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Chorizo Sandwich with Chimichurri – Choripan

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This is the traditional Choripan from Argentina, a chorizo sandwich made with a pork/beef sausage, french bread and usually eaten with authentic chimichurri. The ultimate street food.

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Chorizo, Chimichurri and Salsa Sandwiches on wooden board, white salsa bowl

Street food is messy and flavorful and that’s the best part about it, don’t you agree? These chorizo, chimichurri, and salsa sandwiches fit right into that description.

What is a choripan?

Choripan is a chorizo sandwich, typical of Argentina.
Pan means bread in Spanish and Chori is the abbreviation of chorizo, obviously. In fact, our slang word for choripan is chori.
This chorizo sandwich is the most representative street food here, a national passion, the bite before the meat at almost every barbecue.
The sausages fit perfectly in our medium french bread rolls (image below), probably the most common bread in Argentina.
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Close up of single Chorizo, Chimichurri and Salsa Sandwich on wooden board

What type of sausage or chorizo is used?

Traditional choripan is made with sausage that has a high percentage of pork, and in some cases all-pork.
Though some still like those with mostly pork, nowadays many of us prefer to buy sausage with up to 60-70% of cow meat, since an all-pork meat sausage would be too much, too heavy.
These sausages are thick and not too long (image below). They are grilled fresh, not smoked or left to dry (as Spanish chorizo used in lentil stews for example).
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Butterfly Butterflied Chorizos on cast iron skillet
We really do love our chorizo sandwiches with chimichurri and/or salsa criolla, which means creole in Spanish, our signature quick fresh garnish to go with barbecued meats.
This salsa is made with onion, red and/or green peppers, tomato, and parsley. All drenched in red wine vinegar and some oil.
I used red onion because it looks prettier (image below), but the real one is made with the regular, white one.
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White bowl of salsa on wooden board

All about chimichurri.

Chimichurri is our most authentic sauce for barbecued meats, and when it comes to chorizo sandwiches, it’s fair to say that chimichurri is a must. An either-or situation. You use a bit of chimichurri or nothing at all. Don’t even think of mayonnaise or ketchup. It’s a no-no.
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As I mentioned in this butter steak post, we seldom use rubs, marinades, or basting sauces while barbecuing meat. Only medium-coarse salt (barbecuing salt) and sometimes pepper. Maybe a touch of lemon for pork cuts or sweetbreads, but that’s it.
The amount of heat and time renders its natural fats and makes the meat incredibly delicious.
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Chimichurri then is the only accompaniment for them. Second, comes salsa criolla.
And one more thing to make you gasp: chimichurri, the authentic one, doesn’t ever ever ever have cilantro. Only parsley. It had to be said people.
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Open Chorizo, Chimichurri and Salsa Sandwich on wooden board

This sandwich is pretty much what you see.
Crusty bread, charred chorizo, vinegary chimichurri, and fresh colorful salsa. The sausages vary depending on who makes them of course, but the main difference is the percentages of pork and veal they use. I like about 30% of pork. All the flavor and a bit lighter.
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As you can see, I’m pretty much bringing summer inside, using my newly found steak iron to grill these chorizos. These, unlike the mozzarella naan bread, do make a lot of smoke, but it’s so worth it.
. Chorizo, Chimichurri Sandwiches on wooden board, bowl of salsa, white kitchen towel

Other recipes you might like:

Marinated Flank Steak Sliders
Bourbon Barbecue Sauce
Tomato Bruschetta with Bacon 
Marsala Roasted Garlic and Olives

Let me know if you make this recipe! I’d love to hear what you think about it.
Thank you for being here, I appreciate it! Let’s connect via Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
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Chorizo, chimichurri and salsa sandwiches

Chorizo, chimichurri and salsa sandwiches

  • Author: Paula Montenegro
  • Prep Time: 20
  • Cook Time: 25
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 6 sandwiches 1x
  • Category: Sandwiches
  • Method: Grilling
  • Cuisine: Argentine
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Description

Authentic street food from Argentina, these chorizo sandwiches (Choripan) are full of flavor and easy to make!

