Chouriço à bombeiro: flambéed sausage tableside

Ingredients

• 1 chouriço, whole, high-quality; not industrial
• 45 ml aguardente or brandy, 2–3 tablespoons, poured over just before lighting
• 1 loaf rustic bread, sliced, to serve alongside

Method

1. 1
   Score the chouriço at regular intervals along its length, cutting through the casing without severing the sausage. Place it in the clay assador de chouriço. The scores allow fat to render freely and give the flame purchase on the casing.
2. 2
   Pour 45 ml of aguardente evenly over the scored chouriço. Light immediately. This is where the dish lives or dies: the spirit must be sufficient — no less than 2–3 tablespoons — so the flame burns for a full 60–90 seconds; a flame that dies early leaves the sausage underheated and the casing soft.
3. 3
   Allow the flame to burn and die naturally without interference. The clay retains heat and continues cooking the sausage after the flame extinguishes. The sausage is ready when the skin is golden and slightly crisp across the scored sections.
4. 4
   Serve the assador at the table, in the clay dish. Grease the sliced bread in the rendered fat that has collected in the base of the dish before plating. Do not discard the fat.