The Border Table · Source Edition
El Chico-Style Chorizo
Coarsely ground pork seasoned with chile, paprika and red-wine vinegar, browned with onion.
The owner’s 2021 card used the name ‘El Chico’s Chorizo’; the exact restaurant formula is not verified.
Cook it
The owner’s 2021 card used the name ‘El Chico’s Chorizo’; the exact restaurant formula is not verified.
- Grind and season. Combine the pork chops, chili powder, paprika, salt, garlic powder, cumin and red-wine vinegar in a food processor. Pulse to a coarse grind, about 20 seconds in the original card; keep the mixture cold.
- Cook the onion. Heat the tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and soften the chopped onion.
- Brown the chorizo. Add the seasoned pork and break it into small pieces as it browns. The old card says about 5 minutes or to desired doneness; use a thermometer and continue until the ground pork reaches 160°F (71°C).
Serve it
Serve the cooked crumbles in eggs, beans or tortillas. Keep raw and cooked utensils separate and refrigerate leftovers promptly.
Understand it
What makes this version work
This version starts with pork chops rather than packaged ground pork, so short pulses make a coarse crumble. Its red-wine vinegar and paprika set it apart from the two-pound uncooked chorizo filler cards in the archive. The skillet cooks the pork immediately with onion. Five minutes is only the recorded estimate; the 160°F ground-meat endpoint is the meaningful safety check.
Know it
The recorded recipe and its place at the table
The archive labels the recipe ‘El Chico’s Chorizo.’ The Smithsonian documents the Cuellar family’s El Chico restaurant history, but that collection does not authenticate this specific chorizo ingredient list as a company recipe. ‘El Chico-style’ keeps the original association visible without presenting an unverified endorsement or trade-secret claim. The owner’s 2021 card is the source for the formula itself.
Sources and method
About this version
The ingredient proportions and core method come from the owner’s 2021 Authentic Tex-Mex Recipes card. The Border Table has clarified the instructions for readers without claiming an undocumented inventor or origin for the exact formula. The external source gives broader culinary context; it does not authenticate the owner’s private recipe.
- Smithsonian Archives Center, El Chico Restaurants Collection.
- FoodSafety.gov, Four Steps to Food Safety — refrigeration and safe handling guidance where relevant.
See our corrections policy to suggest an update.
