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PIZZA

Chourico & Chips Pizza

Southeastern New England on a thin crust: smoked chourico sliced paper-thin so it crisps and bleeds paprika oil into the cheese, over shallow-fried potato chips and sweet onion. The person who asked for this was very specific about the word "thin", and repeated it.

OriginPortuguese-American, Fall River style, Kamado
Active35 min
Total80 min
EquipmentKamado Joe, pizza stone, peel, mandoline, small skillet
Startup
35 min–45 min
Chourico
THIN
Thinner than you think. Then thinner. (Requestor's words.)
Chips
1/16in
Mandoline, shallow-fried to pale gold
Bake
6-8min
Rotate once at 4 min
Oven fallback
550°F
Steel on the top rack, 1 hr preheat, broiler for the last minute
1 · SLICE 2 · CHIPS 3 · STRETCH & TOP 4 · BAKE
Pizza · 600–650°F · tier 3
 5 · FINISH
4 oz (~1/3 link) ≈ 113 g chourico, sliced as thin as the knife will go Cold from the fridge, casing on1 Last thing on, on top of everything2 Edges curl and crisp, paprika fat runs into the cheese. That's the sauce.
1 medium Yukon Gold potato, 1/16-in coins Mandoline, thinnest notch, skin on. Rinsed, then patted bone dry. In batches, single layer, 2-3 min a side to pale gold3 The fried chips in a single overlapping layer over the onion.
1/2 small yellow onion, sliced thin Sliced thin, pole to pole. Scattered over the cheese.
1/2 cup ≈ 118 mL neutral oil, for shallow-frying the chips 1/4 in deep in a small skillet, medium-high, until a coin sizzles on contact.
1 ball (~250 g) thin-crust pizza dough, room temp 1 hr Stretched to 12-13 in, the middle translucent, thin rim.4
for dusting semolina, for the peel Dusted on the peel first. Shake the peel before topping to be sure it slides.
2 tbsp ≈ 30 mL olive oil Spread edge to edge with the paprika stirred in5
1 cup ≈ 237 mL low-moisture mozzarella, shredded Over the oil, to within an inch of the rim.
1/4 cup ≈ 59 mL São Jorge or sharp provolone, grated Over the mozzarella.
1/2 tsp ≈ 2.5 mL smoked paprika Stirred into the olive oil.
pinch crushed red pepper, or piri-piri Over the chourico.
to taste kosher salt On the chips the second they come out of the oil.6
handful parsley or scallion, chopped Scattered over the hot pie. Cut into 6.
  1. chourico, sliced as thin as the knife will go · SLICE Sliced into rounds you can read the peel through. If a coin stands up on its edge, it's too thick -- go again.
  2. chourico, sliced as thin as the knife will go · STRETCH & TOP Overlapping like shingles so it crisps instead of steaming.
  3. Yukon Gold potato, 1/16-in coins · CHIPS Not fully crisp, they finish on the pie. Drained on a rack.
  4. thin-crust pizza dough, room temp 1 hr · STRETCH & TOP Thin was a requirement, not a suggestion.
  5. olive oil · STRETCH & TOP That's the base, there's no tomato.
  6. kosher salt · CHIPS Go easy -- the chourico is salty.
Protein
Produce
Dairy & Egg
Pantry & Grain
Spice & Seasoning
Liquid & Fat

Notes

Slice the chourico thin. No, thinner. The person who requested this pizza was explicit about it, and then repeated it: rounds so thin you can read the peel through them. Thick coins stay chewy and cup into little grease boats; paper-thin ones crisp at the edges, lace the whole pie with paprika oil, and cover twice the surface for the same 4 oz. Sharp knife on a cold link, or a mandoline on its thinnest notch.
Chips means chips. Not fries, not wedges: 1/16-in potato coins, shallow-fried to pale gold before they go on. Raw potato won't cook through in 7 min at 650°F and a par-boiled slice goes gummy under cheese; a fried chip stays crisp.
Chourico on top, not under the cheese. Buried under mozzarella it steams and stays flabby. On top it crisps, and the rendered paprika fat runs down into the cheese, which is the entire point of putting it on a pizza.
Thin crust was also a requirement. Same requestor, same tone of voice. Stretch it until the middle is translucent -- with fried potato and cheese on top it's the only way the crust finishes at the same time as the toppings in a 6-8 min bake, and it's the right ratio: this is a chourico delivery system, not bread.
Which chourico. The hard-smoked New England kind (Gaspar's, Mello's, Michael's), not Mexican chorizo, which is raw and crumbles. Linguiça works but is milder -- add another pinch of paprika and pepper. Hot chourico if the requestor is eating.
Stone on with the cold grill. The stone has to be at dome temp or the bottom comes out pale under a browned top. Top rack, deflector in, before the fire is lit, and give it the full 35-45 min climb to 600-650°F. Fry the chips while it heats.
Oven fallback. Steel or stone on the top rack, oven at its max (550°F), a full hour of preheat. Bake 6-7 min, then the broiler for the last 60 sec to crisp the chourico and blister the rim the way the dome would.
Original Chourico and chips -- the Fall River / New Bedford diner plate -- moved onto a pizza. Built to the requestor's spec: thin crust, thin chourico. Thinner than that.