Beef Morcon
Beef Morcon is a must have beef dish in every party! This Filipino beef roll filled with pork fat, cheese, hotdog, boiled egg, and pickle will be the star on your dinner table.
I’m not exaggerating when I say my heart skips a beat whenever I see beef morcon serve at parties. Beef roulade sitting on rich and thick tomato sauce will surely bring up an appetite. Not to mention the variety of stuffing this baby have that you can get inventive with like adding bacon or chorizo!
Why Beef Morcon works?
I really enjoy cooking dishes that brings back memories like this one. Aside from that, here are other reason why you should try it.
It can be a main dish by serving it in thick slices or hors d’oeuvre when sliced thinly.
Preparation can take up some time but it easy and simple to make and definitely worth the effort.
It’s loaded with different filling like pork, hotdog, egg, pickle, and cheese that you can get creative with and experiment with other ingredients.
The beef morcon sits on this rich and tangy tomato sauce that adds flavor to the beef roll-up.
Steps in making morcon.
Did I mention that it takes some time to prepare? It’s actually separate micro procedures that you should do first before you roll up that gorgeous beef and cook it low and slow until tender. Here’s the rundown.
Choose which beef cut to use – Lean cuts of beef works great when making morcon. You can use beef brisket, skirt steak, flank, beef round or sirloin. Cut the beef with thickness of 2 cm.
Prepare fillings/stuffing – Hard boil eggs and cut in half. Cut up cheese stick and carrot stick and slice some pork fat. Prepare dill pickles and hotdog.
Marinating the beef – Soaking the beef cut for an hour or two for the flavors to seep in.
Rolling up the beef – Place all the filling ingredients near the edge of the meat and roll it carefully. Secure the meat using kitchen twine.
Cooking the morcon – Dusting the beef morcon in flour and do a nice pan sear to caramelize and seal the flavor then a slow braise on the stovetop.
The secret ingredient is always LOVE
You might also like:
Embutido – A steamed Filipino style meatloaf that is often served at parties, special occasions or weekday treats.
Beef Mechado is a tomato based stew that is insanely delicious, full stop! Tender beef with thick and tangy sauce with carrots and potatoes that goes best with steamed rice or even bread.
Beef Salpicao with mushrooms is definitely one of the best way I love to cook beef! Tender, stir-fried cubed beef, seasoned perfectly.
Beef Morcon
Ingredients
Beef marinate
- 800 grams beef skirt steak (cut thin approx. 2 to 2 ½ cm thick)
- ½ cup soy sauce
- 2 tbsp liquid seasoning
- 1 ½ tbsp sugar
- ¼ tsp ground pepper
- 1 lemon – juiced (or 3 tbsp calamasi)
Filling
- 1 small carrot (cut in sticks (2cm thick))
- 1 hotdog
- 2 small dill pickle (cut in half)
- 1 pc cheese stick (2 cm thick and 5 inches long)
- 1 strip pork fat
For cooking beef morcon
- 1 medium onion (sliced)
- 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 3 medium tomatoes (sliced)
- 3 tbsp cooking oil
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 pcs bay leaves
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- Cut beef steak with a thickness of 2 to 2½ cm per slices. Pound each of the beef slices with a mallet to flatten and tenderize.
- Place and mix marinating ingredients in a medium bowl and add beef until submerged. Cover with cling film and marinate for 1 – 2 hours. After marinating, Lay the beef slices lengthwise or long side of the beef facing you on a clean flat surface and save marinating sauce for later use.
- Arrange the fillings on top of the meat near the edge and gently roll the beef slice into a log. Secure the beef roll by tying with kitchen twine with 3/4 inch interval crosswise. Then tie it lengthwise one time for good measure. Dust a plate with all purpose flour and dredge the beef until all surface are covered.
- Heat cooking oil in a deep medium pan over high heat. Sear all sides of the beef until brown in color. Remove beef from pan and set aside.
- Using the same pan and oil, lower heat to medium then saute onion and garlic until translucent and fragrant. Add tomatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes then mash using a spoon. Tip in marinating sauce and water, mix bring to a boil.
- Add beef roll and cook for 1 hour and 30 minutes turning the beef every 30 minutes for even cooking or until beef is tender. Add more water if needed.
- When the beef is tender, remove from the pan and transfer in a cutting board. Let the sauce simmer for a couple more minutes until it thickens and season if necessary.
- Remove kitchen twine off the beef roll and slice to desired thickness. Place sauce in a serving dish and arrange sliced morcon on top. Bon apptit!