There is no better feeling than biting into a hot empanada and having its juiciness explode in your mouth. For this reason, we want to teach you how to prepare delicious, juicy Creole empanadas in full, from the dough to the filling.
Although there are several recipes for juicy meat empanadas according to the different regions of Argentina, this time we bring a basic preparation, from which you can explore your imagination and originality to make different versions each time. Depending on the province, the filling of juicy meat empanadas varies because there are places where boiled potatoes or red peppers are added, in others it is practically mandatory to incorporate matambre, in others spicy empanadas are made, in others with ground meat. And in others with knife-cut meat. Peas, tomatoes, oregano… the list of ingredients can be infinite and you can adapt it to your tastes and needs. Likewise, the size of the empanadas can also vary, but with this recipe you will learn how to make juicy meat empanadas from start to finish to add your particularities.
Ingredients to make Juicy Meat Empanadas:
- 200 grams of beef fat
- 300 milliliters of water (1¼ cups)
- 1 pinch of salt
- 500 grams of wheat flour 000
- 600 grams of meat (whole or ground)
- 600 grams of onions
- 3 eggs
- 150 grams of olives
- 1 green onion
- 1 pinch of paprika
- 1 pinch of cumin
- 1 pinch of ground chili
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 pinch of pepper
How to make Juicy Meat Empanadas:
First, start preparing the empanada dough. To do this, heat the water and half of the beef fat until it dissolves. Once dissolved, let it cool down. Place the flour in a bowl with a pinch of salt and pour the water with the dissolved fat. Knead until it forms a ball with a smooth and homogeneous texture, cover it with plastic wrap and let it rest for 30-40 minutes. While the dough rests, take the opportunity to make the filling for the juicy meat empanadas. So, boil the eggs in a pot of water for 10 minutes. When they are ready, pass the eggs under cold water to stop the cooking and be able to peel them without burning yourself. Chop the eggs and olives and prepare all the seasonings that you will use for the filling. Remember that you can modify these ingredients to your liking, since the secret of good juicy empanadas is in the cooking of the meat, as we will see. Finely chop the onion and cut the meat into small squares if you don’t use ground meat. Now that you have all the ingredients for the stuffing ready, start by putting the onions with the remaining beef fat to sweat in a pan. Add salt and cook until translucent, stirring constantly and over medium heat.
Tip: Cooking the filling of the empanadas with fat is one of the secrets to make them juicy.
When the onions are done, add the meat. Another trick to get some juicy Creole empanadas is not to cook the meat at all, just for a couple of minutes over high heat and remove it, almost as if it were a seal (to seal is to cook on the outside but not on the inside). Remove the meat from the heat and add the spices. Incorporate the spices and add the hard-boiled egg, the olives and the finely chopped green onion. Let the meat empanada filling cool completely, preferably in the refrigerator.
Tip: If you make the filling from one day to the next, the flavors are concentrated and, therefore, the empanadas are juicier.
Remove the film that covers the dough and form small balls the size of a golf ball. For the dough of the Creole empanadas to be round, spread it out first with your fingers and then stretch it with a rolling pin. When using the roller, you must stretch, give a quarter turn with the dough, stretch again, give another quarter turn and repeat this process to go turning and stretching. Another even simpler way is to spread all the dough with the rolling pin and cut circles with a mold.
Tip: The circles should be about 11-13 cm in diameter.
To fill the empanadas, take a circle of dough with your hand and place a little filling in the center, approximately 50-60 grams per empanada. Paint the edges of half the empanada with water and close it by exerting a little pressure between the two halves so that it is well sealed.
Tip: Preheat the oven to 200 ºC.
Now you can seal the edges by pressing the tips of a fork or making the folds that Argentine empanadas usually have. The important thing about this step is to close the edges very well so that they do not open during cooking and you will end up with perfect juicy empanadas. When all the empanadas are done, place them on a baking tray with a little sprinkled flour. Then, bake the meat empanadas until the dough is golden brown, about 10-15 minutes.
Tip: For the meat empanada filling to remain juicy, it is important that the oven is hot to the maximum, so if yours can heat up to more than 200 ºC, do it.
You can now enjoy them! When preparing the homemade dough, the recipe for juicy meat empanadas is somewhat more elaborate and longer, however, the result is so incredible that it is very worth it. From this article, we encourage you to prepare your own juicy empanadas from start to finish, so the reward will be even more rewarding. Remember to remove the empanadas from the oven as soon as the dough is cooked to keep the meat filling juicy, since all you want is to cook the dough, not the filling.
