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The history of grilling at Kingsford is a classic American story. It all started in 1919 when Edward G. Kingsford helped Henry Ford procure a stretch of timberland to supply wood for his auto plants.

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Kingsford® Preserve the Pit

Kingsford remains committed to celebrating Black barbecue culture by launching the second year of Preserve the Pit and doubling the investment in aspiring barbecue professionals.

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American Pride

An American-made company founded over 100 years ago, Kingsford has a lot to be proud of. Our employees have been continuing the family tradition in backyards across the nation.

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Recipes

Colombiano Picadillo Empanadas

There’s no denying the best empanadas are made from scratch. Try these fresh empanadas filled with ground beef and Yukon Gold potatoes and served with a delicious Aji Verde sauce.

Grill-friendly weather alert! It’s the perfect week to make brisket *weather forecast provided by Openweathermap.org
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Cooking for 6 people

Ingredients

Filling

  • .05 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes
  • 3 cup water
  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 tbsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. chili powder
  • 1 tsp. granulated garlic
  • 1 tsp. ground annatto
  • 1 tsp. ground Comino
  • 1 tsp. black pepper
  • 1 tsp. paprika

Dough

  • 2 cup corn flour
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • .05 tsp. annatto
  • .05 tsp. Comino
  • .05 tsp. granulated garlic
  • 1.75 cup hot water

Aji verde

  • 1 bunch cilantro
  • 2 scallions
  • 1 Serrano pepper
  • 0.3 cup vinegar
  • salt and pepper to taste

1 Food Prep

  • Combine the corn flour, water, salt and spices together in a mixing bowl. Start off with 1 ½ cups of water and add more if needed.

  • Once combined, knead your dough until it’s smooth and slightly moist. If your dough isn’t moist, add water. Dough that’s too dry will break when you form the empanadas.
  • Place your dough in a resealable plastic bag when finished.
  • For your Aji Verde, place your sauce ingredients together in a food processor or high-speed blender. Process until mostly smooth (you will still have some green specks). Season to taste with additional salt if needed and set aside.
  • On your stovetop, bring 3 cups of water to a boil and add your potatoes. Boil your potatoes for 10–15 min and add a bit of salt. Once boiled, remove your potatoes from the water and set aside.

2 Grill Prep

3 The Cook

  • Heat your cast iron skillet on the grill with 2 tbsp. of oil. Add your garlic cloves and diced onion and cook for 3 minutes. Then, add your ground beef and spices. Cook your ground beef for about 10 minutes, using a spoon to break the meat apart until it reaches an internal temperature of 160ºF.

  • Add your potatoes to your skillet and mix together, breaking up the potatoes. Remove your mixture from the pan into a mixing bowl.
  • Next, heat up your vegetable oil to 350-375°F in a grill-safe pot.

  • Make a dough ball that’s about the size of a golf ball. Place the dough ball between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. You can even use a resealable plastic bag cut into two squares.

  • Press the dough ball down with your hand until it’s about ¼” thick and 3” in diameter. Then, gently remove your dough from the plastic and cradle it in your hand to add the filling.

  • Add 2–3 tsp. of filling and seal the empanada by pressing the tong tips of a fork along the entire edge. Creating a uniform seal will ensure your empanadas don’t open while they’re cooking in the oil. 

  • Fry your empanadas in your vegetable oil heated to 375º F for 1–2 minutes or until golden brown. Once fried, place your empanadas on a paper towel to drain. 

  • Serve your empanadas with Aji Verde and enjoy!

Recipe created by Miguel Vidal, owner of Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ, on behalf of Kingsford® Charcoal.

For safe meat preparation, reference the USDA website.

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