Smoke-Chem BBQ
Smoking Fanatic
With the new crop starting to arrive, I need to clear out last year's frozen peppers. And I was due to make quesadillas!
I'd found an interesting selection in the beef section at the local supermarket: T-bone steak tails. I'd never encountered such a thing, but they looked good, and the price was much lower than anything else with T-bone on the label. I cooked half as steak, with nothing but Montreal seasoning, while the rest, destined to go into the quesadillas, I coated with commercial taco seasoning. These cooked fast, and the flavor and tenderness was just incredible.
Next I put down a layer of shredded cheddar on a 12" flour tortilla, and topped with dollops of red salsa, and chopped hatch chilis that I had roasted and peeled before freezing. On top of that, I added chunks of the steak, chopped onions, and some black olives. Finally I added more salsa, and another layer of cheese. Yep, I tend to overstuff my quesadillas. For the top cheese layer I used another new find at the grocery store: Tillamook Spicy Mexican Blend. It's good stuff, the only reason I didn't use it top and bottom is because I already knew the chilis were very spicy, and I didn't want to overdo it.
The quesadilla was gently slipped onto a hot, oiled grill grate, and cooked with the lid down until the lower tortilla started to brown and the cheese was fairly well melted. Then it was carefully flipped once. I've cooked my share of quesadillas in a covered skillet, but I like the grill better as it seems to heat the top faster, melting the cheese top and bottom before the quesadilla needs to be flipped. If that top cheese isn't melted to stick down the top tortilla, flipping the quesadilla can get messy. Once it comes off of the grill, I give it a few minutes rest to let the contents start to set up, then cut with a pizza cutter, which seems to cause less squeeze-out of ingredients than cutting with a knife. Another trick that makes overstuffed quesadillas more manageable.
I served with fresh guacamole and some pickled Serrano peppers I'd made, sour cream, and more red salsa--arranged as in the Mexican tricolor flag. No leftovers!
I'd found an interesting selection in the beef section at the local supermarket: T-bone steak tails. I'd never encountered such a thing, but they looked good, and the price was much lower than anything else with T-bone on the label. I cooked half as steak, with nothing but Montreal seasoning, while the rest, destined to go into the quesadillas, I coated with commercial taco seasoning. These cooked fast, and the flavor and tenderness was just incredible.
Next I put down a layer of shredded cheddar on a 12" flour tortilla, and topped with dollops of red salsa, and chopped hatch chilis that I had roasted and peeled before freezing. On top of that, I added chunks of the steak, chopped onions, and some black olives. Finally I added more salsa, and another layer of cheese. Yep, I tend to overstuff my quesadillas. For the top cheese layer I used another new find at the grocery store: Tillamook Spicy Mexican Blend. It's good stuff, the only reason I didn't use it top and bottom is because I already knew the chilis were very spicy, and I didn't want to overdo it.
The quesadilla was gently slipped onto a hot, oiled grill grate, and cooked with the lid down until the lower tortilla started to brown and the cheese was fairly well melted. Then it was carefully flipped once. I've cooked my share of quesadillas in a covered skillet, but I like the grill better as it seems to heat the top faster, melting the cheese top and bottom before the quesadilla needs to be flipped. If that top cheese isn't melted to stick down the top tortilla, flipping the quesadilla can get messy. Once it comes off of the grill, I give it a few minutes rest to let the contents start to set up, then cut with a pizza cutter, which seems to cause less squeeze-out of ingredients than cutting with a knife. Another trick that makes overstuffed quesadillas more manageable.
I served with fresh guacamole and some pickled Serrano peppers I'd made, sour cream, and more red salsa--arranged as in the Mexican tricolor flag. No leftovers!
