El Miño Chorizo by 814 Americas

I was walking through my local Winn Dixie last week and, in passing the Latin foods section, I saw several brands of chorizo.

This was not in the butcher section. No coolers, no freezers. The chorizo was assembled without refrigeration. I thought, 'That's odd!'

I bought a package of something called El Miño. It's made by 814 Americas Inc. also known as Abuin Packing. This is a Cuban family that started the business in Cuba in the 1920s. It used to be known as Severino Abuin & Co., but in 1960 Fidel Castro confiscated the business.

The family re-established the business in the United States. They are based in Elizabeth, N.J.

Not knowing what to expect - I had never used smoked chorizo that was labeled "no refrigeration required" - I first tried mashing the link on a hot skillet like I usually do. That doesn't work very well.

I wanted morning breakfast tacos. The usual huevos con chorizo, with a few chopped vegetables. There are a number of pros and cons here.

First, let me say it is a good tasting chorizo. But it is smoked and it's dense. This is like slicing pepperoni. In fact, that's what you have to do. Slice it up. After that, I just went ahead and diced it.

You see, Mexican chorizo from the butcher requires cooking. And it is full of animal fat that is drained. But you leave some of the fat in and the fat and spices spread into the egg and vegetables that eventually are grilled with it.

None of that diffusion of grease and spices happens here. So I diced it to get the flavor spread around. I suppose it's healthier to have a chorizo that gets on your plate with a lot less grease. It worked out ok, but if you're expecting a Mexican-style result, ain't gonna happen.

Texturally, it's more like machacado. Machacado is where you use dried shredded beef (like pulled pork, but it's beef, dry and kind of tough). Say you diced the beef, instead of shredding it; this chews like that, but the taste is definitely chorizo.

Buen provecho!