Queso Flameado con Chorizo
Drinks, Sides & Desserts: Completing the Spread
Start the line by rendering the chorizo and roasting the poblanos on carbon steel, scraping the spiced pork fat into deli containers for the rush. When a cast-iron skillet hits high heat, remember this isn't the liquid, processed cheese you dip chips into; it is a dense amalgamation of molten Oaxaca cheese, instantly ignited with tequila, the clear alcohol violently fizzing, spitting, and flaring to leave a crust of caramelized, bubbling edges. One bite of this blistered, elastic pull folded into a double-warmed tortilla, and you will say yes, this is exactly what La Taqueria on Mission Street tastes like. Keep the cooked meats and roasted chiles ready on the counter, but never drop that cheese into the pan until a stack of warm flour tortillas hits the table.
Before you start
Char the rajas on hot carbon steel.
Place a dry carbon-steel skillet or comal over high heat until smoking, then roast the poblano and jalapeño until completely black and blistered. Transfer to a covered bowl to steam for 10 minutes, rub off the skin, remove the seeds, and slice the flesh into thin strips.
Render the chorizo in cast iron.
In a 9-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat, fry the loose pork chorizo—adding a teaspoon of manteca if the meat is lean—until deeply browned and the rendered fat takes on a vibrant red hue. Stir in the diced onion and garlic until translucent, fold in the sliced rajas, then drain off half of the rendered fat to reserve for your refried beans.
Ingredients
- authentic Mexican pork chorizo8 oz
- lard (manteca)1 tsp
- white onion1/2 cup
- garlic2 med clove
- poblano chile1 large
- jalapeño or serrano chile1 med
- melting cheese (Oaxaca Asadero or Chihuahua)12 oz
- tequila reposado or high-proof rum2 tbsp
- flour or corn tortillas12 med
- salsa verde1 cup
Method
- 01
Preheat the broiler and warm the chorizo base.
Return the cast-iron skillet with the chorizo mixture to medium-low heat on the stovetop just to warm it through, then evenly distribute the freshly grated cheese over the top.
- 02
Melt the cheese under the broiler.
Once the bottom layer of cheese softens on the stove, immediately transfer the skillet to the oven about 5 inches below the broiler. Broil for 3 to 5 minutes until completely molten and aggressively bubbling with light golden-brown blisters.
- 03
Flambé the skillet tableside.
Carefully place the bubbling skillet on a heat-proof trivet at your serving counter, pour the warm tequila over the cheese, and immediately ignite it with a long match to caramelize the dairy sugars.
- 04
Double-warm the tortillas to order.
Lightly dampen a clean kitchen towel and pat each tortilla to introduce moisture, then drop them onto a screaming hot comal to quickly steam and char before wrapping in a thick towel.
- 05
Assemble the spread.
Instruct your guests to grab a double-warmed tortilla, scoop a massive, stringy pull of the cheese, and finish it with a spoonful of the molcajete-crushed salsa verde.
Notes
Think like a taquero.
You don't make this from scratch while guests are waiting. Prep the meat, rajas, and cheese matrix in the afternoon so it's ready to fire under the broiler at game time.
Never use pre-shredded cheese.
You must grate the cheese yourself from a block. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in starches that will cause your Queso Flameado to break into a grainy, oily puddle.
Embrace the manteca.
If your local supermarket chorizo is overly lean, do not reach for canola oil. Add pure lard to the pan to achieve the correct, deeply savory taqueria mouthfeel.
Crush the salsa, don't blend it.
By pressing your salsa components through a molcajete rather than blitzing them in a food processor, the uneven, rustic texture will cling perfectly to the rich fat of the melted cheese.
Incorporate leftover meat.
Use the carne asada recipe on p.X, sliced thin across the grain, to fold into the cheese for a heavier variation pulled straight from the playbooks of Monterrey steakhouses.