Holiday Recipes from Texas Social Media Stars

The holiday season is here and it’s time to start menu planning! Whether you’re hosting your family, a small group of friends, or both this year, Beef Loving Texans has recipes to help make your holiday spread memorable. 

Since beef’s great taste and flavor make it a holiday menu essential, we’ve partnered with 3 Texas social media stars to share their favorite holiday traditions and recipes. 

Looking for more holiday inspiration? Check out Best 50 Holiday Dinners and Top Tips and Recipes to Spice up your Holiday Roast.

Texas-Style Beef Sausage Jalapeño Rolls with Cheddar

By Jess Pryles, Hardcore Carnivore

“See, Since I moved to Texas from Australia about 5 years ago, I had to start a lot of new traditions. And often, combining a little bit of Australia with a big ol’ serve of Texas made for a great combination. And that’s what I did with this recipe — it’s a perfect hybrid mashup of Aus-Texan culinary inspiration.” — Jess Pryles, Hardcore Carnivore

Total prep time: 1 hr

Makes 21 servings (1 roll per serving)

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Place olive oil in a small pan over MEDIUM heat. Add onions and brown for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently. Allow the onions to cool.
3. In a large bowl, combine beef, cooled onions, bread crumbs, jalapeños, cheese, salt, and pepper. Mix gently but thoroughly as to not  overwork the meat.
4. Lay one square of pastry on a board or work surface. Use a third of the beef mixture to form a log down the center. Fold the pastry over the beef mixture on one side, then brush along the edge with egg mixture to create a “glue”. Continue to fold the roll  over so it’s fully encased in pastry, and the edges line up on the egg glue line, then press the pastry lightly to ensure a good seal. Repeat steps with each pastry square.
5. Flip each beef roll so it’s seam side down, then cut into 6-8 pieces. Place the pieces onto a sheet pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. You may need to rotate the tray during baking to ensure even browning.
6. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Flautas

By Vianney Rodriguez, Sweet Life Bake

“I love this time of the year — hosting, cooking, and entertaining and you can’t beat a flauta bar for your next fiesta! I’m excited to team up with Beef Loving Texans to share an amazing recipe for mini flautas. My pickled jalapeño beef flautas are sure to have your guest raving — prepped in the slow cooker, assembled and fried before guests arrive. This flauta bar is delish!”

By Jerry Yguerabide

“Growing up Traditional beef tamales around the holidays were always a big hit. Plenty of memories of family gatherings, table spreads with all the tamale fixings filled the atmosphere with holiday joy! Many cultures have their own way of making tamales. Depending on where you’re from, tamales come in many varieties. This recipe was taught to me by my mother and to her by her mother. We want to share our experience with others passing down this recipe keeping it alive through others. From my family to yours I hope y’all enjoy and keep the holiday tamales tradition going for generations to come.”

 

 

 

 

Total prep time:  5 hr 30 min 

Makes 4-6 dozen tamales

Beef Chuck Roast

• 2 beef Chuck Roasts (8lbs. total)
• 1 tsp. Kosher salt
• 2 Tbsp. beef tallow or vegetable oil
• 12 oz. Mexican beer
• 4 qts. beef stock
• 4 qts. water

Cornhusks

• 4 lbs. Corn husks

Salsa Roja 

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil 
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 head of garlic
• 1 Tbsp. whole black peppercorns
• 1 tsp. whole cumin seeds
• 10 dried guajillo peppers, seeds and stems removed
• 5 dried ancho peppers, seeds and stems removed
• 3 dried chipotle peppers, seeds and stems removed
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 qt. reserved beef broth from the Chuck Roast

Masa for tamales

• 8 cups masa harina
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 3 Tbsp. Kosher salt
• 2 ½  cups salsa roja
• 2 ½ qts. reserved beef broth from the Chuck Roast
• 2 cups beef tallow or vegetable shortening

Preparation:

Braised Beef Chuck Roast:

1. Season beef Chuck Roast with Kosher salt. Heat beef tallow or vegetable oil in a large stock pot over MEDIUM heat. Add Chuck Roast to the pot and sear on all sides. Once browned, deglaze with beer and add beef stock and water. Simmer for 1 hour on a MEDIUM-LOW heat (the roast will need to be cooked a total of 2-3 hours). 
2. After 1 hour, remove 3½ quarts of the broth from the pot and set aside for salsa roja and the masa.

While Chuck Roast is cooking, prepare salsa roja and corn husks:

1. While cooking the roast, heat oil in a large skillet on MEDIUM heat. Sauté onion, garlic cloves, peppercorns, and cumin seeds until vegetables are translucent and spices are toasted. Add dried peppers, bay leaves, oregano, and 1 qt. of the reserved beef broth. Simmer mixture until peppers are soft. Let the mixture cool slightly before adding to the blender.
2. Add the salsa mixture to a blender and blend until smooth, about 1 minute. No need to strain if all is very well blended.
3. Start by preparing corn husks. Separate the corn husks and discard the silk. Be careful as the husks are fragile when dry. Fill a sink with warm water and soak corn husks for 30 minutes to hydrate.
4. Drain, rinse, and dry the corn husks. Set them out on a sheet pan covered by a damp towel to ensure they do not dry out. 
5. Add 2 cups of salsa roja to the Chuck Roast. Reserve 2½  cups of salsa roja to add to the masa for your tamales. Cook roast until it is fork tender and pulls apart with no resistance, an additional 1-2 hours.
6. Remove the Chuck Roast from the stock pot and transfer to a cutting board. Shred the beef and season with salt to taste. Keep moist with reserved broth once shredded and refrigerate until ready to use.

Masa:

1. Place beef tallow in a standing mixer bowl with paddle attachment and beat for 5 minutes on MEDIUM HIGH speed until light and smooth. Add 2½  cups reserved broth and 2½ cups salsa roja. Beat until just combined. Slowly add masa harina, baking powder, and salt. Reduce speed to MEDIUM and beat 5 minutes until combined and smooth, the dough should have a spongy texture. 

Making tamales:

1. Start with the largest husks because they are easier to roll. Lay the husk flat on a plate or in your hand with the smooth side up and the narrow end facing you. Spread a thin, even layer of masa over the surface of the husk. 
2. Add about 1 Tbsp. of the beef filling in the center of the masa. Fold the narrow end up to the center then fold both sides together to enclose the filling. The sticky masa will form a seal. Pinch the wide top closed.
3. Any remaining beef mixture can be reserved to top tamales for serving.

Cooking tamales:

1. Stand the tamales up in a large steamer or colander with the pinched end facing up. Load the steamer into a large soup pot filled with 2-inch of water. The water should not touch the tamales. Lay a damp cloth over the tamales and cover with a lid. Keep the water at a low boil, checking periodically to make sure the water doesn’t boil too high.
2. Steam the tamales for 2 hours. The tamales are done when the inside pulls away from the husk and are soft, firm, and not mushy. 
3. To serve, unfold the husk and spoon about 1 Tbsp. of remaining beef filling on top.