What’s the best way to level up any onion rings recipe? Stuffing those onion slices with freakin’ delicious ground meat! So that’s what we’re doing in this recipe for chorizo stuffed onion rings.
Because the tender beef in the burger stuffed onion rings was such a hit with family and friends, I had to try the stuffed rings with chorizo. The smoky, spicy flavor makes these stuffed onion rings next level. Add in sliced bacon? Game over. Best onion rings ever.
I like serving these with my twist on a classic queso fundido. Typically, you serve the queso fundido with chorizo mixed in. But, since we’ve got chorizo in the stuffed onion rings, I went with a beer cheese and chiles version. So. Freakin’. Delicious.
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love Chorizo Stuffed Onion Rings
- Chorizo Stuffed Onion Rings Ingredients
- Chipotle Mayo
- How to Make Chorizo Stuffed Onion Rings
- Prepping the Onion Rings
- Grilling the Stuffed Onion Rings
- Making the Queso
- Enjoying Your Chorizo Stuffed Onion Rings
- What to Serve with Chorizo Stuffed Onion Rings
- Leftovers and Reheating
- For More Chorizo
- FAQs
- Flavor X Fire & FOOD X Fire
- Chorizo Stuffed Onion Rings Recipe
Why You’ll Love Chorizo Stuffed Onion Rings
Chorizo is one of my favorite ground meats to cook with. We’re using Mexican chorizo, which is flavored with paprika, chiles, oregano, vinegar and other spices, in this stuffed onion rings recipe. It’s incredibly versatile, so the sausage is just as much at home in these onion rings as it is in tacos, burgers, hot dogs, queso and more.
Like I say in my burger stuffed onion rings recipe, if you love onion rings but don’t love what deep frying does to your kitchen, this method is for you. We take the whole operation outside to the grill, with the smoky flavor from cooking with charcoal as an added bonus.
Just a heads up: the hardest part of this recipe is the prep. It’s kind of tedious and can take 30-45 minutes to stuff those onion rings. I recommend using cold bacon and cold chorizo. If they warm up, they get more malleable and won’t hold well. The cooking doesn’t take too long, but watch out for flare ups with the bacon.
Want more ideas on what to do with onions? Check out my recipes for Beer Battered Onion Rings, Steak with Tennessee Onions, and Oklahoma Onion Burger.
Chorizo Stuffed Onion Rings Ingredients
- Onion Rings: For the meaty part of this recipe, we’ll use ground chorizo, whole sweet or yellow onions, sliced bacon, my Cowboy Butter Rub and your favorite spicy BBQ sauce.
- Homemade Queso: This freakin’ delicious queso is made of Monterey Jack cheese, cheddar cheese, green chiles, light beer, unsalted butter, all-purpose flour, heavy cream, cayenne pepper, kosher salt and black pepper.
Chipotle Mayo
The queso fundido is a great accompaniment to these onion rings. But if you’re looking for a dipping sauce to add to the spread, some chipotle mayo would be amazing. My favorite way to make it is to first make a batch of chipotle puree, which I use in these steak quesadillas recipe, and mix it with mayo.
Start with a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. The peppers are packed with smoky flavor, and the adobo sauce brings a rich, tangy heat to the flavor party. To make the puree, pour out the can (peppers and sauce) into a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed to ensure an even consistency. If you want a thinner puree, you can add a splash of water or olive oil while blending.
Once you’ve got it to the right consistency, mix a few tablespoons with 1/2 cup mayo (or adjust to whatever spice level you like) and serve. Store any leftover chipotle puree in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. You can also freeze it in small portions for later use.
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How to Make Chorizo Stuffed Onion Rings
Prepping the Onion Rings
Begin by peeling the outside layer of your whole onions and slicing them into 1-inch-thick rings of onions. Grab 6-8 of the large onion rings and inside smaller rings to make the outside shape for our chorizo stuffed onion rings.
Take an outside ring, grab a handful of your ground chorizo and place it in the center. Shape the chorizo to the outside of the onion, then place the smaller ring into the chorizo to make a donut shape.
Next, wrap your slices of bacon (you’ll need about 2 pounds for this whole recipe) around the outside and set the rings on a baking sheet. Repeat these steps with the remaining onions until you have all the chorizo stuffed onion rings you like.
Season all the onion rings with my Cowboy Butter Rub (or your favorite burger rub) and set them in the fridge for 30 minutes to set.
Grilling the Stuffed Onion Rings
Preheat your smoker for indirect cooking at 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Add some wood chunks or chips for extra smoke flavor if you like.
