Choriqueso

Think queso fundido, but reverse the ratio of chorizo to queso.

Closeup of choriqueso, served in a shallow bowl.

Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt

Why It Works

  • Making a small batch of chorizo from scratch vastly improves the flavor and texture of this dish when compared to the middling quality of chorizo brands offered at most supermarkets.
  • The acidity and spiciness of the chorizo mixture balances the rich creaminess of the melted cheese.

I didn't happen to have a hangover to deal with during a quick visit to Cincinnati with Laura Arnold (a.k.a. the Cincinnati Nomerati), but if I did, it would have trembled with fear as we dug into the huge plate of choriqueso at Taqueria Mercado downtown. I can't attest to the authenticity of the dish, but conceptually, it's a nearly flawless and peerless plate of junk food: hot, oily, warm-spiced, slightly sour chorizo sausage combined with gooey, oozy, melted cheese.

How does it differ from that other Mexican junk food classic queso fundido con chorizo (see my recipe here)? Well, not by much, the main difference being the ratio of gooey, fondue-like cheese to chorizo.

A tortilla chip is dragged through a shallow bowl of choriqueso.

Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt

At Taqueria Mercado, they go one step further into junk food territory by using Land O' Lakes Extra Melt processed American cheese. It's like the tangier, oozier, gooier cousin of the American cheese we're all used to, and it's ideal for the task. Laura is so smitten with it that she regularly resorts to methods of questionable legality in order to obtain industrial sized blocks of the stuff. Last I spoke to her, she was fretting over the fact that she was down to her last two pounds.

Personally, I prefer the slightly stretchier quality of a more natural cheese like the stretchy Mexican cheeses from Oaxaca, a good quality young American Jack, or even some low-moisture mozzarella.

The dish really relies on the quality of the chorizo, so unless you can find some good, tart, Mexican stuff (not to be confused with the dry-cured Spanish chorizo or mildly seasoned South American chorizos), you've got to make it on your own. Fortunately, it's very very easy.

It comes together with a minimal number of ingredients in a matter of minutes (especially if you have good store-bought chorizo), which is awesome, because ideally you'll be nursing a terrible pounding headache when you finally decide to give it a shot.

November 2011

Recipe Details

Choriqueso

Active 20 mins
Total 20 mins
Serves 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound ground pork shoulder (see note)

  • 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 1 teaspoon paprika

  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin

  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

  • 1 medium clove garlic, grated on a microplane grater

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

  • 3/4 pound grated queso Oaxaca, Monterey Jack, or low-moisture mozzarella cheese

  • Warm corn or flour tortillas or tortilla chips for serving

Directions

  1. Preheat broiler to high. Combine pork, vinegar, cinnamon, paprika, oregano, cumin, cayenne, garlic, and salt in a medium bowl and mix with your hands until combined. Heat vegetable oil in a 10-inch broiler-safe skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chorizo mixture and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon and breaking up the meat until it is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with more salt and remove from heat.

  2. Top with grated cheese and place under broiler until melted, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately with warm tortillas or chips.

Special Equipment

Oven-safe 10-inch skillet

Notes

You can substitute 1/2 pound good quality Mexican chorizo with the casing removed for the homemade chorizo.

Read More

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
587 Calories
46g Fat
8g Carbs
35g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 587
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 46g 59%
Saturated Fat 21g 105%
Cholesterol 137mg 46%
Sodium 952mg 41%
Total Carbohydrate 8g 3%
Dietary Fiber 1g 2%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 35g
Vitamin C 2mg 11%
Calcium 627mg 48%
Iron 1mg 7%
Potassium 377mg 8%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)