Chorizo Queretano de Cadereyta

Querétaro, Cadereyta de Montes, the semi-desert road toward the Sierra Gorda: that is where this chorizo belongs. Not all chorizo in Mexico tastes the same. This one carries chile ancho, vinagre de piña, ajo, clavo, comino, and pork fat, the kind of seasoning a market cook uses because it preserves, travels, and wakes up a plate of beans at almuerzo.

I first wrote this version after talking with a señora at the Mercado de la Cruz in Querétaro, then corrected it in Cadereyta, where they were very clear with me: the chile is ancho, the vinegar has to bite, and the clavo is there like a church bell in the distance. You notice it. You don't let it take over the town.

The technique is patient, not fancy. Toast the chiles. Grind the spices. Keep the pork cold. Rest the adobo in the meat overnight so the vinegar and salt do their work. A blender is fine for the chile paste, I use one in my school. But if you skip the resting, you have seasoned ground pork, not chorizo. La cocina no es decoración, es trabajo.

Serve it in a clay cazuela or on Dolores Hidalgo majolica with frijoles charros, totopos de maíz azul, nopalitos, and café de olla. It should look like breakfast from a Querétaro kitchen, generous and practical. Saber cocinar es saber vivir.