Where can I buy Mexican style chorizo?

[Ohio Dem]

When I was in college, there was a burrito place called La Bamba that had something they called "Mexican sausage," which I thought was awesome. I later learned that this sausage is called chorizo. I ordered some from a Spanish food website, and it wasn't the same. It was good, but it wasn't even close.

Then, recently, I had dinner at a local Mexican restaurant, and had some tacos filled with chorizo. Now THAT'S the stuff! It was SOOOO good. I've done Google searches for it, but I can only find recipes for it and links to Spanish food websites that sell it (not the same thing). I want the Mexican version.

Does anyone know where I can get my hands on some? I've considered asking the people at the Mexican place where they get theirs, but I don't really want twenty pounds of it, or however much a bulk order from a restaurant supply place might be. And I doubt the restaurant would sell me four or five pounds of it out of their stock (is that even legal?). Can anybody help me with this?

[Ptah]

1. Safeway, Fry's, Food Giant and many other grocery Stores here in Southern Arizona.

[7wo7rees]

2. La Michoacana

or Elrod's Cost Plus, next to the Home Depot.

[Ohio Dem]

6. Where? nt

nt

[Ohio Dem]

3. I've noticed that Johnsonville

has something they call chorizo. While tasty, it isn't nearly as yummy as what I'm looking for. The stuff I'm after is fairly hot, and quite frankly, greasy. And it wouldn't come in links. Maybe the stuff you have in Arizona grocers is different than what I can find here in Ohio. I'm thinking I need a website.

[Ptah]

4. Here in Tucson, it's bulk, not links. Must be a local thing.

[Ohio Dem]

5. And it might be exactly what I'm looking for.

But I'm not driving to Arizona for it.

Thanks, though. I appreciate the help.

[ornotna]

7. Mexican chorizo is different

from Spanish chorizo.

Johnsonville makes a decent Mexican chorizo.
http://www.johnsonville.com/products/chorizo.html

For a more authentic manufacturer you could try
http://www.chorizosanmanuel.com/

[Ohio Dem]

8. I've had Johnsonville's, but that other site looks like what I'm

looking for! Thank you very much!

[KamaAina]

30. Johnsonville supports Walker

as do Sargento cheese and others. :(

[ornotna]

33. Well that sucks

No more cheese, brats and chorizo from them. Thanks.

[MiddleFingerMom]

9. Spanish and/or Portuguese "chorizo" is more like Cajun andouille sausage...

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... then Mexican chorizo (I think).
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From an About.com webpage about how to buy authentic ingredients:
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http://mexicanfood.about.com/od/introtomexicanfood/a/wheretofind.htm
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Hispanic markets
Check your neighborhood or the yellow pages for a "Carniceria," which is a meat market or a "Panaderia" which is a Mexican bakery. Some Mexican markets will have a "Tortilleria" where they make fresh tortillas.

Look for markets named after Mexican cities or states. Such as "La Michoacana Market" or "Market Sinaloa." Also look for Spanish words in the name, such as "cocina" or "Mexicana."

Hispanic markets will have your traditional ingredients as well as authentic Mexican items. You will be able to find different types and brands of masa harina, chiles, spices, machaca, chorizo and more.
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The first suggestion is your best bet. Ask the folks at the Mexican restaurant if the is a "carneceria" in the area -- it's what
they call a Mexican butcher shop/meat market.
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Another thing -- once I found out just WHAT they put in chorizo (they're very specific and honest in their list of ingredients --
I recommend highly NOT reading them), I quit eating it. Then I found a surprising substitute. It's the only meat substitute that
has ever impressed and delighted me with its proximity to the original product in almost all attributes -- look in your vegetarian
section for Soyrizo -- EXCELLENT!!!!
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[Ohio Dem]

11. Thanks

I'll not read the ingredients. Probably better that way. :)

[Gormy Cuss]

22. The Portuguese chourico I've had is very different from Spanish chorizo

These chourico were from the Eastern MA/Rhode Island area. Chourico had fatter links, also fattier in content, and could be crumbled when the casing is removed unlike the smaller, denser, Portuguese linguica which was more kielbasa or Spanish chorizo.

You're absolutely right about the truth in labeling on Mexican chorizo. :)

[7wo7rees]

10. I don't know where you are in Ohio, but in Columbus there's this:

http://www.cucostaqueria.com/
If there is a Mexican (real Mexican) breakfast taco joint anywhere near you, get them to tell you where THEY shop for their family.

Or, go here: http://www.magicyellow.com/category/Mexican_Food/-State_OH.html

[Ohio Dem]

12. Good idea.

Thanks.

[jmowreader]

13. Try Walmart, in the dairy department

They have it in both links and chubs.

[Ohio Dem]

15. I don't think they do around here.

And in any case, I don't shop there.

Thanks though!

[pokerfan]

14. DeLeon's Grocery & Deli

Dunno about your neck of the woods

[Ohio Dem]

16. Yeah, my neck of the woods is the problem.

Mexican (or Spanish) chorizo is not an item the local grocer or butcher carries.

