Beef Molcajete {with Veggies} Made on the Grill

A steaming beef molcajete filled with salsa, grilled flank steak, grilled zucchini, green onions, poblanos and panela cheese is a crowd favorite.

Perfect for summer entertaining, a beef molcajete is served with plenty of warm tortillas, rice, and beans.

Talk about wowing your guests! My beef molcajete presentation alone will have your guests ready to dig in. From grill to table my beef molcajete is the perfect feast to enjoy outside. I’m excited to be partnering with Beef Loving Texans to share a new recipe.

Preparation for this recipe begins by creating an easy marinade that will be used to flavor both flank steak and vegetable. Marinating beef is an easy and tasty way to make cuts like flank steak or skirt steak the star of your backyard cookout and stretch your outdoor entertaining budget.

The marinade is made with olive oil, soy sauce, fresh lime juice, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and pepper.

The marinade is drizzled over the flank steak and vegetables then allowed to marinate in the fridge.

WHAT IS A MOLCAJETE

Molcajete, is a pre-Hispanic mortar and pestle made from volcanic stone used in Mexican cooking. The name hails from the Aztec word meaning seasoning. Made from volcanic stone the rough surface helps when blending, breaking down ingredients with the tejolote easier.

A Molcajete contains two pieces, one the molcajete/mortar and two the tejolote/pestle. Ingredients are ground by pressing down with the tejolote in a circular motion until finely ground. Before you  first use a molcajete, make sure to cure or season the molcajete by grinding rice with the tejolote. The seasoning process helps to smooth out the molcajete and remove any grit/debris from production. 

A Molcajete is used to make salsa, sauces, guacamole and to blend pastes for cooking.

Molcajetes are lovingly passed down from parent to child and used to cook recipes passed down through the family’s generations.

My mami gifted me my Abuelito’s molcajete. It is my most treasured kitchen piece. His molcajete sits on my kitchen island, filled with garlic. I plan to gift this treasured piece to my eldest daughter.

TIPS ON HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE

Slice your vegetables and panela on the thicker side for easier grilling.

I grill panela last as it cooks quickly, and  you do not want it to burn.

You can easily make this recipe indoors using a grill pan. Place your molcajete in a 350° F oven for 10 minutes.

The marinade can easily be doubled or tripled to feed a crowd.

SUBSTITUTIONS FOR THIS RECIPE

For my beef molcajete I used flank steak, feel free to use any cut of beef you enjoy grilling. Find great info on beef cuts here from Beef Loving Texans.

I grilled poblanos, yellow squash and green onions for this recipe. You can easily swap out bell peppers for poblanos, zucchini for yellow squash and nopales for green onions.

I had homemade salsa on-hand for this recipe, but your favorite store-bought jarred salsa works just as well. Find my recipe for arbol salsa, salsa verde or salsa de chile chilaca that would work great also.

I’m excited to be partnering with Beef Loving Texans to share with you tasty grilling recipes to have you entertaining like a pro in no time. So far, I have shared steaks with salsa macha, pasilla short ribs and carne asada chilaquiles verdes.

Visit www.beeflovingtexans.com for more recipes and inspiration.

More tasty recipe with Beef Loving Texas:

Cumin Lime Ground Beef Tostadas

Carne Asada Chilaquiles Verdes

Beef Pozole Rojo

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Beef Molcajete

A steaming beef molcajete filled with salsa, grilled flank steak, grilled zucchini, green onions, poblanos and panela cheese is a crowd favorite.

Author: Vianney Rodriguez

Ingredients

• 1 molcajete
• 1 pound flank steak
• 2 yellow squash sliced lengthwise
• 2 poblanos halved and seeds removed
• 1 bunch green onions washed and trimmed
• 1 pkg 8 ounce panela cheese, sliced thick
• 2 cups salsa
• ½ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup fresh lime juice
• 2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

1. Combine olive oil, soy sauce, lime juice, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir until well combined.
2. Place sliced vegetables and panel cheese on a platter, drizzle with half the marinade, turn to coat.
3. Place flank steak on a platter, drizzle with remaining marinade, turn to coat.
4. Cover both platter with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
5. Heat grill to high.
6. Grill flank steak about 5-7 minutes per side or until instant thermometer reaches 145 F internal temperature for medium rare. Remove from grill, cover with foil, and allow to rest while you grill vegetables and panela cheese.
7. Carefully place vegetables on grill. Grill for 2 minutes on each side, place on platter and cover with foil.
8. Place panela on grill and grill for 20 seconds, one each side. Place on platter along with vegetables.
9. Carefully place molcajete on grill. Allow to heat for 5- 8 minutes.
10. While molcajete heats through, slice flank steak.
11. Carefully remove molcajete from grill. Pour salsa into molcajete. Arrange grilled vegetables and panela in molcajete then add sliced flank steak, pour additional salsa if desired.
12. Serve with warm flour or corn tortillas, beans, and rice.

Recipe Notes

Serves 4