Chorizo and sausage are both delicious meats that can be served in a variety of ways, but those who are unfamiliar with them may wonder what some of the differences are.
There are many different types of chorizo and sausage, although the most common are Spanish chorizo, Mexican chorizo and Italian sausage.
Chorizo is Spanish or Mexican pork that is fully cooked and cured and comes in a variety of options. It is spicy and often served with breakfast or as part of a larger meal. Sausage is a meat that is raw and spiced with fennel or anise, resulting in a less spicy flavor. Sausage is normally pork or turkey. Sausage is also popular as a breakfast item.
Both types of meat are delicious and can complement a variety of other flavors, resulting in a wide palette.
Chorizo’s spice lends itself better to those who prefer Latin foods, while sausage is great for those looking for a mild addition.
The Different Chorizo Flavors
Chorizo has a wide flavor profile largely due to how many different types are available.
Depending on what style the chorizo was made in, the spice, accompanying flavors, and dryness can all be affected.
Throughout the United States, the most popular form of chorizo is Mexican chorizo.
Other common types include Spanish chorizo and Portuguese chorizo.
While all of these share the classic spicy, smoky flavor associated with chorizo, they each have their own additions and combinations that result in a unique product.
When a recipe calls for a specific type of chorizo, it is best to stick to that kind.
Due to the differences in heat, smokiness, and servings, exchanging Mexican chorizo for Spanish chorizo may result in a very different tasting final dish.
Another difference to look out for when purchasing chorizo is the state it was cooked to. Chorizo is commonly available in three forms:
- Semi-cured
- Fully cooked
- Raw
Raw chorizo is the least common, normally relegated just to Mexican chorizo.
It is important to cook it fully through and is a major reason why you should not mix chorizo between recipes, as adding raw chorizo to a quick-cooking recipe may not cook the meat all the way through.
When chorizo is served raw rather than semi-cured or fully cooked, it keeps an uncommon flavor and texture that is hard to find in other chorizos.
Both of the other options are cooked already through the creation process, but the texture and flavors change between the two.
Semi-cured chorizo is soft and breakable so that the large chunks of pork are easily split apart.
This is common for use with breakfasts or eaten as is.
Fully cooked chorizo is dry and can be sliced similarly to traditional sausage.
This results in slices that can be used in sandwiches, cooked as is, or placed as part of a larger meal.
The final part to understanding chorizo is that it is commonly available in two different spice levels; hot and mild.
This is fairly universal across the different types of chorizo, although specific makers may add even more levels or simply offer one.
Even mild chorizo may still be spicier than one expects, so be sure to test the flavor whenever possible.
Mexican Chorizo
Mexican chorizo is the most popular version available in the United States.
Most often, Mexican chorizo is still a spicy ground pork sausage, but it is available both uncooked and dried, unlike other chorizo which are commonly only available cooked.
Mexican chorizo has a deep red color from the seasoning process and usually only available in link form.
It is high in fat which can be used in a variety of recipes even on its own.
Due to the popularity of raw Mexican chorizo, it is important to check whether or not your chorizo is cooked before using it.
If it needs to be cooked, be sure to remove the casing around the meat unless the recipe states otherwise.
This allows the thick pieces of pork to crumble into large chunks that are great for cooking and eating.
Mexican chorizo generally has a less smoky flavor and focuses more on the heat from its spices.
These spices often include pepper flakes, a spice unique to Mexican chorizo.
Mexican chorizo is popular for breakfast, as a snack on its own, and when combined into various Latin foods.
Throwing some Mexican chorizo into a taco, burrito, rice dish, or others will add a unique kick of heat and smoked flavor.
Spanish Chorizo
Spanish chorizo is the most popular form worldwide and one of Spain’s most popular foods.
Spanish chorizo is fully cooked or semi-cured, but neither needs to be cooked before eating.
Along with other cured meat products, it is very common to eat Spanish chorizo on its own as a snack such as salami or ham.
Spanish chorizo is available in both hot and mild varieties, and the mild variety tends to have a sweet flavor.
Spanish chorizo shares the red color of Mexican chorizo, but it is more vibrant and saturated.
This is also from the spices used during its creation, as well as the smoking process.
Spanish chorizo uses paprika as its main source of spice, combining it with other common spanish flavors such as oil, garlic, and pepper.
To eat Spanish chorizo, it can also be applied to various dishes.
It is common to add it to soups, as they provide a hearty and unique texture that is difficult to replicate.
