Fire up the winter grill! Chipotle Texas' Sirloin Kabobs

Want a surprise?  Take the Fort Hancock exit off I-10 and travel south just a half a block.  You'll soon see a metal building with a curious sign, "Chile Store," and stop THERE.  Inside are locally smoked and prepared chiles, chile blends, and lots of great things to spice up your kitchen.

The folks at Chipotle Texas recently participated in our work with Texas Folklife to collect stories about regional traditional foodways.  Gale Carr's family have been farmers in the Fort Hancock area for generations, and have been growing and smoking chile for years. 

Stop at the store next time you're on I-10 in Far West Texas!  Or you can purchase their products online.

They were kind enough to share their recipe for Sirloin Kabobs:

1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tblsp. distilled white vinegar
1 tblsp. Zesty Ancho Powder
2 tblsp. Fiesta Chipotle Blend
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tblsp. table salt
4 oz. lemon-lime flavored carbonated soda
2 lbs beef sirloin steak, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
2 green bell peppers, cut into 2 inch pieces for skewers
1 pint cherry tomatoes
(Fresh mushrooms and/or pineapple may also be added.)

Preparation

• In a medium bowl, mix soy sauce, light brown sugar, distilled white vinegar, Zesty Ancho Powder, Fiesta Chipotle Blend, black pepper, table salt, and lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage. 

• Reserve about 1/2 cup of this marinade for basting. 

• Place steak in a large resealable plastic bag. Cover with the remaining marinade, and seal. Refrigerate for 8 hours, or overnight. 

• Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Add green peppers, and cook for 1 minute, just to blanch. Drain, and set aside. 

• Preheat grill for high heat. Thread steak, green peppers and tomatoes onto skewers in an alternating fashion. Discard marinade and the bag. 

• Lightly oil the grill grate. Cook kabobs on the prepared grill for 10 minutes, or to desired doneness. Baste frequently with reserved marinade during the last 5 minutes of cooking.

Potato Latkes from Chipotle Texas!

This year, our Texas Mountain Trail non-profit organization participated in a statewide foodways project with Texas Folklife, collecting stories, photos and recipes from some of our region's best food producers.  We thank Chipotle Texas for their cooperation with this great project.

Here's is a a recipe from Fort Hancock's own Chipotle Texas for Potato Pancakes!

2 cups peeled, shredded potatoes
1/4 onion, shredded
1/3 cup chopped green onion
2 eggs, beaten
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour (or as needed)
1 1/2 tsp. Sabroso All Purpose Seasoning (or to taste)
1 cup canola oil (or as needed)

Preparation

• Place the potatoes in a cloth, and wring them to remove as much moisture as possible.

• Mix the potatoes, onion, green onion, eggs, flour, and Sabroso All Purpose Seasoning together in a bowl until thoroughly combined. 

• Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat until it shimmers (oil should be about 1/3 inch deep). Drop about 2 tablespoons of the potato mixture per patty into the hot oil, and flatten the potatoes to make the patties 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick.

• Brown the patties in the hot oil until golden and crisp on the bottom, about 5 minutes, then flip and cook on the other side.  Drain the latkes on paper towels, and serve hot.

• A dollop of sour cream or cream cheese and a light sprinkle of one of our Sensational Chef Salts will add a little extra zest.

Take the Fort Hancock exit off I-10, between Sierra Blanca and El Paso and head south about a half a block.  Soon you'll see Chipotle Texas' retail store, where many of their products are sold! 

 
 

Sabroso Posole and Chipotle Texas!

Chipotle Texas, a homegrown business in Fort Hancock, has a retail store just south of  I-10 exit 72.  Worth a detour, their store offers dried chile and spice/chile blends for all kinds of great cooking.  We profiled the business for Texas Folklife and their statewide survey of foodways, which we'll compile soon and share with all of you.

Here's their recipe for Sabroso Posole:

3 lbs. boneless pork loin, cubed

2 tblsp. Fiesta Chipotle Blend

Sabroso Menudo Blend (to taste per serving)

2 (15 oz.) cans white hominy, or 1 package frozen posole corn
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 tblsp. Chipotle Texas Chipotle Flakes
2 tblsp. chopped garlic
6 limes halved

Preparation

• Place cubed pork pork loin in a large kettle and add about 5 quarts of water or enough to cover meat. Add 2 tablespoons Fiesta Chipotle Blend and bring to a boil. Cook over medium heat for about 1 1/2 hours. 

• Remove excess grease from top and set aside. Reserve liquid. 

• Drain and wash the hominy very carefully until the water is clear so as to remove lime from kernels.  Put in large kettle and cover with water. (If using frozen posole corn boil until kernels have popped.)

• Mix in pork loin and hominy or posole corn. Add oregano, garlic, onion, and chile pods.  Let simmer for about 1/2 hour. 

• Add a squeeze of lime and a shake or two of Sabroso Menudo Blend to taste, then serve. (For added flavor top with shredded cabbage and diced radish.)

Earlier this month, we shared their recipe for cornbread!

There's more to come from our partnership with Texas Folklife on Far West Texas Foodways....here's two summary documents from that project, and two more are in production!
Bob Kinford, Cowboy Cook
Van Horn's Pecan Dessert Contest

A tasty detour from I-10 Chipotle Texas

Getting off the freeway can bring tremendous--and tasty--rewards.   If you take I-10's exit 72 at Fort Hancock and head south, you'll soon come to a CHILE STORE.  Walk inside and you'll see the products of a local business that's done so well, they're sending Far West Texas chile flavors around the world.  Chipotle Texas has its home in Fort Hancock, and it dries and smokes chile, produces specialty spice blends and wins awards for their work...all from Hudspeth County.

Here's their Chipotle Texas' Hot Cornbread for you to try at home!

Ingredients
1 cup corn meal
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 egg, beaten
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tbsp.  Chipotle Texas cayenne chile powder
3/4 tsp salt

Preparation
Combine ingredients, mix well. Pour into lightly oil coated baking dish.  Place in 375 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Not planning to head through Fort Hancock soon?  You can order from their webstore! 

Old Cafe Ruins on the back roads route to El Paso

Ruins of a cafe in McNary

Most travelers take I-10 to and from El Paso, but on the east side of the city, there's another way, through the Mission Trail to Fabens and Fort Hancock and tiny places like McNary and Esperanza along Hwys 20 and 192.  The route parallels I-10 and is the route Adventure Cycling Association recommends for their Southern Tier cross-country riders, maps 34-36.  More about the map, and purchasing information is here.

More photos of this route are here.

Camp Rice/Fort Hancock

If' you're a fan of military history, you'll enjoy this seldom visited site.  This marker identifies a location near the community of Fort Hancock near the border with Mexico as the site of Camp Rice, a subpost to Fort Davis (now Fort Davis National Historic Site).  Set just off the road in agricultural land, the site feels remote and forgotten.

Texas Escapes says this about the site, "Fort Hancock had been established as Camp Rice in 1881. After the death of Union Major General Winfield Scott Hancock in 1886, the post changed its name to honor the General, who had wounded at Gettysburg and was later the commander of the 5th Military Department (which included Texas)."  To read more, click here.

Church in Fort Hancock

Give yourself a break from the interstate--take the Fort Hancock exit on I-10 and head south. Before long, you'll see this lovely church.