A traditional Yucatecan sausage — Longaniza de Valladolid is the peninsula’s most famous embutido, a rustic pork sausage stained red with achiote and scented with garlic, clove and sour orange. It comes from the colonial city of Valladolid, where it is grilled over coals and eaten with tortillas, more sour orange and habanero salsa. Charred at the edges and juicy within, it is street food at its best.
Longaniza de Valladolid
A traditional Yucatecan sausage — Longaniza de Valladolid is the peninsula’s most famous embutido, a rustic pork sausage stained red with achiote and scented with garlic, clove and sour orange.

Step by stepInstructions
- Grind the pork through a medium plate, or ask your butcher to do it.
- Stir the achiote, sour orange juice, vinegar, garlic, pepper, cloves, oregano and salt into the meat and knead until the paste is evenly worked through and the mixture feels slightly sticky.
- Cover and rest the mixture in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or overnight for deeper flavor.
- Stuff the mixture into hog casings and twist into 6-inch (15 cm) links, or simply shape it into thick sausages without casings.
- Grill the links over medium-high heat, turning often, for 12 to 15 minutes, until browned, charred in spots and cooked through.
- Serve hot with sour orange halves to squeeze over, habanero salsa and warm tortillas.
💡 Chef tips & storage
The achiote is what gives the sausage its famous brick-red color — do not skip it. If you skip the casings, chill the shaped sausages for 30 minutes so they hold together on the grill.

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