Scale

Ingredients

For the sandwiches:

For the salsa:

  • ½ large red onion (diced)
  • 1 large tomato (seeded and diced)
  • ¼ red pepper (deveined, seeded and finely diced)
  • ½ cup fresh parsley (loosely packed)

Instructions

For the sandwiches:

  1. Grill the chorizos in the grill, either outside or inside. I sometimes use a small electric oven. If they start to sputter, prick them a few times with a fork to release the fat.
  2. If using the stove grill or oven, it should take at least 20 minutes at a medium heat. Let it cook thoroughly, you don’t want raw chorizo. Open it, butterfly style, and sear it for a few minutes. You can also leave them whole, but I like it to be charred as much as possible, that’s why I butterfly it.
  3. I like to warm the bread, either by popping them a few minutes in the oven or on the grill, but it’s not really necessary if you like the bread and it’s very fresh.
  4. Open the bread in two, add some salsa, put half or the whole butterflied chorizo on top (depending on the size of the bread), some chimichurri and more salsa.
  5. Top with the remaining bread.

For the salsa criolla:

  1. Put the diced onion, tomato and red pepper in a bowl.
  2. Add vinegar, salt, olive oil and black pepper to taste.
  3. Add chopped parsley. Mix well.

Notes

Use pork/beef sausages, ideally 70-30%.

You can use slider buns and add half a chorizo per sandwich, or big buns and use it whole. I suggest crusty french bread, not soft buns.

Chimichurri is the traditional garnish for this sandwich.

If you barbecue them outside, they should take 20-30 minutes to be done, half on each side, so that some fat is rendered and the skin is crisp. Pierce them a few times with a fork before grilling so they don’t burst in the grill.

You can butterfly them (open in half lengthwise) when they are almost done, and grill them a bit more open side down.

Keywords: choripan, chorizo sandwiches, barbecue

 

Paula Montenegro

A baker for more than 30 years, I love testing recipes and sharing the best of what I find. I'm mostly self-taught with some time spent in baking school. I believe we can all be bakers and cooks with the right instructions and simple ingredients. If you're craving easy recipes with amazing results, you're in the right place. Let's get into the kitchen!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Tara says

    Gorgeous as always!! I love how you sliced the sausage, so much better! I just starting doing this. I can never eat a whole and it fits better in the bun too!!

    Reply

  4. Bobbi Burleson says

    Paula I love these. Chorizo is one of my faves, and I agree the messier the better!!
    Bobbi *Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen*

    Reply

  5. Soni says

    I've been wanting to make chimichurries for sometime now and would love to try your recipe Paula!These look fantastic and would make for a great lunch anyday 🙂 Love the salsa too!!

    Reply

  6. Stacy says

    I knew I was going to like this just from your post title, Paula. I love chorizo and chimichurri and salsa so a crusty roll filled with all three sounds divine.

    Reply

  10. Carla says

    I caught last season's Great Food Truck Race marathon last weekend and ended up watching all of the episodes while I was cooking in the kitchen. It's amazing what they have to endure to get going (although they probably had an easier time, getting money for each challenge and the network probably working with different cities). I love the sound of these sandwiches and wish a food truck would deliver it to my door.

    Reply

  11. Liz Berg says

    Paula, suddenly my mouth is watering and I'm STARVING!!! I want one of your sandwiches in the worst way. Fantastic recipe!!!

    Reply

  13. Heather Schmitt-Gonzalez says

    Oh my gosh…yes, Yes, and even more YES! I want one of these in my hand (mouth, and belly) immediately.

    Reply

  14. Amber @ Mamas Blissful Bites says

    I love how messy yet healthy this street food is! Spicy chorizo with a fabulous chimichurri salsa has me drooling…..badly.

    Reply

  16. Angie Schneider says

    Totally with you about street food. My only concern is the hygiene. So street food at home is perfect for me. Love chimichurri salsa.

    Reply

  17. The Ninja Baker says

    Your sandwich sings with such vibrant colors, Paula. The lovely "pan" (as we've discussed before the same word is used in Japanese for bread) is a nice neutral canvas for your spicy salsa and chimichurri…Forgive me but I can't help but think your salsa would be yummy on top of tofu =)

    Reply

  18. Andrea_TheKitchenLioness says

    Paula, what an interesting combination of ingredients for a sandwich – looks very fresh and different – I never had a sandwich in my life that looked anything like this one and I am sure that the flavors must be e revelation!
    Have a great Sunday!

    Reply

  19. Marissa | Pinch and Swirl says

    Funny how exotic street food has become. And it's not that it's complicated. I think it's just great food, made simply, finally getting its due. Your sandwiches looks absolutely delicious!

    Reply

  20. german in pdx says

    Paula – these sound simply divine. I could eat one right now! Thank you so much for sharing 🙂 ~ Bea

    Reply

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