Chef Tom fires up the Napoleon Phantom 500 gas grill for his Queso Fundido (or Queso Flameado) with Salsa Ranchera, utilizing a creative technique for for creating a broiling inside the grill!
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Using the griddle as an improvised broiler: Placing a cast iron griddle directly above the cheese skillet turns the grill's rear burner into a broiler, browning the top of the queso while the bottom melts from below — a setup a standard grill couldn't otherwise achieve.
- Charring the salsa vegetables before blending: Roasting the tomatoes, onion, and jalapeños on the grates first builds smoky depth into the salsa ranchera that blending them raw would never produce.
- Steaming the roasted poblanos in a sealed bag: Charring the peppers, then bagging them to steam loosens the blackened skin, so it peels away cleanly, leaving smoky flesh without bitterness.
- Finishing two ways — chorizo topping or a flambé: Topping the melted cheese with the chorizo mixture or igniting high-proof alcohol for a flambé lets you choose between a heartier finish or a dramatic tableside presentation, using the exact same base.
Queso Fundido/Queso Flameado with Salsa Ranchera
Tom Jackson
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Category
Main Course
Cuisine
American
Servings
2
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Calories
1061
Chef Tom's perfected technique helps you to craft delicious Queso Fundido and Salsa Ranchera with ease. Unleash the BBQ chef in you take your grilling game to the next level.
Ingredients
- 8 oz Oaxaca Cheese, shredded very fine or broken down in food processor
- 8 oz Chihuahua Cheese, shredded very fine or broken down in food processor
- 2 poblano peppers
- 9 oz chorizo
- 1/2 white onion, sliced thin
-
Cattleman’s Grill 8 Second Ride Carne Asada Seasoning
-
Pork Fat Flour Tortillas (RECIPE HERE)
- High proof grain alcohol, for flambe (optional)
- 4 medium tomatoes (1 1/2 lb)
- 1/2 medium white onion
- 2 jalapeños
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed, peeled
- 1/4 cup cilantro, minced
-
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
-
Noble Saltworks Hickory Smoked Salt
Salsa Ranchera: y: 2.5 cups
Directions
- Preheat your Napoleon Phantom 500 with the two center burners over high heat, and the outside burners over low heat. Place a Napoleon Reversible Cast Iron Griddle on the second shelf of the grill, length-wise, directly in front of the rear infrared burner. Ignite the rear infrared burner and place at medium heat.
- Place the poblano peppers, tomatoes, 1/2 white onion and jalapeños on the grates, in the center of the grill.
- Roast the tomatoes and onion until they are slightly charred and beginning to softened. Remove and transfer the tomatoes to pitcher of a Vitamix blender. Chop the onion and add to the blender.
- Roast the jalapeños and poblanos until charred on all sides. Transfer to a zip-top bag or other closed container. Let steam for about 10 minutes. Remove from the bag. Slice off the stems. Slice open the pepper and remove the seeds. Peel the skins from the flesh. Place the jalapeños in the blender for the salsa. Save the poblanos for topping the queso fudido, later.
- Add to the blender the remaining salsa ingredients - the garlic, cilantro, Worcestershire and Noble Saltworks Hickory Smoked Salt. Blend to desired consistency. Taste and adjust salt level as needed.
- Preheat a Finex 12” Cast Iron Skillet over high heat on the side burner of the grill. Add the chorizo and the 1/2 thin sliced onion. Season with Cattleman’s Grill 8 Second Ride Carne Asada Seasoning. Cook until the liquid has reduced out, chorizo is browning and onions are softened. Remove from heat.
- While the chorizo cooks, combine the Oaxaca and Chihuahua cheeses in a Fine 10” Cast Iron Skillet. Mix well and season with Cattleman’s Grill 8 Second Ride Carne Asada Seasoning. Place on the cooking grate, in the center of the grill and directly underneath the cast iron griddle. The griddle will act as a broiler and brown the top of the cheese. You may need to adjust the heat levels of the rear and main burners to get the most even melting from top and bottom. When the cheese is browned and bubbling, remove from the grill.
- Top the Queso Fundido with the chorizo mixture and roasted poblanos or top with the alcohol and ignite to flambe, for “Queso Flameado.” Either way, have warm flour tortillas on hand to scoop the cheese mixture into. Serve immediately.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why use a cast iron griddle positioned above the cheese instead of just melting it on the grates?
Placing the griddle directly above the cheese skillet turns the grill's rear burner into an improvised broiler, browning the top of the queso while the bottom melts from below — something a standard single-heat-source setup couldn't achieve on its own.
Why char the tomatoes, onion, and jalapeños before blending them into the salsa?
Roasting the vegetables on the grates first builds smoky depth into the salsa ranchera that blending the same ingredients raw would never produce.
Why steam the roasted poblanos in a sealed bag before peeling them?
Bagging the charred peppers to steam for about 10 minutes loosens the blackened skin, so it peels away cleanly, leaving smoky, tender flesh behind without any bitterness from the char.
Why offer two finishing options — chorizo topping or flambé?
Both use the exact same melted cheese base; topping with chorizo gives a heartier dish, while igniting the alcohol for "Queso Flameado" adds a dramatic tableside presentation. Either way, the queso underneath is identical.
What internal temperature should the chorizo actually reach?
This recipe says to cook it "until browning" without stating a target temperature. As a pork-based sausage, chorizo needs to reach a minimum internal temperature of 160°F to be safe — check with an instant-read thermometer rather than relying on color alone.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
3 out of 5 — the salsa vegetables can be charred under a broiler and the chorizo cooked on the stovetop; replicating the grill's improvised griddle-as-broiler setup for browning the cheese top is the trickiest part to recreate indoors.
Recipe Highlights
Griddle-as-broiler setup: Browns the cheese top while it melts from below.
Charred salsa base: Builds smoky depth beyond a raw-blended salsa.
Bag-steamed poblanos: Makes the blackened skin easy to peel cleanly.
Dual finishing options: Chorizo topping or flambé from the same cheese base.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 32.11 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 1061
- Carbs
- 29 grams
- Protein
- 80 grams
- Fat
- 69 grams
- Sodium
- 2422 milligrams
