Chouriço AssadorHow to Flame Chouriço Safely at Home

A chouriço assador is a glazed clay dish with a slotted top. You pour 50–80 ml of high-proof spirit into the base, lay a scored, cured chouriço on the slats, light it with a long match and let it burn for 5–8 minutes, turning once. Use it on a heatproof surface, away from anything that can catch fire, and never add more alcohol while it's lit.

In Portugal the assador de barro (clay roaster) is a cupboard staple. It comes out for petiscos, birthdays and any evening with friends, and it turns a sausage into a small show at the table.

What is a chouriço assador?

It's a shallow oval dish, usually terracotta glazed in brown, green or white, with a raised bridge of slats across the top. The spirit goes in the bowl underneath. The chouriço sits on the bridge, just above the flames, so it chars and blisters while the fat drips down. Some are plain, some hand-painted, and some, like the famous pig shape, are made to be noticed.

Portuguese

Portuguese clay chouriço grill (assador)

The glazed terracotta dish with a slotted top for flaming chouriço at the table. Most Portuguese homes have one in a cupboard.

Tip: The medium size fits a standard chouriço. Use it on a cork board or tiles, never near curtains.

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What you need

• A cured Portuguese chouriço, about 25 cm long, of the ready-to-eat kind. You're crisping it, not cooking it from raw.
• Aguardente, the clear Portuguese grape spirit, or any spirit of around 40% ABV or more. Bagaceira, grappa, vodka or plain white rum all burn well. Wine and beer won't light.
• A long match or a long-necked lighter.
• A heatproof surface: a tiled worktop, a stone table or a thick cork board.
• A damp tea towel or a metal lid within reach.
• Bread.

How to use a chouriço assador, step by step

1. Set up. Place the assador on its heatproof surface, in the middle of the table or worktop. Move away napkins, paper, kitchen roll, curtains, fairy lights and anything plastic. Keep at least an arm's length clear above it. Never use it under a low shelf or a cooker hood that's off.
2. Prepare the chouriço. Make shallow diagonal cuts every 2 cm along the top, through the skin only. This lets the fat out and helps it crisp.
3. Pour the spirit while everything is cold. Pour 50–80 ml into the base, enough to cover the bottom in a thin layer. Pour from a measuring jug or small glass, never straight from the bottle. Wipe up any drips on the outside of the dish.
4. Put the chouriço on. Rest it across the slats, scored side up.
5. Light it. Hold the match at arm's length and touch the flame to the surface of the spirit at the edge of the dish. Alcohol flames are pale blue and can be almost invisible in a bright room, so assume it's lit.
6. Turn it once. After 3–4 minutes, turn the chouriço with long metal tongs.
7. Let it burn out. The flames die on their own after 5–8 minutes. When they've gone, slice the chouriço on a board and serve it with bread to soak up the red fat.

For the full recipe, quantities and an air fryer version, see our chouriço assado recipe.

Safety rules for flaming chouriço

These matter more than anything else in this post.

• Never top up the spirit while it's burning, or while the dish is still hot. Flames can run up the stream of alcohol into the bottle in your hand. If the chouriço isn't done when the flames die, wait for the dish to cool for a few minutes, then add a small measure from a glass and relight.
• Keep the bottle away. Put the cap back on and move it to the other side of the room before you light.
• Stay with it. Don't walk away while it's burning.
• Keep children and pets back, and don't let anyone lean over the dish.
• Tie back long hair and push up loose sleeves.
• Don't move it while it's lit. Carry it to the table cold, then light it.
• To put it out, lay a damp tea towel or a metal lid over the dish to starve it of air. Never throw water on burning alcohol and fat.
• Mind the surface. The base gets very hot. Never put it straight on a wooden table, a plastic cloth or a glass top.
• Outdoors, watch the wind. A breeze can push flames sideways and blow them out unpredictably.

How long does the chouriço take?

A standard chouriço is crisp in 5–8 minutes. Thicker, fattier ones may need a second, smaller round of spirit after the dish has cooled. You'll know it's ready when the skin is blistered and splitting at the cuts and the fat is sizzling.

Which chouriço to use

A cured Portuguese pork chouriço, seasoned with paprika, garlic and wine, is the classic. Chouriço de carne is the everyday choice; smoked versions from Trás-os-Montes and the Alentejo are richer. Spanish chorizo works but tastes different. Our guide to chouriço vs chorizo explains why, and the Portuguese sausages guide covers alheira, morcela and farinheira too.

Avoid fresh, raw sausages. The flames brown the outside but won't cook raw pork through safely.

Choosing an assador

• Size: a standard 25–30 cm dish fits one chouriço. The large size fits a chouriço plus extra slices for a group.
• Glaze: glazed inside is easier to clean and should be marked food safe.
• Shape: the classic oval or the pig. The pig is the one guests photograph.

Portuguese

Happy Pig chouriço roaster, made in Portugal

The same flaming chouriço grill, shaped like a pig. A great present for anyone who loves Portugal.

Tip: Handmade, so each one looks slightly different.

View on Amazon

Cleaning and storing it

Let it cool completely, then pour away any fat. Wash in warm soapy water with a brush, rinse and dry fully. Don't put a hot clay dish into cold water, because it can crack. Burnt residue on the slats comes off after a soak with bicarbonate of soda. For more on looking after Portuguese earthenware, read our clay pot cooking guide.

Alternatives to an assador

• Air fryer: 190 °C for 8–10 minutes, turning once. Crisp skin, no flames, same flavour.
• Grill or barbecue: over medium coals or under a hot grill, turning until blistered.
• Frying pan: slice it into rounds and fry in a dry pan until the edges catch.
• Oven: 200 °C for 12–15 minutes on a rack over a tray.

You lose the theatre, but on a weeknight the air fryer version is hard to argue with. Serve any of them as part of a Portuguese petiscos night.

From the shop

What you’ll need

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Portuguese

Portuguese clay chouriço grill (assador)

The glazed terracotta dish with a slotted top for flaming chouriço at the table. Most Portuguese homes have one in a cupboard.

Tip: The medium size fits a standard chouriço. Use it on a cork board or tiles, never near curtains.

View on Amazon

Portuguese

Happy Pig chouriço roaster, made in Portugal

The same flaming chouriço grill, shaped like a pig. A great present for anyone who loves Portugal.

Tip: Handmade, so each one looks slightly different.

View on Amazon

Portuguese

Portuguese clay chouriço roaster, large

The large size of the classic made-in-Portugal assador, for a full chouriço plus a few extra slices.

Tip: Use on a heatproof surface, away from anything flammable.

View on Amazon