Let’s Make Enchiladas – Cast Iron Recipe

Beer and Iron’s “Let’s Make Enchiladas” Recipe

Need a great Enchilada Sauce? Here’s Sulae’s Red Enchilada Beer Sauce – Salsa De Cerveza Recipe: https://beerandiron.com/sulaes-red-enchilada-beer-sauce-salsa-de-cerveza

This is the recipe I use when I am making enchiladas with flour tortillas. When I use corn tortillas, I usually create a casserole-like dish that we all can scoop the goodness out and into our bowls.

For my enchiladas, I usually go with my ~14-Inch, BSR skillet (here’s the story behind that special skillet: https://beerandiron.com/rusty-cast-iron-on-a-cedar-fence-a-story/). I have also created this in my 12” Cast Iron skillet and everything fits but a bit more tightly. Smaller tortillas work well in the 12-inch and the 10-inch. I have made this in my 9” x 13” cast iron casserole pan, but have found that my larger skillet works perfectly. Lodge makes a 15-inch cast iron masterpiece that works very well with this recipe too…and it’ll allow for a bit more separation of the enchiladas (or the addition of one or two more). I am presenting this recipe as being prepared in my cast iron skillet rather than a casserole pan because more folks have a cast iron skillet rather than a cast iron casserole pan.

You’ll use about eight 8-inch flour tortillas in a 14-inch or a 9” x 13” cast iron pan. The number of enchiladas you’ll make is not limited to eight. The number depends on how much goodness you’ve packed into each tortilla and how tightly you’ve packed them…as well as the size of your pan.

There’s so many ways to create enchiladas. Consider this method to be the easy and quick template for your any-which-way-you-want-to method.

First, let’s cover a few tid-bits of information that will help you not only create these enchiladas but set you up for future enchilada creations.

This is my final recipe after many, many, many dinners of enchiladas. Have I gotten tired of eating enchiladas? ¡No way José!

The Meat

Some chefs have gotten used to saying “protein” when referring to the meat in an ingredient. I am just not there yet and will keep on calling it “meat.” Maybe that’s what they’ve always called meat…protein. Yes, meat is a protein but…well…heck y’all. I’ll stick with “meat.”

Really and truly, any meat will do. I will be creating these enchiladas from a coffee-crusted pork roast we low-and-slow’d in the oven this past weekend. I’ll often create a large roast for any number of quick and easy weeknight recipes. And why is that? Why do we need quick and easy recipes? Cause of work, right? Dang old job sucks the life out of a day and cuts the evening short. But, then again…there’s no food if there’s no job. Anyway, there is one thing worse than having a job…looking for a job.

If you want to learn how to create this coffee-crusted pork roast, here’s the link: https://beerandiron.com/beef-brined-coffee-crusted-pork-roast/

Again, any meat will work in this recipe. Meat from a whole, roasted chicken, chicken breast, meat from a roast beef, ground beef, ground turkey, left over Thanksgiving turkey, or just any other meat you’ve already got cooked or on hand.

For this recipe, we will start with a fully cooked, coffee-crusted pork roast.

The Cheese

I don’t believe I’ve ever met an Enchilada without its fair share of cheese. Hot and gooey cheese really brings this recipe to life. It’s easy enough to just open a bag of shredded cheese and use the pre-shredded goodness in and on your enchiladas.

Though I have no “beef” with cheese manufacturers in putting wood pulp in with the shredded cheese; that cellulose kinda messes up the ooey gooey, meltable awesomeness of the cheese. I am not one to oppose using bagged-up shredded cheese in or on any of my recipes (and often do). For the most part, I prefer shredding from a block of cheese.

Here’s the video on how to create Sulae’s Red Enchilada Beer Sauce – Salsa De Cerveza Recipe:

The Cast Iron

I worked on this recipe for a good long while and tried a few things to get it just right. My biggest challenge is creating this recipe with flour tortillas that do not turn out chewy AND don’t stick to my pan.

Sticking to the pan is an issue with flour tortillas…they are made from flour…flour tortillas stick to everything…including each other. I tried parchment paper in the bottom of my pan. That was a huge mess. I would avoid that.

I’ve seen others pre-fry the tortilla and this works perfectly. My biggest problem is the fat…sorry to say…I just don’t like how the tortilla soaks up that oil. Then that leaves me with a trade-off…they may not be oily and fatty, but they will be a bit more chewy and they may stick.

I add my freshly-rolled enchiladas to a very hot, oiled pan to “toast” and seal a bit to keep from sticking as they heat up and initially “sweat.” Flour tortillas stick!

You can manage the stickage by pre-frying or skilleting the flour tortillas before rolling them. However, if you fry them too crispy, they’ll break apart when you try to roll them. A good, in-the-middle crisping (just when they start to blister in the oil) of the flour tortillas is a good idea to keep them from sticking and being so chewy and troublesome to cut. If you do pre-fry your tortillas, you need to make sure they are under the oil completely and not being pan-fried or pan-toasted.

Or…to keep it simple…you can create this recipe by just using room-temperature flour tortillas, filling them, rolling them, and placing them in the pan, pot, or skillet. They may stick…they may not cut easily with a fork…they may fall apart when you serve them to the plate. They WILL be delicious all the same.

