Stuffed Steak Rolls Recipe (Bistec Relleno Cubano)

Welcome to another video recipe here at the Cuban Redneck Kitchen. Today’s dish is Cuban stuffed steak (Bistec Relleno Cubano). If you see this awesome dish plated, you may think it was a recipe for advanced cooks. But that is not the case. The Cuban bistec relleno is a very simple recipe to execute and one that is very flexible as far as the stuffing is concerned. If you ever made a burrito or chicken wrap, this is a recipe you can do!

If you choose to make this stuffed steak recipe, you have an array of stuffing options, for example. I will be using some leftover Cuban Frita beef mix, made from a 2 to 1 mixture of 75% lean ground beef and ground Spanish chorizo. However, my go-to blend for this dish is a 50 / 50 mix of ground pork and 75% lean beef, with 1 or 2 chopped chorizo link, diced onions, and green peppers. Other favorites include sundry tomatoes, diced cheese, carrots, asparagus, croutons, and even small diced fry potatoes.

• 2 – Large & Thinly Sliced Beef Round or Cubed Steaks
• ½ lb. 50 / 50 Pork and Ground Beef Mix
• 2 – Links Spanish Chorizo
• ½ – Onion
• ½ – Green Pepper
• 4 – Garlic Cloves
• 2 – Bay leaves
• 2 – Cups Tomato Sauce (Pasta sauce will do!)
• 1 – Cup of Water
• 1 – 15oz. Can Diced Tomatoes (Fire Roasted Work Best IMO!)
• 2 – Tbsp. Tomato Paste
• 1 – Tbsp. Salt
• 1 – Tbsp. Garlic Powder
• 1 – Tbsp. Onion Powder
• 1 – Tbsp. Cumin
• 1 – Tsp. Smoked Paprika
• 1 – Tsp. Black Pepper
• 1 – Tsp. Oregano

As I previously mentioned, if you can wrap a burrito, you can make a stuffed steak since the concept is the same. Wrap a large piece of thinly sliced beef round or cubed steak, budget permitting flank steak, into whatever goodness you can think of! Yes, stuffed flank steak is the most popular option, but given the cooking technique, I don’t think it makes the great of a difference. I guess we can call this particular recipe the budget-friendly one!

Using an inexpensive cut of beef like beef round or cubed steak has its challenges. Beef round or cubed steak can be tough and chewy, requiring pressure cooking and other technique I purposely avoid. With that said, I will share with you a not-so-secret way for making these cuts of beef tender. I am talking about baking soda. Without a doubt, there is a very high possibility that the best Mongolian Beef, Beef Chow Mein, or Chinese Beef With Broccoli you ever had was tenderized with baking soda. That is no well-kept secret. Some YouTubers are trying to poke fun of it and discredit it with claims that it leaves an after-taste. I find this to be as factual as CNN! For one, in many videos I’ve seen, they use over-the-top amounts. Second, this is primary employed with dishes with some type of bracing liquid or sauce. But we’ll leave the meat tenderizing debate for another episode.

I used baking soda in my recipe, and the steaks were very tender. It was a two-part salt, one-part baking soda mixture that I have on an old seasoning bottle. I generously sprinkle the meat and let it sit overnight. The next day about an hour before cooking, I rinse it under running water and re-seasoned – this time around, with my mixture of dry seasoning, which includes Salt, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Cumin, Smoked Paprika, Black Pepper, and Oregano. Consider only using about half the mixture and leave some for the sauce.

Many stuffed steak rolls recipes call for this dish to be baked in the oven, but after our tenderizing treatment, the stovetop method will more than suffice. If you follow my channel, you know I am all about pre-preparation and slow cooking, but this will not take long at all! So. Let’s put about a tablespoon of olive oil o a deep saucepan over medium-high heat. Once our oil has come to temperature, we’ll place our steak rolls in the saucepan, seam down first. We are going to cook them for about 20minutes per side. This is not going to cooking them. We are just looking to searing them and give them a little color. Once you have done all four sides, move them to the center of the pot, and add your chopped onion and pepper around it. Let it cook for about 2-minutes and proceed to add the rest of your ingredients, both wet and dry.

Bring your saucepan to the boil, covert it, and let it cook for about 10 minutes on medium-high heat. After the time expires, lower the heat to medium-low and cook for another 5-minutes. If you want to add anything to the sauce, this is the perfect time to do so. I often add a cup of frozen peas and carrot. This gives the sauce a little more body and depth of flavor.

After the 5-minutes, check for doneness by pressing the rolls down with a fork or spoon. We are looking for a little but a rebound and resistance when you press down. If everything is good, check the sauce for seasoning and adjust accordantly.

I don’t think that there is a written rule as to how to plate stuffed steak rolls. I personally like to cut them into half-inch slices and pour sauce over them. I also like some type of sweet side, like sweet fry plantains or sweet potato chips.

This is the end of this post, my friends. I look forward to having you as a subscriber, and if you like cooking, please come share your cooking at our Facebook group – Cuban Food Nation!

…hasta la proxima!