Another option is to simply eat the Spanish chorizo as is, with no need to prepare it.
While it is not a good idea to substitute chorizos for one another, Spanish chorizo can likely replace Mexican chorizo in a variety of recipes.
This will certainly result in a different flavor, but you do not run the risk of eating raw pork as you do switching them the other way around.
Knowing that, feel free to add Spanish chorizo to various dishes or eat it sliced up.
Portuguese Chorizo
Portuguese chorizo is another common type, although it is the rarest of the three.
Most similar to Spanish chorizo, Portuguese chorizo has a few key differences that separate the two types of sausage.
One of the key things to note about Portuguese chorizo is the difference in pronunciation; this variant is pronounced with an “s” sound, making it sound like “sho-ree-so”.
The “z” sound becomes “s”, making this variant easy to recognize in conversation. It is also spelled differently, as chouriço.
Portuguese chorizo has an intense smoked flavor when compared to the other chorizos, holding in a significant amount of the cooking process.
Additionally, the spice ratio is wildly different than that of Spanish chorizo.
Portuguese chorizo uses paprika, garlic, black pepper, and salt, but uses very little paprika.
This makes the spice have a unique flavor when compared to other variants.
Portuguese red wine is splashed into the process as well, providing a unique flavor.
Due to the addition of red wine and the reduction in paprika, chouriço tends to have a very dark red color, almost brown.
This makes it easily identifiable and distinguishable from other types of chorizo.
Portuguese chouriço can be used and cooked in similar ways to Spanish chorizo, with the main differences being the flavor profiles.
Chouriço tends to have less spice with a more complex flavor profile, making it more suitable for dishes like soups, stews, and boiled dinners common in Portugal.
Portuguese chouriço is fairly rare in the United States, mostly cropping up in small Portuguese communities in the northeast.
Still, its unique flavor profile makes it a welcome addition to the chorizo family.
Other Types of Chorizo
Other types of chorizo exist, but they are not as widespread as the three mentioned.
Chorizo is traditionally relegated to Latin or Southern American countries, meaning that it is also popular in places such as Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, and Brazil.
These other forms of chorizo also have unique flavors and ways of preparation, but they share the same basic properties of chorizo.
They are all:
- Spiced with different peppers
- Redish in color
- Available semi-cured or fully cooked
- Uniquely flavored
These four qualities are what separates chorizo from other sausages, creating the distinct flavor people have come to love.
Due to the basic creation process being the same, chorizo is really just a special type of sausage.
The Spices And Meats Used In Sausage
Sausage is classic meat available across the world with a large number of variations.
Like chorizo, different cultures and cultures have taken sausage and added their own spins on it to produce unique flavors that can really pack a punch.
In the most general sense, sausage can be broken down into two categories; spicy, or sweet.
Beyond this basic description, flavors really start to broaden.
Germany has hundreds of different sausage varieties, while many Italian sausages are sweet and eaten with breakfast food.
At its core, sausage is just ground meat, most often pork, that is flavored and combined together.
For comparison, chorizo is the same with specific rules about what spices and meats are used.
Sausage can come raw, as is the case with Italian sweet sausages, or fully cooked like salami.
The different types of sausages available number in the thousands, so it would be impossible to list them all.
However, to get a good mix of sweet and spicy sausages, it is best to look at some of the most popular sausage options around the world.
These are:
- Bratwurst
- Andouille
- Italian
- Breakfast
- Weisswurst
These cover a wide flavor range of flavors and country of origin, showing off the vast array of sausage properties.
It is important to note that the main difference between sausage and chorizo are the spices used; it can be helpful to think of chorizo as a specific type of sausage.
Bratwurst
Bratwurst is the quintessential German sausage, available around the world in a variety of different flavors and meat combinations.
Bratwurst is made from veal, beef, and pork, often combining two or all three of the meats into a single sausage.
Bratwurst is eaten in a variety of ways, although the most common is to have it on a white bread roll, similar to a hot dog. It is often served with mustard and eaten stand alone this way.
Due to the wide number of bratwurst available, other serving methods are available as well, often using potatoes or other types of bread to accompany the heavy meat.
It is extremely popular as a fast food option due to its filling and easy to eat nature.
Depending on the specific variety of bratwurst eaten, they can be extremely long, measuring over one foot.
The most noticeable part of any bratwurst are the spices.