Next, place the stuffed onion rings on the smoker. Cook them for 45-60 minutes or until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
In the last 10 minutes, drizzle your favorite spicy BBQ sauce over the top to glaze the onion rings. Once the BBQ sauce is tacky and the coated rings have reached the right temperature, pull them off the smoker and let them cool for 5 minutes.
Making the Queso
To make the queso, start by placing a skillet to the grill. Then, add 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour and 1 teaspoon cayenne powder to the skillet to melt and mix for 1-2 minutes.
When those ingredients have thickened into a paste, slowly add your 1/2 cup light beer in batches to fully integrate it and let the mixture thicken.
Once you’ve reached that point, add in your 1/4 cup heavy cream, 1/2 cup drained green chiles, 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese and 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese. Add the cheese in batches if needed, and keep stirring until everything is fully integrated and smooth. Thin out the sauce with milk if needed.
Enjoying Your Chorizo Stuffed Onion Rings
Finally, serve your chorizo stuffed onion rings with queso on the side for dipping and enjoy!
What to Serve with Chorizo Stuffed Onion Rings
With chorizo, bacon and queso, this recipe turns onion rings into a meal on their own. If you’d like a side dish, some sweet corn, roasted potatoes, tangy slaw with green onions or other cookout favorites would be perfect alongside these onion rings. Don’t forget a drink! Pale ales, lager beer or even a dark beer would be a freakin’ delicious way to round out your dinner.
Leftovers and Reheating
If you just can’t eat all of these delicious onion rings in one sitting, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in the oven or in an air fryer to keep them nice and crispy.
For More Chorizo
FAQs
Yellow onions or sweet onions, like Maui or Vidalia onions, are best for this recipe. These types of onions have a mild flavor and are known for their sweetness. Some Vidalia onion farmers will even say you can eat one of their onions like an apple! I’ll take their word for it. Maui and Vidalia onions are technically white onions, but they have a much higher sugar content and lower sulfur levels than typical white onions.
I’ve tried all the tricks: refrigerating the sweet onions for 30 minutes before slicing, cutting them under running water and wearing goggles. Ultimately, though, the best method is to power through it and cry if you want to.
Sure, any ground meat will work well for this recipe. If you have some ground pork, chicken, turkey, or venison around, you can use that instead. Just keep in mind that you won’t have the smoky, spicy flavors you expect with chorizo.
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Chorizo Stuffed Onion Rings
Ingredients
Onion Ring:
- 1.5 lbs Ground Chorizo
- 2-3 Whole Onions ideally yellow or white
- 2 lbs Sliced Bacon
- ¾ cup Cowboy Butter Rub
- 1.5 cups Favorite Spicy BBQ Sauce for glaze
Homemade Queso:
- 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese shredded
- ½ cup Cheddar Cheese shredded
- ½ cup Green Chiles drained
- ½ cup Favorite Light Beer
- 1 tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 1 tbsp All Purpose Flour
- 1/4 cup Heavy Cream
- 1 tsp Cayenne Powder
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
Chorizo:
- Begin by peeling the outside layer of your onions and slicing into 1” thick onion rings. Grab 6-8 of the largest “rings” and inside “rings” to make the outside shape for our chorizo stuffed onion rings.
- Take an outside ring and grab a handful of ground chorizo and place it in the center. Shape the ground chorizo to the outside of the onion then place the smaller inside ring into the ground chorizo to make a “donut” shape.
- Next, wrap bacon around the outside and set on a tray. Repeat these steps until you have all the chorizo stuffed onion rings you like.
- Season all the onion rings with my Cowboy Butter Rub and set in the fridge for 30 minutes to set.
- Preheat your smoker for indirect cooking at 275F. Add some wood chunks or chips for added smoke flavor if you like.
- Add the stuffed onion rings to the smoker to cook for 45-60 minutes or until they are 165F internal. In the last 10 minutes, drizzle your favorite spicy bbq sauce over the top and glaze the onion rings.
- Once the BBQ sauce is “tacky” and the rings are done, pull off and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Serve with queso for dipping on the side and enjoy!
Queso:
- Add a skillet to the grill. Add your butter, flour and cayenne powder to the skillet to melt and mix for 1-2 minutes.
- Once thickened into a paste, slowly add your beer in batches to fully integrate it and let the mixture thicken.
- Once mixed, add your beer, heavy cream, green chiles and all the cheese. Add the cheese in batches if needed. Keep stirring until fully integrated and smooth. Thin out the sauce with more milk if needed.
