Can chorizo ??be frozen? - Freeze different types of chorizo

Chorizo is one of those lesser known meats. Most people haven’t tried it or just don’t know much about it. If you know chorizo, you’ll know how delicious and versatile it is.

No matter how you make or buy your chorizo, you need options. Like any other type of meat, chorizo only stays fresh for so long, so it’s important to understand the ins and outs of preserving chorizo and how you should do it.

The question is: can chorizo be frozen? What is the best way to preserve the different types of chorizo?

Any chorizo that is not cured can be frozen very easily with a simple process and will last up to 12 months in the freezer. 

We have put together a guide to explain everything you need to know about how to freeze chorizo and how different varieties of chorizo can be affected by the process. We’ll share with you everything you need to know before trying to freeze or preserve your own.

Read on to find out how to freeze various types of chorizo and much more.

Guide to freezing chorizo

Chorizo is a form of meat and should be treated like other meats when it comes to storing and freezing it. There are some differences between chorizo and everyday sausage, which we will go into throughout this guide to freezing chorizo.

Explanation of the chorizo

If you are not very familiar with chorizo, we want to inform you. If you are already familiar, maybe you can learn something new here. We want to make sure you have a good understanding of how it can affect the freezing process.

Chorizo is a popular meat from areas of Portugal and Mexico. It is a pork sausage that has been processed through a specific process. The chorizo is usually introduced into casings with mixtures of other pork meats to be stuffed.

There are two basic forms of chorizo that you should know about.

1. The first is very similar to salchichón. In European cultures, it is common to ferment, cure and smoke chorizo to produce a spicy and flavorful meat, comparable to salami or pepperoni in texture and use.
2. The other is the more common form of chorizo, which is a mixture of ground sausages . This sausage is made with minced pork including pork fat and blended with deep flavorful spices that give it flavor and heat in the form of a ground sausage.

Chorizo is usually a deep red color, rather than the light pink seen in most raw sausage products. This is due to the seasonings that are mixed into it during the brewing process.

Chorizo, both fresh and cured, has a spicy flavor that is not excessive, but only produces a little saltiness that makes the chorizo delicious and flavorful for whatever use you can think of.

Usual uses of chorizo

Chorizo is a versatile meat product that can be used for anything. The uses will vary depending on whether you want to use ground or cured chorizo, but both can be quite useful on their own.

Here are some common uses for chorizo to keep in mind:

• • Meatballs/meatloaf
  • Make into various soups
  • Cut the cured chorizo into slices and make pizza
  • Mix finely chopped ground chorizo with eggs
  • Mix it with potatoes or French fries for more flavor
  • Add it to the tortillas
  • cover your nachos
  • Stuffed peppers, stuffed mushrooms, stuffed potatoes

• Add it to the chili

These are just a few ideas for using chorizo, but there are plenty of options for using it.  The most common way to use chorizo is to use fresh ground chorizo , as it is more versatile, but you can also use cured chorizo for many things.

The main difference to remember about cured or fresh chorizo is that cured chorizo has already been cooked in some way and does not necessarily have to be cooked to be used.

Fresh chorizo is still raw meat and must be cooked before being eaten. It’s very important to remember that you can’t just grab a spoon and eat it , and to be honest, that probably wouldn’t taste very good anyway.

Spanish chorizo

Spanish chorizo is the chorizo that we have referred to as cured chorizo in this article. The pork mixture is fermented, cured and smoked. The flavor turns into a smoky chili and garlic style flavor that is irresistible. 

It can be seasoned in many different ways, but most Spanish chorizos are seasoned as described above. It can also be cut in many different ways. You can find it in long and thin containers or in short and round containers.

It can be semi-soft or hard and dry depending on the curing process, and no process is necessarily better than another. Cured chorizo does not require refrigeration and is most often sold next to other cured meat options like cecina and meat sticks.

Storage of Spanish Chorizo (Cured)

Preserving your cured chorizo is not an excessive challenge, in fact, it is quite simple. Since it is cured, it is not necessary to store it in the freezer, but you can if you consider it necessary.  Cured meats preserve very well without the need to take large measures. 

The most recommended storage for cured chorizo is simply to use the refrigerator, since it can ultimately be stored indefinitely that way if it is not open . If you have opened the chorizo, you can keep it in the fridge for about 6 months without worrying about it spoiling.

Technically speaking, you can freeze dry chorizo, but since it has a very low moisture content, it’s not really considered a good idea . It’s also mostly unnecessary, as cured chorizo will last a long time in the fridge.

However, we are not here to boss you around, we are simply here to provide you with the facts. If you decide you want to go ahead and freeze your cured chorizo, don’t let us stop you!

Conservation of Spanish chorizo in the refrigerator

1. Store it well in an airtight package: we recommend that you use a resealable plastic bag.
2. Wrap the cured chorizo in a light kitchen towel or thick kitchen paper.
3. Put the date and label the container.
4. Store it in the fridge for up to 6 months.

