Smoked Empanadas
Smoked Empanadas
Ingredients
- 1-2 Lbs Smoked Beef Any Kind of Steak Works
- 3 Potatoes
- 4 Eggs
- 1 Red Bell Pepper
- 1 Onion
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 2 tsp Paprika
- 1/2 tsp Chili Powder
- 1 tsp Oregano
- 1 tsp Parsley
- 2 tsp Lemon or Lime Juice
- 18-24 Tapas Para Empanadas Found in Most Mexican Markets
Instructions
- Cook the steak however you would like. Use a simple beef rub, or just salt, pepper, and garlic. I usually reverse sear the steak to medium rare. Let the steak rest for at least 10 minutes, then slice into small chunks. In a large pot, boil the eggs for about 10-12 minutes. Cut the potatoes into a few chunks and boil them until they are fork tender. I usually just boil the potatoes and eggs at the same time.
- When the eggs are done boiling, put them in a bowl of ice water to stop them from cooking, and to cool them down. When the potatoes are done, drain them, and let them cool down to room temperature.
- Dice the onion and the red bell pepper. Heat the frying pan up on medium heat with about 1 Tbsp of olive oil, and throw the onions and peppers in. Add the salt, black pepper, paprika, chili powder, oregano, lemon juice, and parsley. Cook on medium heat until the onions start to turn slightly transparent. Remove from the heat and let cool.
- Peel the hard boiled eggs, and chop them into small chunks. Chop the potatoes into small chunks. In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs, potatoes, onions, peppers, and beef. Stir them until the mixtures looks evenly incorporated. Preheat your oven or smoker to 350-375 degrees F.
- Place one of the empanada wrappers in the palm of your hand. With you other hand, put about 1 spoonful of the mixture from the bowl in the middle of the empanada wrapper. With your free hand, close the empanada and seal all of the edges. Fold one of the corners over itself and continue to fold the edge over itself until the sealed edge looks like it is braided or twisted. Alternately you can seal the edges like a pie crust by pinching them. Just make sure the edges are sealed so you nothing leaks out when they are baking. Don’t use water on the edges, like you would with a wonton or egg roll wrapper. Water causes the edges to not be able to stick together.
- Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place the empanadas on the baking sheet. Bake the empanadas in the oven or smoker for 25-30 minutes, or until the tops start to turn slightly golden brown. Remove, and enjoy! Be careful when eating the empanadas, as they are piping hot inside.
Blog Post
This is one of those really unique recipes, that I can’t get enough of. A lot of different countries have empanadas, but I learned to make them in Argentina. Some countries make them sweet, and others make them savory. Argentina makes them savory.
In Argentina, they have a lot of pride for their beef industry. Internationally they are often known as the beef capitol of the world. When I lived there, I got to eat beef in so many different ways. They are the melting pot of South America, with a strong Italian, and German influence. Luckily for me, it gave me great access to a ton of amazing dishes. I never would have imagined that some of the best Italian food I would eat in my life, would be in South America.
One of the foods that Argentina is most well known for, is the empanada. If you have never heard of them before, they are basically hot pockets on steroids. You can put just about anything you can imagine into an empanada, but my favorite was always the beef empanada. My favorite beef empanadas came with onion, red bell pepper, and hard boiled eggs. All of these ingredients together may seem weird, but when they are mixed together and baked into a delicious, savory pastry wrapper they are invincible.
In Argentina they love their high quality beef so much, that they only season it with salt, and maybe a bit of lemon. The lemon industry down there is strong as well, so they know how to play the citrus game. When I developed this recipe, I wanted to create a fusion of those amazing Argentine flavors, while incorporating some cooking techniques I have learned here in the States.
For the beef, I picked up a simple London Broil steak. I seasoned the steak with my signature beef dry rub, then smoked and reverse seared it. It came out about medium to medium rare. After it was done cooking, I sliced it into small pieces and threw it in with the rest of these amazing ingredients. If you are a paprika fan, this is a recipe that you will love!
Sealing the edges of the empanada is kind of an art. Fill the wrapper, then fold the edges together to create a half circle. Start from a corner and fold it in and continue to fold the edge over itself all along the edges of the empanada until the outside looks like it is braided. There are a lot of different folds you can use, but this is my favorite. Another option is to pinch the edges just like a pie crust. As long as you seal the edges, you are good to go!
I really hope you enjoy this recipe. It is a family favorite, and it takes me back to my days in Argentina. Enjoy!