Chouriço à Bombeiro
(shoo-REE-soo ah bom-BAY-roo)
The Weeknight Tasca: Quick Bites & Sandwiches
If you grew up in a Portuguese-American household, you know the smell—smoke, paprika, and garlic hitting the air, signaling that the week is over and the table is set. Traditionally cooked table-side in a terracotta pig fueled by high-proof grape spirit, this beloved tavern snack is easily reproduced on a busy weeknight. You don't need imported clay or rare firewater; a heavy cast-iron skillet and a splash of high-proof bourbon will do the trick perfectly. The real secret is simply how you score the meat, allowing the intra-muscular fat to render and blister beautifully over an open flame.
Ingredients
- Portuguese chouriço10 oz
- high-proof food-grade alcohol1/2 cup
- honey1 tsp
- crusty bread1 med loaf
Method
- 01
Score the sausage carefully to keep it intact.
Place the chouriço on a cutting board and make diagonal cuts about 1/4-inch apart along its entire length, stopping exactly 75 percent of the way down so the links remain attached at the base.
- 02
Prepare a safe cooking vessel.
Place a heavy cast-iron skillet on a heat-proof surface like a stovetop or sturdy table trivet, ensuring there is absolutely nothing flammable hanging directly overhead.
- 03
Fuel the skillet and ignite the flame.
Lay the scored sausage in the pan, pour the high-proof alcohol into the bottom, and carefully light the liquid using a long grill lighter.
- 04
Flame-grill and rotate the meat.
As the steady flame surrounds the meat, use metal tongs to turn the chouriço every minute or two, allowing the intense heat to render the fat and aggressively blister the casing.
- 05
Glaze the sausage with honey.
When the flames begin to die down after about five to eight minutes, use a pastry brush to dab a tiny smear of honey over the top of the sausage so it caramelizes in the final licks of fire.
- 06
Slice and serve immediately.
Once the fire is completely extinguished, transfer the meat to a board, slice cleanly through the score marks, and serve with thick slices of bread to mop up the smoky, spiced fat left in the pan.
Notes
Never pour alcohol directly onto an active flame.
If the fire goes out and the sausage needs more time to char, ensure the flame is completely dead before adding another splash from the bottle.
Use only safe food-grade alcohol.
A 101-proof bourbon, 151-proof rum, or high-proof grain alcohol works perfectly; never use isopropyl or rubbing alcohol, which is highly toxic and will ruin the food.