Choripán, the cook's first reward.
Before the beef is anywhere near done, the chorizo is already on the coals. Choripán is the welcome you hand each guest, eaten standing at the parrilla: grilled chorizo, butterflied for crisp edges, split into crusty bread, drowned in chimichurri. This is how I build it, the way my mother's family always has.
Choripán is the first thing off the fire and the easiest thing to get wrong. Two details carry it: how you grill the chorizo, and the chimichurri you spoon over it.
At every asado the chorizo goes on before any of the beef. It is the first cut to hit the coals, ahead of the prime beef cuts, partly because it cooks fast and partly because it gives the cook something to eat and hand around while the long meats render. You grill it slow so the inside cooks through without splitting the casing, then you butterfly it for crisp edges. Build it on crusty bread with chimichurri, add salsa criolla if you have it, and eat it on your feet. No ketchup, no mustard, no sitting down.
Five steps, in the order that matters
Grill the chorizo slow
Over a medium ember bed, 15 to 20 minutes, turning often. Never prick the casing, that drains the juice and dries it out. Chorizo goes on first at every asado, while the fire is settling and the guests arrive.
Butterfly it (a la mariposa)
Split each chorizo lengthwise without cutting all the way through, open it flat like a butterfly, and lay it cut-side down on the grate for 2 to 3 minutes to crisp the inside. This is what separates a real choripán from a hot dog.
Toast the bread
Split the roll and lay the cut sides on the grate to toast and pick up a little smoke. Crusty bread only; soft bread collapses under the chorizo.
Build it
Chorizo in the bread, a generous spoon of chimichurri, salsa criolla if you have it. No ketchup, no mustard. The chimichurri is the sauce.
Eat it standing up
Choripán is not a sit-down dish. It is the cook's first reward and the welcome you hand each guest, eaten on your feet at the fire while the beef is still cooking.
What you need
The fire
- Grill the chorizo slow, 15-20 min. Never prick it.
- Butterfly each one, crisp the cut side.
- Toast the split bread on the grate.
- Build: chorizo, chimichurri, salsa criolla.
- Eat it standing up, at the fire.
Never prick the casing, it drains the juice. Butterfly the chorizo to crisp the inside, and let chimichurri be the only sauce. No ketchup.
From Kocinero · Experience you can't fake. Verdicts you can't buy. · kocinero.com/choripan
Cooked on the parrilla over embers
Choripán is grilled over a live ember bed, not a gas burner. The parrilla is what gives it the smoke and the slow, gentle heat the casing needs. Here is how to choose one.
Argentine grills
The parrilla and brasero setup built for live-fire cooking: a bed of embers, an adjustable grate, and the slow heat choripán wants.
Read the guideBest Argentine grills
The grills I would actually buy, from compact parrillas to full asado setups. What to look for and what to skip.
Read the guideCommon questions
What is choripán?
Choripán is the classic Argentine sandwich of grilled chorizo split into crusty bread and topped with chimichurri. The name combines chorizo and pan (bread). It is street food and the traditional opener of an asado.
What chorizo is used for choripán?
Fresh Argentine-style chorizo, made from pork or a pork-and-beef blend, not cured Spanish chorizo. It is grilled fresh over the coals, never the hard, dry-cured kind.
How do you grill chorizo for choripán?
Slowly over a medium ember bed for 15 to 20 minutes, turning often and never pricking the casing. Then butterfly each one and lay it cut-side down for 2 to 3 minutes to crisp the inside.
What goes on choripán?
Chimichurri always, and salsa criolla often. That is the traditional pairing. No ketchup or mustard; the chimichurri and the smoke are the flavor.
Grill it slow. Eat it standing up.
That is choripán: the first thing off the fire and the welcome you hand every guest. Cook it over the grill it was made for, while the beef takes its time.