Tex Mex
Recipes for the Grill

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Spending much of my childhood in Laredo, Texas, on the Mexican border, great Tex Mex Recipes were as common to me as meatloaf and mashed potatoes are to most other Americans. They were so common, in fact, that we never called it "Tex-Mex" food. It was just dinner.

I have put together some Tex Mex Recipes that have withstood the test of time. They are for the grill but you can always adapt for indoor cooking. You can also adjust the heat level(the spicy kind) to your liking.

Cheese Enchiladas is one of the classic (and maybe the first) Tex Mex recipes. For years Velveeta was the "cheese" of choice because of its long shelf life, but this recipe uses real cheese as its main ingredient.

1 1/2 lbs. shredded mild cheddar cheese
1 small onion, finely chopped
12-16 corn tortillas
1 batch of Enchilada Chili Gravy (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 12" x 9" baking pan. Mix the cheese with the chopped onion. Warm the chili gravy, if cold. Working rather quickly, pick up one tortilla at a time with some tongs, and dip into the chili gravy. On a plate, fill with about 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture, and wrap tightly into a roll. Place it in the baking pan, and do the same with all the tortillas until all are evenly spaced across the pan. Top with the remaining chili gravy spread across the pan. Sprinkle remaining cheese over enchiladas. Place the dish in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the tortillas are nice and hot, and the sauce is bubbly. Immediately sprinkle more cheese on top, if desired. Serve 3 or 4 enchiladas per person with a spatula.

Enchilada Chili Gravy

4 cups beef stock
3 ounces combination of ground dried ancho and New Mexican chiles
1 clove garlic, crushed and minced
1 medium onion, chopped fine
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon masa harina

In a skillet or medium saucepan, saute the onions and garlic until just clear. Add the remaining ingredients, except for the masa harina, and simmer for about 50 minutes, stirring occasionally, and the liquid has slightly thickened.

In a small bowl, mix the masa harina with 2 tablespoons of your chili mixture, until smooth, then add back to the mixture. Stir and simmer for another 10 minutes.

This is from an authentic Recipe for Mexican Steak, and has, over the years, grown into a Texas border favorite.

Steak Tampiquena, Tex-Mex Style

INGREDIENTS:
2-3 thin sliced quality cuts steak
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
1 minced small onion
3 chopped roma tomatoes
2 minced garlic cloves
2 (4 ounce) cans whole green chile peppers (not the chopped ones)
1 tablespoon olive oil
seasoning salt to taste
2-3 slices monterey jack pepper cheese

DIRECTIONS:
Heat olive oil in pan. Saute onion, garlic and tomato for 3 minutes or until tender. Set mixture aside.

Get grill ready to cook.

Cut green chile into long strips and set aside. Sprinkle seasoning salt on both sides of steak.

Place a slice of cheese on top of each steak where you cover the tomato/onion mixture and green chile strips with the cheese.

Grill until steak is done and cheese is melted, about 4 minutes.

This is another of the beef Tex Mex recipes and goes great with just about any grilled side dish.

Pepper Sirloin Steak Recipe

INGREDIENTS:
1 (approx. 3 pound) sirloin steak, 1 1/2 inches thick
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup minced onions
2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

DIRECTIONS:
Lightly slice or score edges of steak 1 inch apart to prevent curling.
Prepare grill.

Combine butter, parsley, onion,& Worcestershire sauce, pepper and mustard in a small sauce pan. Heat, stirring contantly, until butter melts.

Reserve 1/4 butter mixture. Place steak on grill and brush with butter mixture. Cook, basting frequently with butter mixture, about 5-6 minutes per side.

Remove steak and let sit about 10 minutes. Cut thin 1/4" slices across the grain. Sprinkle reserved butter mixture over steak.

I'll be adding many more Tex Mex recipes soon. Check out the links below for more great cooking ideas, and stay current by adding this page to your RSS Feed.

The Classic Tex-Mex Dish...Fajitas. Great Fajita Recipes and More.

Make Easy and Delicious Guacamole.

Try This Unusual Tex-Mex Tradition of Barbacoa.

Put Great Tex-Mex Grilled Food on these Homemade Tortillas.

This Chicken Quesadilla Recipe Starts Off Any Tex-Mex Meal

Head home to Texas Barbeque and leave Tex Mex Recipes.