Asado Steak Empanadas

Name: Asado Steak Empanadas
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 9
Cuisine: Argentinian
Ingredients: 1 1/2 lb Creekstone Farms Prime Outside Skirt Steak; 1 cup Sweetwater Spice Tres Chiles Bath; 1 cup water; Cattleman’s Grill Road House Seasoning; 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil; 1/2 cup yellow onion, small dice; 1/2 cup red bell pepper, small dice; 1 tsp dried oregano; 1 tsp chicken stock; 1/4 cup green olives, chopped; 1 lb frozen puff pastry, cut into 9 squares; 1/4 cup mayonnaise; 1/4 cup sour cream; 2 tbsp 505 Fire Roasted Green Chiles, Medium; 1 1/2 tsp red wine vinegar

May 28, 2024 • Tom Jackson

Gather around and enjoy these delicious Steak Empanadas, perfect for sharing with friends and family. This recipe serves nine and features juicy Creekstone Farms Prime Outside Skirt Steak marinated in Sweetwater Spice Tres Chiles Bath for a burst of flavor. After marinating, the steak is seasoned with Cattleman’s Grill Road House Seasoning and grilled to a perfect medium-rare. The savory filling is a delightful mix of chopped steak, sautéed onions, bell peppers, oregano, chicken stock, and green olives, all wrapped in golden, flaky puff pastry squares. Pair these empanadas with a homemade Green Chile Crema made from mayonnaise, sour cream, fire-roasted green chiles, and red wine vinegar for an extra kick. Perfect for any gathering, these empanadas are sure to bring warmth and joy to your table.

WHAT YOU'LL LOVE

Grilled skirt steak as the filling base, not ground beef: Using Sweetwater Spice Tres Chiles-marinated Prime Outside Skirt Steak, grilled to medium-rare and then chopped, gives the filling a texture and flavor depth that ground beef empanadas can't match — each bite has actual steak character rather than a uniform mince.
Puff pastry instead of traditional dough — a genuine shortcut that works: Store-bought frozen puff pastry squares produce a flaky, golden, layered crust that takes minutes to assemble and bakes directly on the grill at 425°F. The pastry's lamination creates a crispier exterior than homemade empanada dough typically achieves without the technical skill required.
Green olives in the filling are the Argentinian detail that elevates it: Chopped green olives are a traditional ingredient in Argentine empanadas that most American versions omit. They add a briny, savory note that cuts through the richness of the beef and puff pastry — their absence would make this taste like a generic steak turnover.
The Green Chile Crema is four ingredients and takes two minutes: Whisking mayonnaise, sour cream, 505 fire-roasted green chiles, and red wine vinegar produces a bright, creamy dipping sauce that's genuinely better than anything out of a bottle and requires zero cooking.

Asado Steak Empanadas

Tom Jackson

Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users

Cuisine

Argentinian

Servings

9

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

45 minutes

Calories

1022

Welcome to a recipe that brings a touch of heat and Argentenian charm to your table: Steak Empanadas. Using 1 1/2 pounds of Creekstone Farms Prime Outside Skirt Steak, marinated in Sweetwater Spice Tres Chiles Bath, these empanadas are a flavorful delight. The steak is grilled to perfection, then mixed with sautéed yellow onions, red bell peppers, oregano, chicken stock, and green olives. Wrapped in flaky puff pastry squares, these empanadas are golden and crispy on the outside, with a savory, tender filling. Pair them with a zesty Green Chile Crema made from mayonnaise, sour cream, fire-roasted green chiles, and red wine vinegar. These are perfect for sharing.

Print Recipe

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb Creekstone Farms Prime Outside Skirt Steak
1 cup Sweetwater Spice Tres Chiles Bath
1 cup water
Cattleman’s Grill Road House Seasoning
1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 cup yellow onion, small dice
1/2 cup red bell pepper, small dice
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp chicken stock
1/4 cup green olives, chopped
1 lb frozen puff pastry, cut into 9 squares

Green Chile Crema

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tbsp 505 Fire Roasted Green Chiles, Medium
1 1/2 tsp red wine vinegar

