just a little sidebar, recently instead of el rey ive been buying la norenenze? (not sure of the spelling and i dont have a can at the moment). i found it in unimart and a couple of other places. theyre made in spain and are about the same price as el rey, their cans are yellow and come in two sizes. has anybody else here tried them? i prefer them when eating chorizos alone or with rice since they are much softer and the taste less sharp.

The Payless website is: https://www.paylessmarkets.com/shop

To find the Marca El REy Chorizo on the website, click on the “Care Package” symbol and it is the 4th iten in the list

I found this site by googling “chorizo el rey” because I fell in love with it when I was a little girl in the 70’s and have had periodic bouts of “El Rey mania” since then. I wanted to find out more about the product that has somehow held a special spot on many Filipinos’ palates for several generations now. It’s raved about by first-time-tasters, specified in cookbooks, sought out doggedly when out of stock in one’s usual source, become the object of sudden fanatical cravings whether pregnancy-induced or not, and yes, certainly hoarded –I plead guilty myself =)

Like many people, I’d always assumed it was a Spanish product so I was surprised when I saw the “www.johnmorrell.com” on the vacuum pack just yesterday. It’s…American?! A quick scan of the printed label confirmed it; Armour-Eckrich Meats Cincinnati, OH…U.S. inspected and passed…etc. I moved to a new assumption that the original makers in Spain had sold out to the U.S. company. (It was a flight of fancy of mine as a child that it was it was the centuries-old secret recipe of some aristocratic Spanish family, ergo the high regard held for it here =)) My curiosity piqued, I googled…

Surprise, surprise…what a story unfolding! From the original post (Marketman?), to Ponchit Enrile’s astute and intuitive comment, to Angie’s research, then to Tomas Alcantara’s megawatt lightbulbs-flashing piece, and THEN, Yvette REY’s appearance! This is amazing and almost MYTHICAL!

I hope someone does contact Dr. Soler and Yvette can gather more details about her lolo. Then everything when pieced together and confirmed will be a case of “BRINGING HOME THE, er, SAUSAGE =)

p.s. I think John Morrell’s doing a better job than ConAgra. Around 2004-05, I found El Rey a bit too salty and tough, and the casing was rubbery. Now, it’s just perfect – smooth, balanced flavor, and the casing has a great ‘snap’-even better when done to crispness. Sigh…
p.p.s. Ponchit, baka naman you’d like to share your chorizo recipe =)
p.p.p.s. Thanks to this site’s owner – it made my morning! Cheers!

What was the name of your grandfather? Your story seems to tie-up with what I remember of what I was told of the Chorizo story. It might be an idea for us to see if there is a link. The fact that your grandfather lived in California, the “El Rey” link; and that his chorizos were manufactured in factories in Madera and Los Angeles (Cudahy City is part of Los Angeles county) are just too close for us not to consider this possibility. Please post a return or email me directly.

I will try to send you a picture of the Marca El Rey can. Send me your email address.

My grandfather who lived in Madera, Ca had a started a buisness called “EL Rey Corizo” from what I understand. There was a factory in Madera and Los Angeles.After he passed away the buisness apperantly was sold…Same product?? Or at least the orgins of it? I have never even seen the packaging of it..If anyone has any info it’d be greatly appreciated.