Chef Isabel
Androlla Gallega con Cachelos y Grelos
Androlla is Galician winter food from the eastern mountains: smoked pork rib and skin, cured with pimentón, boiled slowly until tender, then served with cachelos and greens.
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Chorizo al Infierno Gallego
Created by
Chorizo al infierno is Galicia at the table with a match: semi-cured chorizo blistered over burning orujo until the casing chars, the fat runs red, and the bread has work to do.
Appetizers & Snacks
Spanish
Celebration
Outdoor Dining
Dinner Party
10 min
Active Time
8 min cook•18 min total
Yield4 appetizer servings
Chorizo al infierno is Galician, a small fierce dish from the taberna and feira table: a lightly cured pork chorizo set over burning aguardiente de orujo until the skin blisters, the edges catch, and the fat runs red. It is not Asturian chorizo a la sidra, simmered in cider, and it isn't a dry plate of sliced sausage. This one belongs to the flame.
The method that decides it is restraint with the fire. Use a semi-cured link, firm enough to slice but still juicy; a hard, dry chorizo goes leathery before it warms through. Measure the aguardiente into the cold cazuela, then put the bottle away before you light anything. Fire is no place for guessing. Pésalo, no lo adivines, and measure the spirit too.
No orujo where you are? Use a dry grape spirit such as grappa, or a plain Spanish brandy if that's what you can buy; brandy burns softer and leaves a rounder sweetness. Have a metal lid ready, use tongs, and let the flame die before anyone reaches in. The Margin in my notebook says only: no heroic pouring. Sensible woman. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.
Chorizo al infierno belongs to Galicia's tavern and fairground table, where a lightly cured chorizo could be cooked fast over aguardiente de orujo, the clear grape-pomace spirit distilled from the leftovers of wine pressing. The little glazed barro choricera made for the dish holds the spirit below and the sausage above, turning a preserving product from the matanza into hot food in a few minutes. It shares Galicia's habit of setting aguardiente alight, known from queimada, but here the flame is practical: it blisters the casing, warms the fat, and leaves the meat scented rather than soaked.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
semi-cured Galician-style chorizo links
Quantity
500g
cut into 3cm pieces, firm but still pliant
aguardiente de orujo, 40-50% ABV
Quantity
120ml
measured into a small cup, or use dry grape spirit such as grappa
rustic country bread
Quantity
200g
sliced for serving
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| semi-cured Galician-style chorizo linkscut into 3cm pieces, firm but still pliant | 500g |
| aguardiente de orujo, 40-50% ABVmeasured into a small cup, or use dry grape spirit such as grappa | 120ml |
| rustic country breadsliced for serving | 200g |
Equipment Needed
- •Small flameproof choricera, glazed barro cazuela, or 20cm cast-iron skillet
- •Metal tongs
- •Long match or long lighter
- •Metal lid or baking sheet
- •Fireproof trivet
Instructions
- 1
Cut the chorizo
Cut the chorizo into thick 3cm pieces. It should be semi-cured, firm enough to slice cleanly but still juicy when pressed. A hard dry chorizo is for slicing with bread, not for this; in the flame it turns tough before it ever gives you that red fat.
- 2
Set up safely
Set a small flameproof choricera, glazed barro cazuela, or cast-iron skillet on a fireproof surface, away from curtains, paper, and overhead cupboards. Put the chorizo in the dish. Measure the orujo into a cup, pour it around the chorizo, and put the bottle far away before you light anything. Have a metal lid or baking sheet beside you.
More orujo does not make a better dish. It makes a taller flame. Measure it, don't guess. - 3
Light the orujo
Use a long match or long lighter to light the orujo at the edge of the dish. Let the flame settle, then turn the chorizo with metal tongs every minute so the casing blisters and darkens evenly. The method that decides it is restraint: a shallow measured pool of spirit, not a bath, and steady turning through the flame.
- 4
Cook until blistered
Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the chorizo is browned at the edges, glossy with pimentón-stained fat, and hot through. If the flame dies before the chorizo is ready, cover the dish to be sure it is fully out, wait 30 seconds, then add one tablespoon more orujo and relight. Never pour spirit into a live flame.
- 5
Serve with bread
Let the flame die completely before anyone reaches in. Spoon the chorizo and its red fat into a warm dish if you cooked in cast iron, or bring the barro straight to the table on a trivet. Serve at once with bread for the juices. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.
Chef Tips
- •Buy semi-cured or oreado chorizo, firm but still pliant, not a hard dry slicing chorizo. If the only chorizo you find is raw, poach it gently in water for 8 minutes, dry it very well, then flame it; the texture will be softer, but it will be safe and still good.
- •Aguardiente de orujo is the Galician spirit for this. Dry grappa is the closest substitute outside Spain. Brandy works in a pinch, but it burns softer and leaves a little more sweetness.
- •Use a flameproof barro choricera if you have one. If not, a small cast-iron skillet or flameproof glazed cazuela works. A decorative serving dish can crack, and then dinner becomes cleaning.
- •Do not cook this under a running extractor fan or low cupboard. Measure the spirit into a cup first, put the bottle away, and keep a metal lid beside you. The lid ends the flame at once.
Advance Preparation
- •Cut the chorizo up to 8 hours ahead, cover, and refrigerate. Bring it out 20 minutes before cooking so it is not fridge-cold when it meets the flame.
- •Slice the bread ahead and keep it covered. Pour the orujo only when you are ready to light it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 185g)
Calories
750 calories
Total Fat
49 g
Saturated Fat
18 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
31 g
Cholesterol
105 mg
Sodium
2100 mg
Total Carbohydrates
29 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
3 g
Protein
34 g
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