Thanks, though.

[SwampG8r]

17. hoow bold are you in the kitchen?

i most likely have a chorizo spice recipe around somewhere and if you mix it yourself you can get it right where you want it.
you can also control what is in it better as you will just be mixing ground pork and beef with spices
let me know and i will pm you a spice list for a batch

[Ohio Dem]

19. I would classify myself as bold but lazy.

Don't you have to ferment chorizo? I'm not gonna do that. Mixing groud pork with spices is something I would do, and I have tried that. I ended up with a really tasty little sausage, but it isn't really chorizo. Any recipes you want to PM me would be greatly appreciated, though. Thanks!

[hyphenate]

18. You might want to ask

the restaurant, anyway, because the portions they get might be smaller than you think.

If you lived in a highly Hispanic area, you might find local grocery stores that carry it. While it's a far out thought, you might try looking for it at Amazon--they carry a wide variety of groceries, now, too.

These would be the thoughts I have on it.

I have had a similar problem, myself--when I was living in SoCal, I found the perfect Thai restaurant, with the world's best Cashew Chicken in my mind. When I came back to Massachusetts, I despaired of every finding the same dish. I've been trying out every Thai restaurant I've been able to get to, and I still haven't found it. Nobody seems to make it the same way at all.

Sometimes, it's not the destination that counts, but the restaurants you discover along the way.

[Ohio Dem]

20. I've noticed the same thing.

You can't get certain dishes in certain areas in restaurants. There are some BBQ places around here, but ... they aren't Carolina BBQ (or KC, or Memphis, or TX, whatever), no matter how hard they try.

But restaurants around here HAVE chorizo, the way I want it. That's what's so frustrating.

I will ask them at the restaurant, but there is a language barrier. I've actually tried to ask them to sell me chorizo before, and they smile and say "yes, chorizo is good." Their English is better than my Spanish, of course, and I'm not one of those assholes who gets pissed when a Spanish speaker doesn't understand me. The barrier, however, remains. I'll just have to try harder.

[soleiri]

21. One of my favorite memories

from my childhood is Sunday Morning breakfast at my Grandma's house.

Chorizo and eggs, homemade tortillas, mexican pastries and champurrado.
Also homemade menudo (not my favorite).

I'd invite you, but we'd need to time travel.

[Ohio Dem]

23. Heuvos con chorizo?

I've never had it, but I'll bet it's good. I've made eggs and Johnsonville "chorizo" and I've mixes eggs with my poorly made attempts at homemade chorizo, but never the real thing.

[Duer 157099]

24. Here's a website

http://caciqueusa.com/products

I see this brand all the time in the stores around here.

The way I learned to eat chorizo from my Latino friends when I was a kid was you scrambled eggs mixed with the chorizo and then wrapped it in a flour tortilla. Great spicy breakfast food. I've never actually eaten it any other way.

[Ohio Dem]

25. I'll check them out.

Thanks.

[CBGLuthier]

26. We get ours at the local Mercado

Fresh stuff unpackaged. The packaged stuff is nasty and turns to grease.

You need to find a "Mexican" grocery store.

[Chan790]

27. Wherever the local Mexicans shop.

I mean that's where I'd get it. It's like when I was living in Brooklyn and the local Safeway was charging almost $3# for Tamarind. It took me months to find out that if I went to the Haitian market I could get for about $0.90#.

There you go, ask the Mexican-Americans in your area.

[hunter]

28. Yum, chorizo...

Like bacon it's one of those stumbling blocks that prevents me from becoming a vegetarian. The best my omnivorous self can manage is meat two or three times a week.

While I feel sorry for your plight, Ohio Dem, thanks for reminding me why I love living in a Mexican-American household in Mexican California.

So-called "chorizo" made from ground pork chops is a very poor imitation of the real thing.

[Xithras]

29. Are there any carnicerías in your part of Ohio?

A carnicería is a Mexican meat shop/butcher, and they should all have it. We have carnicería's all over the place here in California, but we have a lot more people of Mexican descent out here too, so YMMV.

For what it's worth, I do nearly all of my meat shopping in carnicerías. In addition to the chorizo, they tend to have fresher meat at better prices than chain grocery stores.

[Ohio Dem]

31. I live in rural Ohio.

There really isn't anything like that around here.

[pokerfan]

34. try searching google maps for 'carniceria'

I did it and found a bunch:



http://maps.google.com

[Enthusiast]

32. Recently we tried the Johnsonville

chorizo. It was alright but we preferred the Italian brats.

[GoCubsGo]

35. My local Kroger sells it.

Before they remodeled, they had a small refrigerator in their "international" aisle that held chorizo, Mexican cheeses, and fresh tortillas. I think a lot of that stuff got moved to the section where they sell all of the low-end cheeses, cream cheese, etc. Or, maybe the deli/fancy cheese section.

If you are anywhere near Cincinnati, I'm sure you could find it at Jungle Jim's.