Giant steak burritos

Giant steak burritos

After all the rich food from the Christmas and New Year's holidays, I'm in the mood for something different. A big giant burrito is what I have in mind.

Nowadays, at least in the Chicago area, there are lots of places to get giant burritos. Some are chains and others are independent little restaurants. They weren’t so common twenty years ago. I remember the first time I saw one of the El Famous Burrito restaurants. I had to try it and I pulled in.

As I looked over the menu, I decided to order a steak and a chicken burrito. They weren’t expensive, and the place smelled great. After I paid, I waited for my order to be ready. Once the lady at the counter gave me my order, I was shocked to see how heavy the bag was. It was just two burritos, but it felt like I had a dozen in there.

When I got home, I pulled my two burritos out. The things were darn near the size of footballs! Try as I did, I couldn’t finish both of them. They were as delicious as they were big. These days the burritos don’t seem quite that big, but they are still large. When I make them at home, here is what I do.

1/2 lb. chopped round steak* 

Olive oil

Cajun seasoning

1 small onion, chopped,

1 small thin hot thai chili, chopped 

1 jalapeño pepper, chopped

1/2 lb. quesadilla cheese

1 tomato, sliced thin

2 extra large burrito tortillas 

Louisiana Hot Sauce

*Either chop your own, or buy it already chopped. Around Illinois, it is sold as taco meat. In the Upper Peninsula it is sold as pasty meat.

Preparation

Heat a large cast iron skillet and a even larger cast iron fry pan, both over medium high heat. Add a thin layer of olive oil and place the chopped round steak in the large cast iron skillet once it’s real hot. Spread it out, season it with cajun seasoning and let it brown. Once it looses all its pink, add the chopped onion and peppers. Continue cooking that until the onions soften and the beef starts to char. Turn off the heat on both pans. It’s time to build the burritos.

Place the red hot fry pan on a wooden cutting board. Don’t use your best one, because it will leave a scorch mark. Center a large burrito tortilla on it. Place half of the beef mixture on it in the center near one end. Add half the cheese and then add half of the sliced tomato. Now, carefully, so you don’t burn yourself, start rolling up the burrito on the hot cast iron. Once it is half rolled, fold the edges over and roll it all the way up. Let it sit on the hot cast iron with the seam down for a while. Roll it over and give it another few seconds on the hot iron. Now repeat with the other burrito.

Serving

Burritos go great as a light lunch with tortilla chips, salsa and lots of ice cold beer. If you really want to indulge, make a few margaritas to go with your lunch.

Note: If you have leftover roast pork, beef or lamb from the holidays, simply chop that up and use it in these burritos. It’s a good way to gobble up leftovers.