Chouriço Assado Two WaysClay Grill or Air Fryer

Order chouriço assado in a Portuguese tasca and it arrives on fire. A curved chouriço sits on a glazed clay dish with a slotted top, and blue flames from burning aguardente lick up through the slats. The skin crackles, the fat drips and the waiter cuts it at the table.

At home you can do it exactly the same way with an assador de barro (clay chouriço grill), or skip the fire and use the air fryer.

The recipe

Chouriço Assado Two WaysClay Grill or Air Fryer

Flame-grilled Portuguese chouriço in a clay assador, the way it's done at the table in Portugal, plus a no-fire air fryer version for weeknights.

Print Pin Share

Prep2 min

Cook10 min

Total12 min

Serves4 as a starter

Ingredients

MetricUS

Serves

4

as a starter

½×1×2×3×

• 1 Portuguese chouriço (about 250 g), a cured, ready-to-eat type
• 50–80 ml aguardente or another high-proof spirit (for the clay grill method)
• Fresh bread to serve

Method

1. Make shallow diagonal cuts along the chouriço, about 2 cm apart, cutting only through the skin.
2. Clay grill: place the assador on a heatproof surface, away from anything flammable. Pour the aguardente into the base, rest the chouriço on the slatted top and light the spirit carefully with a long match. Turn the chouriço once as it blisters. It's ready when the flames die out, after 5–8 minutes.
3. Air fryer: air fry the scored chouriço at 190 °C for 8–10 minutes, turning once, until the skin is crisp and starting to split.
4. Slice and serve with bread to soak up the paprika-red fat.

Notes

Clear ticks

Tap ingredients and steps to tick them off. Scaling changes the quantities at the start of each line; check the rest by eye.

Choosing your chouriço

Use a cured Portuguese chouriço de carne (pork chouriço with paprika and garlic). It's already safe to eat, so you're just heating and crisping it. Spanish chorizo works but tastes different: it has more paprika and less garlic. Avoid fresh, uncooked sausages. They need full cooking and the flames won't get them there safely.

Which method is better?

For a dinner party, the clay grill wins every time. It's theatre, it's what people remember, and it's the authentic way. For a quick snack on a Tuesday, the air fryer gives you 90% of the flavour with no flames.

From the shop

What you’ll need

Links go to Amazon, where you can check today’s price. If you buy, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

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

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

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

Azulejo tile trivets on Portuguese cork

Portuguese azulejo tiles set on cork, with a sardine design. Takes a hot pan off the heat and looks like Lisbon.

Tip: 20 cm across, big enough for a cataplana.

View on Amazon