Molcajete
intro
A sizzling, shareable Central Mexican mixed grill served in a preheated volcanic stone mortar, loaded with charred meats, roasted salsa, veggies, and melted cheese, paired with warm corn tortillas.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep and season proteins
Preheat a charcoal or gas grill to medium-high heat (200°C/400°F). Toss ribeye chunks, chicken chunks, and shrimp with 1 tablespoon (15ml) vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon (6g) kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon (2g) black pepper in a large bowl. Divide chorizo into 4 equal 30g portions, flatten slightly, and arrange on a prep tray alongside the seasoned proteins and nopales strips.
Char salsa vegetables
Place halved Roma tomatoes (cut side down), thick onion rounds, whole jalapeños, and unpeeled garlic cloves directly on the preheated grill grates. Cook for 8-10 minutes, flipping once halfway through, until all surfaces are heavily charred, tomato skins are blistered, and garlic is soft to the touch. Remove from grill and set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
Blend chunky salsa
Peel the cooled roasted garlic, and remove stems from jalapeños (leave seeds and membranes for extra heat if desired). Add all charred vegetables, 2 tablespoons (30ml) lime juice, ½ teaspoon (3g) kosher salt, and half the chopped cilantro to a countertop blender. Blend on medium speed for 30 seconds until slightly chunky; do not overblend to a completely smooth puree, then set salsa aside.
Grill meats, veggies, cheese
Lightly oil grill grates with the remaining 1 tablespoon (15ml) vegetable oil, then place chorizo portions, seasoned steak, chicken, and nopales strips on the grates. Cook chorizo for 6 minutes per side until fully cooked (internal temperature 74°C/165°F), steak for 3-4 minutes per side for medium doneness, chicken for 5 minutes per side until internal temperature hits 74°C/165°F, and nopales for 4 minutes per side until tender and slightly charred. Add shrimp and queso panela slices to the grill for the final 3 minutes of cooking, flipping once, until shrimp are pink and opaque and cheese has soft golden grill marks.
Preheat volcanic molcajete
While grilled items rest for 3 minutes, place your clean, cured volcanic stone molcajete directly on the grill grates over medium heat (180°C/350°F) for 8 minutes, until the stone is extremely hot (a drop of water will sizzle and evaporate instantly on contact). Carefully remove the hot molcajete with thick heat-resistant oven mitts and set it on a heatproof wooden serving board.
Assemble sizzling molcajete
Pour the warm chunky roasted salsa into the bottom of the hot molcajete; it will sizzle immediately on contact. Arrange the grilled chorizo, steak, chicken, shrimp, nopales, and queso panela around the bowl, leaning pieces against the stone sides. Top with sliced avocado, remaining chopped cilantro, and drizzle with the last 1 tablespoon (15ml) of lime juice. Serve immediately with warm corn tortillas on the side.
Tips
2.Use thick, heat-resistant oven mitts when handling the preheated molcajete—volcanic stone retains heat extremely well and stays hot for over 30 minutes, so never touch the stone directly once heated.
3.Adjust salsa heat to your preference: leave seeds and membranes in the roasted jalapeños for extra spicy salsa, or remove them entirely for a mild, family-friendly version.
OMG this was SO good for our family taco night last weekend! I was nervous about using my new molcajete for the first time but the step-by-step made it totally doable even for medium skill level. The chorizo and steak combo hit different, my kids begged for seconds before I even sat down to eat! 10/10 will be making this again for our next backyard hang.
Game changer for summer cookouts! I swapped the chicken for extra shrimp since my crew is obsessed with seafood, and it came out perfect. 50 minute cook time was totally accurate, no weird surprise steps. Brought this to my neighbor’s potluck and people were asking for the recipe before we even finished eating.
Tasted amazing, but I struggled a little getting the molcajete properly seasoned before starting? Ended up with a tiny bit of grit in the first couple bites, but the flavor was so on point I barely noticed. Made this for my wife’s birthday dinner and she was obsessed regardless.
Meal prep win! I prepped all the meats and roasted veggies on Sunday, then just heated everything up and assembled in the molcajete on Tuesday night for dinner. Cut the weeknight cook time down to 10 minutes flat! SO flavorful, way better than the molcajete we get at our local Mexican spot.
Wait as someone who can barely make boxed mac and cheese without burning it, I was scared the medium difficulty rating meant I’d mess this up, but it was actually so straightforward! My roommates are convinced I’m a professional chef now lmao. Worth every penny to buy a cheap molcajete just to make this every other week.
Added an extra roasted habanero to the salsa base and WHEW, that heat hit exactly how I wanted it. My mouth was tingling for an hour after dinner and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. This is the only authentic molcajete recipe I’ve found online that doesn’t cut corners on flavor.
Brought this to our block party potluck last Saturday and the bowl was literally scraped clean in 15 minutes. Everyone kept asking if I ordered it from the fancy Mexican restaurant downtown! The only thing I added was a side of extra warm tortillas for scooping, which was chef’s kiss.
Grew up eating my abuela’s molcajete mixto in Jalisco and this recipe tastes exactly like home. I was skeptical that an online recipe could get the flavor balance right, but the combination of roasted tomato salsa, grilled cactus, and the three different meats was spot on. Made me tear up a little on the first bite, no cap.
Flavor was incredible, but I wish the recipe noted that you need to cure a brand new molcajete before you start? I bought a new one specifically for this and didn’t realize I had to do extra prep first, so dinner ended up being almost 2 hours late instead of 50 minutes. Will definitely make it again now that my molcajete is seasoned though!
Really loved this! I don’t eat red meat, so I swapped the steak and chorizo for extra grilled chicken, portobello mushrooms, and roasted corn, and it was still so hearty and flavorful. Wondered if anyone else has tried veggie swaps that worked well?
Made this for Taco Tuesday tonight and holy cow, the whole house smelled incredible for hours. The chiles in the salsa gave it such a deep, smoky flavor that you just can’t get from jarred salsa. My only regret is not making a double batch because we ate every last bite.
Made two batches of this for my fantasy football draft party over the weekend, and every single guy at the party was raving about it. Paired it with ice cold margaritas and a bunch of chips, it was the perfect watch party spread. Way better than ordering pizza like we usually do.
I’ve been cooking Mexican food at home for 20+ years and I can’t believe I never thought to add the pan drippings from the grilled meat straight into the salsa before pouring it over everything in the molcajete. That one little step is a total game changer, I’ll be doing that from now on.
Made this for date night with my boyfriend last week and he was so impressed he asked if I took a secret cooking class. We ate straight out of the molcajete like they do at our favorite date night spot, paired with a nice mezcal paloma, and it was such a fun, cozy night in. 10/10 for date night meals!