Storage of Spanish chorizo in the freezer

1. Close tightly or vacuum seal in freezer-safe plastic bags.
2. Wrap it loosely with paper towels to lock in moisture.
3. Place it in a larger freezer bag or an airtight container.
4. Put the date and label the container.
5. Put it in the freezer for up to 12 months.

As you can see, the process does not vary much between the fridge and the freezer, which is due to the way Spanish chorizo is cured. It stores well on its own due to the curing process.

Keep in mind that the curing process has removed most of the moisture content from the meat, and therefore your biggest challenge is preventing it from drying out beyond use while in storage. This is where the wrapping step comes into play.

Don’t skip the wrapping step in either method, as this will go a long way in keeping your chorizo from drying out, hardening, or becoming unusable while storing it long-term in your fridge or freezer.

Again, we want to point out that the freezer is not recommended, since it tends to dry things out more and the refrigerator keeps your cured chorizo for up to 6 months now. But the option remains and these are the recommended processes for success.

Mexican chorizo (ground)

Mexican chorizo is the most common form of chorizo and can be served in a number of ways. It is the versatile option that allows you to do with it almost anything you want that involves meat.

You can replace your minced meats or use it as an additive to season your meat dishes. It goes very well with breakfast foods, but it can also be mixed with many other things and it is just tasty and delicious.

Ground chorizo is known as Mexican chorizo and is the most popular way to use chorizo in cooking. This is ground pork that has been seasoned with garlic and savory spices. The main spice is chili.

You could compare this meat to Italian sausage, but the spices and flavor are a little different and it’s a deep red color. Chorizo is also usually sold in casings and must be squeezed or removed from them to cook it. 

When you remove the Mexican chorizo from the casing, its texture will closely resemble ground beef. It can be ground to many different coarsenesses, so the size of the grind can vary depending on how it was processed.

Ground chorizo is raw meat. It should be kept in the fridge or freezer, just like other forms of raw meat.

It must also be cooked in some way before being eaten or served . If you look for it in the store, you will most likely find it near sausages and breakfast sausages.

Storage of Mexican chorizo (ground)

Storing ground chorizo is quite simple. It cannot be kept at room temperature, but knowing this, you would store it in the same way as any other raw meat, in the fridge or freezer.

Also, for information purposes, we want you to know that you can also store the cooked chorizo in the refrigerator or freezer. 

Due to the seasoning and grinding process that the chorizo has gone through, it can be kept longer than regular meat in the fridge or even in the freezer, but you should keep in mind that it is raw and should be treated like raw meat. 

If your Mexican chorizo has never been opened, you can store it indefinitely in the freezer. Logically, we do not believe that this is the case. It is best to use it within 12 months of placing it in the freezer.

Now we are going to talk about the different storage steps.

Conservation of Mexican chorizo in the refrigerator

1. Store it in a storage bag or container that is mostly airtight.
2. Date and label it if you’re worried you won’t remember how long it’s been there.
3. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

It seems important to us to point out that the storage time in the refrigerator will vary depending on whether you have cut the chorizo or removed it from the casing. If the chorizo is still in its original packaging and casing, it will last 2 weeks in the fridge. 

However, if the chorizo has been cut or the casing has been cut open in any way, this reduces the time it will keep in the fridge to about 1 week or 7 days.

How to store Mexican chorizo in the freezer

1. Store it in an airtight container or freezer bag. Or vacuum seal the minced meat so that it is well sealed.
2. Date and label the chosen storage method.
3. Store it in the freezer for up to 12 months.

These processes are pretty straightforward and easy to follow, but you’ll want to make sure you know the dates and retention periods so you know when your storage time is up.

Summary of chorizo storage

We’ve shared a lot of information here, so we wanted to give you a quick summary to keep it simple for reference.

There are two main types of chorizo: Mexican (ground) and Spanish (dried and cured). Spanish is cooked and is best kept in the fridge, wrapped in a kitchen towel or paper. It is not recommended to put it in the freezer, but you can if you prefer.

Mexicana is raw meat that is ground up and stored in casings. It should be cooked before serving or eating, and should be stored in the fridge or freezer, depending on how long you plan to store it before using it.

Related questions

We hope you find this guide a valuable resource in understanding the main types of chorizo and the best way to store or freeze them. There is a lot of information about what works best and what is not recommended among the different types of chorizo.

We invite you to take a look at our questions and answers section to see if any of the information it contains is better suited to your needs.

How can you tell if your chorizo has gone bad?

Whether you work with Mexican or Spanish chorizo, you can usually tell if it has gone bad by checking the smell and appearance of the meat.

Open the container and smell for any unpleasant or rancid odors. If it doesn’t smell fresh or something smells off, you should throw it away. Also, look for any oddities in coloration or texture as another sign of freshness, and discard if something doesn’t seem right. 

Is the casing of fresh chorizo edible?

The casing is edible and can be left in or removed depending on what you are going to do with the meat. If you plan to fry or use the chorizo as a sausage link , leave the casing intact, but if you plan to use it as ground meat, remove the chorizo before cooking.