I bought chorizo verde packed in sausage casing and cooked the sausage 3 different ways. Chorizo Verde is a Mexican ground sausage mixed with lots of seasoning plus blended cilantro and peppers, which gives the chorizo a wild green color. Raw link sausage packed in a sausage casing is easy to cook, and the casing is edible. The key to tasty link sausage is getting nice color and a crispy edge to the sausage, but if you don’t want to eat the casing, it’s easy to peel away and use the sausage just like any ground meat.
What is Chorizo Sausage?
Chorizo is a spicy ground sausage packed with lots of seasoning and flavor. Folks often expect chorizo to be hot, and sometimes it is, but not always. What makes chorizo is the abundance of spice and flavor, not the heat. Lots of garlic, cumin, ground peppers, salt, and often plenty of paprika go into the pork shoulder grind. Chorizo often has a rich reddish color because of added paprika.
Raw chorizo found in the meat case is generally thought of as Mexican chorizo, while chorizo sausage already cooked and dried is called Spanish chorizo. You can often find Spanish chorizo sold with the pepperoni, salami, and other dried meats, or you take a look at the price for Spanish Chorizo on Amazon.
What’s In Chorizo Verde?
Chorizo verde can have all the ingredients of its rich, red cousin, but it is defined by the green color. The color comes from an abundance of added cilantro and roasted chile peppers. Sometimes chorizo verde is extremely green because the cilantro and peppers are blended like a smoothie into the sausage. Sometimes it more closely resembles an Italian sausage, but flecked with the green of chopped cilantro and chile pepper. Chorizo verde ultimately has more greens and less sausage than the more common red chorizo, which makes for a different taste, and less fat.
But whether you’re preparing a paprika packed chorizo, a chorizo verde, or any raw sausage packed into link casings, here are two easy ways to prepare sausage on the stove.
How to Cook Chorizo Packed in a Casing
Firstly, you don’t have to cook sausage in a casing. If you like, you can simply cut the casing open and pull the ground sausage out and use it just like any ground meat in any dish you like. But sausage casing is edible, and can add a nice texture if cooked the right way.
How to Cook Link Sausage on the Stove top
- Use a skillet or a heavy-bottom pot with a lid.
- Place about ¼” of water in the bottom and bring the water to boil.
- Add in the sausage and reduce to a simmer, then cover and let cook for about 10 minutes. You can adjust this time depending on the size of the sausage.
- After 10 minutes, pour off the water and then continue to cook the sausage on the stove top, turning to get a good sear on each side.
- Cut into the sausage to make sure it’s cooked through, and serve as desired.
How to Cook Link Sausage in the Oven
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place sausages in a shallow roasting pan. Line with aluminum foil to speed cleanup.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until cooked through. Adjust the cooking time depending on the sausage size.
- After 15 minutes, begin giving sausages an occasional turn to brown each side.
However you cook sausage in a casing, getting a nice sear on the sausage is key to great taste. I found chorizo verde did not brown as well as other sausage I’ve cooked, but even without getting a deep sear, crisping the sausage casing makes all the difference in taste. And if you find that sausage casing is too chewy, or not to your liking, then just peel it away, no problem.
If you’re still in a sausage mood, check out this Sausage Tomato Pie Recipe.
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