Sándwich Colombiano de Chorizo con Piña (Sweet-Heat Chorizo Sandwich)

About This Recipe

Street-cart chorizo sandwiches are common across Colombian cities, usually grilled chorizo tucked into bread with a squeeze of lime and a spoonful of ají — the fresh, spicy tomato-cilantro salsa found on nearly every Colombian table. This version pairs the smoky chorizo with grilled pineapple, a combination that shows up in Colombian home cooking and street food where fruit is often grilled alongside meats for a caramelized contrast to salty, fatty pork. The chorizo (Colombian chorizo is milder and less vinegary than Mexican chorizo, closer to a well-seasoned pork sausage) is grilled or pan-seared until the casing crisps, while pineapple rings caramelize alongside it in the same pan, picking up rendered fat for extra flavor. Ají sauce, blitzed fresh with tomato, scallion, cilantro and a hot chile, is spooned on right before serving so it stays bright rather than soaking into the bread. This is fast, casual food — the kind sold from carts outside soccer matches and street corners across Bogotá and Medellín, built for eating standing up with a cold beer in hand.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 4Colombian chorizo links
• 4 ringsfresh pineapple(about 1cm thick)
• 1 tbspneutral oil
• 4crusty bread rolls(such as pan francés)
• 2tomatoes(finely diced, for ají)
• 2scallions(finely sliced, for ají)
• 0.25 cupchopped cilantro(for ají)
• 1small hot chile(such as ají picante or serrano, finely minced)
• 2 tbsplime juice(for ají)
• 2 tbspwater(for ají)
• 0.5 tspfine sea salt(for ají)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the ají sauce

   Combine diced tomato, scallion, cilantro, minced chile, lime juice, water and salt in a bowl. Let sit at least 10 minutes for the flavors to meld.

2. 2

   Grill the chorizo

   Heat oil in a skillet or grill pan over medium heat. Cook chorizo links, turning occasionally, for 10-12 minutes until the casing is crisp and the sausage is cooked through.

3. 3

   Grill the pineapple

   In the last 4 minutes, add pineapple rings to the same pan, cooking 2 minutes per side until caramelized and lightly charred at the edges.

   Cooking the pineapple in the same pan as the chorizo picks up rendered pork fat, which deepens the caramelization far more than a dry pan alone.

4. 4

   Toast the bread

   Split the rolls and toast cut-side down in the same pan for 1 minute until warmed and lightly crisp.

5. 5

   Assemble

   Place a chorizo link and a pineapple ring in each roll.

6. 6

   Top and serve

   Spoon ají sauce generously over the top and serve immediately while everything is warm.

Variations

• •

  Swap chorizo for grilled morcilla (blood sausage) for a more traditional Colombian street-food pairing.

• •

  Add a slice of melted queso costeño or mozzarella for a heartier sandwich.

• •

  Use mango instead of pineapple for a different but equally common Colombian fruit-and-meat combination.

Storage

Best eaten fresh. Store cooked chorizo and grilled pineapple separately in the fridge up to 2 days; reheat in a skillet before assembling, and make ají fresh rather than storing it, since it loses brightness quickly.

Frequently Asked Questions