretty obvious.

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I have seen some with the metal clips which hold the string on to the sausage, but the skin has always been papery rather than plastic. – Andrew Wilkinson Jan 25 '11 at 15:07
up vote 3 down vote

When talking about chorizo, it's worth specifying Spanish (papery skin, fairly dense, often cured) or Mexican (often plastic skin, loose, usually uncured). Same name for two very different products. Mexican should be peeled, Spanish usually shouldn't.

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Ah! I didn't know that there were two different products. I'm in the UK and have only ever come across the Spanish version. Thanks! – Andrew Wilkinson Mar 6 '12 at 15:26
It's not even that simple. Cured Spanish chorizo tends to have papery skin, but fresh Spanish chorizo often has similar skin to English sausages. I'm not sure whether it's real intestine or some form of plastic. – Peter Taylor Mar 11 '12 at 12:45
up vote 0 down vote

Personally, I keep it on; it tends to lose its form if you remove it, and it's just a matter of personal taste.

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up vote -1 down vote

It's not only extremely difficult to remove the soft casing, but it mushes up the chorizo. It really depends on what you're cooking with it. If it's going to be ground up, as in an egg dish, then squeeze it out. But the dish I make with it (my kids' #1 favorite meal!) is pasta with chorizo "balls" (more like mini sausage patties, than meatballs). It's ruined if it gets mashed up...btw, they've NEVER noticed the casing or had an issue with its taste. If it's not harmful, I'm sticking with my method!

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