Unlike chorizo or some other types of sausages, bratwurst is not hot, instead coming in flavor profiles that highlight the meat chosen.
The spices are often simple, comprising of ginger, nutmeg, coriander, and some other additions like salt and pepper.
The specific spices used changes between regions and creators, but the general taste remains the same.
Andouille
Andouille is a French sausage traditionally made exclusively out of pork.
In modern America, it is most commonly found in gumbo dishes where the spicy nature of the sausage adds a significant boost to the meal’s flavor.
Andouille sausage is chunkier than others, using roughly chopped pork rather than ground or minced pieces.
The flavor is distinct due to the unique mix of spices, including garlic, cayenne pepper, black pepper, onions, and wine.
This combination and the smoking process creates a smell unique to Andouille sausage.
Andouille is often light gray, with some variation occurring due to spice levels and ratios.
The pork meat used in the Andouille sausage is from the intestine, adding to the smell mentioned earlier.
The color is also influenced by the overnight soaking of the sausage in water and vinegar.
Andouille is heavy in fat and heavily spiced compared to many other popular sausages, with an extremely unique flavor.
Italian
Italian sausage is extremely common across the United States and other parts of the world, available in most supermarkets.
It is likely what you think of when you think of sausage, having a classic brown color that cooks easily into a crisp, delicious accompaniment to a variety of meals.
The defining spice in Italian sausages is fennel.
Fennel smells like licorice and is fairly uncommon; Italian sausages are likely the most experience you have with it. Still, it produces a taste and smell distinct to Italian sausages.
Italian sausage is most often pork, and available in both sweet and hot varieties.
Both varieties are flavored with fennel, garlic, and salt, but the hot varieties also receive chile pepper to boost the heat.
Italian sausages are most used for adding to pasta dishes of all kinds, turning almost any pasta and sauce into a full meal.
Italian sausage should be cut into thick chunks before being put into a dish.
The sausage is available in large links and mostly raw, so it requires cooking.
Some smoked variations are available but they are less common outside of butcher shops.
Breakfast
Breakfast sausage is widely available in the United States as both links and patties.
These are sweet sausages that are heavily seasoned with sage and other spices to create a pleasant and simple taste.
Breakfast sausage is eaten mostly for breakfast in the United States, combined with eggs and toast. It is extremely common across the country.
Occasionally, maple syrup or other jams will be added on top of the breakfast sausage to increase the sweetness.
Frying breakfast sausages is the most common way of eating them.
Breakfast sausages come raw, pre-made, or frozen, depending on how you buy them.
They all need to be fried before consumption to warm them up.
Different flavors of breakfast sausage tend to add new flavors to the mix rather than changing the ratio of spices already there.
For instance, it is possible to find breakfast sausage with maple flavoring or hot spices added.
Weisswurst
Weisswurst is an uncommon sausage that truly shows just how unique sausages can be from one another.
This sausage is Bavarian in origin and commonly made from veal and pork.
It is spiced with light flavors that include the likes of parsley, lemon, ginger, and cardamom.
The most noticeable aspect of weisswurst is the pure white color of the sausage.
Weisswurst is never smoked and is traditionally served as a brunch snack.
Instead, weisswurst is cooked in hot water for about ten minutes, turning them their signature color.
The sausage is eaten hot out of the water with the skin taken off, normally by cutting the meat down the middle and removing the meat from the casing.
It is almost always served with sweet mustard and pretzel bread, creating a unique meal.
Weisswurst is uncommon to find anywhere outside of Bavaria and neighboring countries but is popular in its sphere.
Knowing the Difference Makes Them More Fun to Try
Now that you have a good understanding of the differences and similarities between chorizo and sausage, you can start sampling more and more to get a bigger picture of these two delicious meats.
And latin meats don’t begin and end with chorizo.
Who knows, other tasty ones might become your new all-time favorite.
Check out morcilla, sobrasada and salchichon just to name a few.
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Jorge Garcia is the founder of AmigoFoods, where he has spent over 20 years helping readers discover authentic Latin American and Spanish cuisine. Raised in a Cuban-American household, Jorge learned to cook at the hands of his mother and grandmother, carrying forward generations of family recipes. That heritage, backed by his family’s four-generation history in the Latin food industry, inspired him to launch AmigoFoods in 2003. With more than 1,000 published articles on recipes, ingredients, and food culture, Jorge’s mission is simple: make authentic Latin cooking approachable for home cooks everywhere while honoring the traditions behind every dish.