Choripán

Ingredients

• 4 chorizo criollo, fresh, not cured — coarsely ground pork and beef, seasoned with garlic, paprika, cumin, and red wine
• 4 marraqueta or pan francés rolls, crusty; to be briefly charred on the grill
• For the salsa criolla
• 2 medium tomatoes, finely diced
• 1 medium white onion, finely diced
• 1 medium green capsicum, finely diced
• 30 ml red wine vinegar
• 30 ml neutral oil
• For the chimichurri
• 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 60 ml red wine vinegar
• 120 ml extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried red chilli flakes
• Optional
• to taste mustard, applied beneath the chimichurri; the Buenos Aires stadium modification

Method

1. 1
   Combine all salsa criolla ingredients — diced tomato, onion, capsicum, vinegar, and oil — and set aside at room temperature. The salsa is ready when the onion has lost its raw sharpness and the liquids have mingled into a lightly cloudy dressing; taste for acid balance.
2. 2
   Mix all chimichurri ingredients — parsley, garlic, vinegar, olive oil, oregano, and chilli flakes — and allow to rest at room temperature. The oil should carry a bright green tint and the garlic should be perceptible but not raw-sharp on the nose.
3. 3
   Prepare a charcoal or gas parrilla at moderate heat. The fat-rich chorizo criollo requires controlled temperature: flare-ups from fat drips produce bitter, acrid notes that override the sausage's spice blend. The grill is at the correct temperature when you can hold your hand 10 cm above the grate for four seconds before the heat becomes intolerable.
4. 4
   This is where the dish lives or dies. Lay the chorizo criollos whole onto the grill — do not split them before cooking, as pre-splitting loses fat and moisture. Grill over moderate heat, turning as needed, until the casing chars and blisters across its full surface while the interior remains juicy. The sausage is done when the casing is deeply coloured and blistered and the interior, tested by pressing gently with tongs, yields with slight resistance — firm enough to hold its shape when split, not hard throughout.
5. 5
   Remove the chorizo criollos from the grill. Split each one lengthwise, exposing maximum interior surface area for the condiments to penetrate. The cut face should show a moist, fully cooked interior with no pink remaining at the centre.
6. 6
   Place the marraqueta or pan francés rolls cut-side down directly on the grill. Toast briefly until the interior surface is lightly charred and crisp. An untoasted roll will absorb fat from the chorizo and become sodden within minutes; the roll is ready when it resists slight finger pressure at the cut face and carries visible grill marks.
7. 7
   Assemble immediately. If using mustard, apply it first to the toasted interior of the roll. Lay the split chorizo cut-side up in the roll. Apply chimichurri generously, then spoon salsa criolla over the top. Both condiments are required: the salsa criolla provides acid-fresh contrast; the chimichurri provides herb-oil richness. Serve at once — the hot chorizo softens the roll from within while the exterior retains its crunch for approximately three minutes. Eat standing.