View Cart (0) Checkout

Directions

Trim excess fat from the surface of the skirt steak. Place them in a Mini Briner Bucket, then add the Sweetwater Spice Tres Chiles Bath and water and massage into the meat. Let marinate for one hour inside the fridge.
Remove the steak from the bag and dab the surface with paper towels. Season the steak with Cattleman’s Grill Road House Seasoning.
Preheat your Yoder Smoker YS640s Pellet Grill to 500ºF with the diffuser door removed and GrillGrates installed. Cook for roughly five minutes on each side until the internal temperature reaches 125ºF. Remove from the grill and let rest for 5 minutes.
Place the diffuser door into the grill, install the second shelf and turn the temperature down to 425ºF.
Chop the steak into small pieces.
On an induction burner, preheat a Lodge 10" Steel Skillet over medium heat. Cook onions and peppers in extra virgin olive oil until translucent. Add the chicken stock and olives. Cook until the liquid is almost entirely reduced.
Add the chopped beef to the vegetable mixture and mix well.
Whisk the egg.
Take your puff pastry and slice into nine equal sized squares.
Place 1/4 cup of filling on each square of pastry. Egg wash the edges of the pastry. Fold the dough over filling and press to seal. Score the tops of the empanadas a few times with a sharp knife to create vents. Egg wash the tops, then sprinkle a little more Cattleman’s Grill Road House Seasoning.
Bake until the pastry is cooked through and browned, about 45-50 minutes.
Mix the ingredients for the crema and serve on the side for dipping.

Recipe Note

Recipe FAQ

What is the history behind Argentinian empanadas?
The origins of Argentinian empanadas trace back to the arrival of Spanish colonizers in the 16th century, who brought the concept of meat-filled pastries to the New World. These early empanadas were influenced by the Spanish tradition, itself a fusion of Iberian and Moorish culinary practices. In Argentina, empanadas quickly became a staple, adapting to local ingredients and regional flavors — the empanadas of Salta are known for their spicy beef filling, while those from Tucumán often feature beef, hard-boiled eggs, and olives. Today, empanadas are a cultural icon enjoyed at festivals, family gatherings, and as a hand-held snack across the country.

Why use puff pastry instead of traditional empanada dough?
Traditional empanada dough requires mixing, kneading, resting, and rolling — a significant time investment. Frozen puff pastry squares are a streamlined substitute that produces a flaky, laminated crust with excellent texture and a golden color that's visually close to the baked Argentine original. The trade-off is a slightly richer, butterier crust rather than the more neutral traditional dough, which pairs well with the savory beef and olive filling.

Can I use a different cut of beef?
Yes — flank steak or flat iron are the closest substitutes to skirt steak in terms of grain and cook time at high heat. Both work well with the Sweetwater Spice Tres Chiles marinade. Avoid thick cuts like ribeye or strip, which don't chop as cleanly into a fine filling texture. Whatever cut you use, cook to medium-rare (125°F) before chopping, as the filling cooks further during the 45-minute bake.

How do I keep the empanadas from leaking during baking?
Two steps matter: don't overfill (¼ cup of filling per square is the maximum), and seal the egg-washed edges firmly by pressing with a fork rather than just pinching. Scoring the tops with a knife to create steam vents also prevents the pastry from bursting at the seams during baking — steam that can't escape will push through the weakest point, usually the edge seal.

Can I make these ahead of time?
Yes — assemble and seal the unbaked empanadas, place on a parchment-lined sheet pan, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before baking. Egg wash and season just before going into the oven. The baked empanadas also reheat well in a 375°F oven for 10–12 minutes — avoid microwaving, which makes the puff pastry soggy.

Can I make this indoors?
3 out of 5 — Works indoors with adjustments. The filling, assembly, and baking are entirely indoor-friendly; the oven at 425°F produces identical puff pastry results to the pellet grill. The one meaningful loss is the GrillGrate sear on the skirt steak — a cast iron skillet over high heat gets close but won't replicate the char marks and ambient smoke from the 500°F grill setup.

Recipe Highlights

Marinate the skirt steak a full hour — no shortcuts: The Sweetwater Spice Tres Chiles Bath needs the full hour to penetrate the grain of the skirt steak and deliver the chile flavor into the meat rather than just coating the surface. A 15-minute soak seasons only the exterior; an hour produces flavor that carries through every chopped piece of the filling.
Grill the steak to 125°F only — it will cook further in the empanada: The steak reaches medium-rare at 125°F internal, which is intentionally underdone at this stage. During the 45-minute bake at 425°F, the chopped filling continues cooking inside the pastry. Grilling to 135°F or beyond before chopping produces overcooked, dry beef in the finished empanada.
Reduce the filling liquid almost completely before assembling: Directions Step 6 calls for cooking the chicken stock and olive mixture until the liquid is "almost entirely reduced." Wet filling creates steam inside the empanada that softens the bottom pastry layer and makes the sealed edges harder to keep closed. A properly reduced filling holds its shape on the pastry square without pooling.
Score the tops before egg-washing, not after: The directions score the pastry tops before applying the final egg wash. Scoring after the egg wash pulls at the surface and creates ragged, uneven vents rather than clean cuts. Score first, then brush egg wash over the scored surface for a clean, even finish.