Me? I have come to rely on setting the freshly-rolled enchiladas to a very hot cast iron skillet. This “toasts” the flour tortilla and set it up NOT TO STICK! I want my meal to “stick to my ribs,” not to my cast iron.

Supplies You May Need (Affiliate Links)

Equipment

Cheese Shredder

Colander to drain and rinse the black beans

Cutting board for the peppers, onions, and cilantro or the parsley.

Knife

Ingredients

8 Eight-Inch Flour Tortillas

About a pint or two of the Salsa De Cerveza (Enchilada Sauce).

2 Cans of Black Beans – Drained and Rinsed

2 Small 4-ounce Cans of Green Chilies (or one 7-ounce can – I like fire roasted)

1 ½ to 3 Pounds of Meat (We’ll be using Coffee-Crusted Pork)

3 Cups of Shredded Cheese (separated 1 cup and 2 cups).

1-2 Chopped Green Peppers (optional – separated half and half – we’ll add half to the filling and half to the top for color and flavor). I use either an Anaheim, Poblano, or a Green Bell Pepper. I will add the pepper pieces to the enchiladas themselves. And, THEY WILL NOT FULLY COOK. That’s what I enjoy.

½ Diced onion (optional)

Some finely chopped cilantro or parsley. My wife does not care for cilantro and we’ll use parsley in this enchilada recipe.

Sour Cream (optional)

With cooked meat and at-the-ready enchilada sauce, this recipe will be prepped and in the oven faster than Speedy Gonzalez running away from Sylvester.

Time To Cook

Preparation

Step 1: Take a cast iron skillet and place it in the oven at 450°F (about 235°C).

Step 2: Chop the meat into small pieces that will be easy to spread onto the tortilla and roll up. Add the meat to a large bowl capable of holding all of your ingredients and enough head space to allow for mixing.

Step 3: Open, drain, and rinse your black beans in the colander. Add them to the bowl of chopped meat.

Step 4: Open the 2 cans of green chilies to the bowl of meat and beans…liquid and all.

Step 5: Shred your cheese and separate out 1 cup and add the 1 cup of cheese to the meat, beans, and green chilis. Set 2 cups aside for your topping.

Step 6: Dice the ½ onion and chop the pepper(s). Add them to the bowl of the ingredients.

Step 7: Mix everything in the bowl together very well and set it nearby and handy for grabbing handfuls of the mixture to fill the tortillas and creating the enchiladas.

Step 8: Set out your flour tortillas and have them ready for rolling. Give them a once-over to make sure none of the tortillas are stuck together.

Mixing all of the ingredients is optional; you could just add one-by-one. I prefer to mix it all together and expect some leftovers to add to omelet for tomorrow’s breakfast, make a quick fold over soft taco for a snack or quick lunch, or whatever I decide.

Construction

Step 9: Remove the hot cast iron skillet from the oven and reduce the heat to 350°F / 175°C (don’t forget to turn the oven down). I put the skillet on the stove top and keep the heat under that skillet on about medium-low to low. Add a bit of butter or oil to the skillet.

Step 10: Stack your flour tortillas and make sure they all separate freely (you know how those things like to stick to each other in the package).

Step 12: Simply using your hand, place a bit of filling into the flour tortilla’s center in a line like the equator of the Earth (along the center diameter for you math folks). Don’t fill them too full…or too little. Roll one side up and over then the other side back over to secure(ish).

Step 13: Place the rolled enchilada folded side-down into the hot, oiled skillet. Then, roll another enchilada. Keep filling, rolling, and placing until your skillet or pan is full.

Step 14: Dress your enchiladas up with the enchilada sauce (how much is up to you and how much room you have). Pour the sauce down the middle of each rolled enchilada and let the sauce flow down the crevasses between each of the enchiladas. I like to leave the rolled edge ends of the tortillas showing.

Step 15: Add the other 2 cups of cheese to the top of everything. If you need more cheese…go for it. There’s never too much cheese. I like to add some of the chopped peppers to the top for color and flavor. A few onions would be nice too. It’s up to you.

Essentially, every ingredient is done and safe to eat. But, we want hot, cheesy, enchiladas.

I bake my enchiladas until the cheese is all melted and up to an internal temperature of about 145°F / 63°C. I have a wired/wireless meat thermometer I use to check the internal temperature (but the thermometer is not essential). I want them to be hot to the centers and not just rely on the melted cheese as an indicator of doneness. The cheese will melt and run long before the centers of the enchiladas are warm and ready for the plate.

An optional step is to broil or toast the cheese on the top just at the end of the bake.

Step 16: Once they are done, remove from the oven and add a bit of cilantro or chopped parsley. They’ll cool a bit and then be ready for serving.

Don’t forget the sour cream!!

ENJOY!!

On the plate, these will be cooler on the outside than the inside. Don’t burn your mouth!

Summary

If you’ve been following Beer and Iron for any time, you’ll see my pattern of creating recipes with (seemingly) lots of step numbers. I tend to break the simple steps down that most recipe authors include all in one step. There’s nothing wrong with that…it’s just a different way. I like to write recipes out in simple, one-and-a-time, and step-by-step instructions.

This recipe is easy enough to take to camp too. A SUPER EASY way to feed folks in the great outdoors. Each ingredient can be pre prepared and stored in the ice chest. Preparation of the cold ingredients and then into the pot over the hot coals. They’ll heat in a jiffy and the meal is ready in no time!

ENJOY!

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