East Texas Mexican Cornbread
Oh my gosh, East Texas Mexican Cornbread is a winner–especially if you’re fortunate enough to eat this delicious cornbread right out of the oven! This layered cornbread recipe includes a beef layer with seasonings, cheese and onions in the middle. The cornbread layers include creamed corn and jalapeño peppers. This lovely cornbread bakes up to perfection in a cast iron skillet!
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We had some friends over for dinner the first weekend in March. I featured a Tex-Mex meal with Spicy Nacho Bake, Southwestern Layered Salad, my Homemade Chunky Guacamole, Chunky Maple Applesauce, Beefy Taco Dip and a batch of East Texas Mexican Cornbread. Our friends brought other appetizers and dessert. What a meal!
I found this recipe on my FaceBook feed from a friend who showed a copy of this recipe from a Country Music Cruise she had taken (or a friend had taken). After reading through the recipe, I decided I needed to make up a batch. We enjoyed this cornbread the most with sour cream and picante sauce spread over top, but you can certainly enjoy it plain as well.
My only recommendation is to serve it HOT! Right out of the oven, rather than let it get cold. The meat layer is so much better if it’s served hot. I used one large jalapeño pepper rather than the three jalapeño peppers the original recipe called for. This recipe also calls for bacon grease (which I keep on hand) and that sure flavored up the cornbread too.
The next time you plan on a Tex Mex meal for your family, be sure to add a batch of this cornbread. You’ll be glad you did.
East Texas Mexican Cornbread is like eating a full meal!
The beef layer on the inside makes this a very hearty cornbread.
We served the cornbread with sour cream and picante sauce over top. That was our favorite way to eat it.
If you enjoy cornbread, this is a fantastic one to make for a Tex Mex dinner or to serve with chili.
Here’s what I did.
I used these ingredients for the middle, beef layer.
Crumble ground beef into a large skillet. Cook over medium heat.
Use a hamburger chopper to break the meat up into small pieces while frying.
Add chopped onions and keep frying until meat is no longer pink.
Drain any grease if you need to.
Remove from heat. Add Cheddar cheese, salt, garlic powder, chili powder and ground cumin.
Stir ingredients to combine; set aside. Place a 12-inch cast iron skillet in the oven at 350 degrees to get hot.
These are the ingredients for the cornbread layers. The black bowl contains bacon grease.
Place unbleached flour in a mixing bowl (bleached flour toughens baked goods). Add cornmeal, salt and baking soda.
Whisk ingredients to combine; set aside.
Seed and chop jalapeño peppers. Be careful not to touch your face or eyes while chopping. It’s also better to use gloves.
Add creamed corn, bacon grease, jalapeño peppers and eggs.
Add half-and-half.
Stir ingredients to combine.
Carefully, using oven mitts, remove hot cast iron skillet from oven and place on top of towels or trivet to protect counter top. Grease the bottom and sides of skillet with bacon grease. This is more easily done using a pastry brush. Pour half of the cornbread mixture into the skillet.
Spoon the beef mixture over top of the bottom cornbread layer in skillet.
Pour remaining cornbread batter over top of the beef layer in the cast iron skillet.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes, or until well-browned and set.
Serve cornbread HOT! Add sour cream and picante sauce, if desired, or serve plain.
East Texas Mexican Cornbread is made with jalapeño peppers.
This is a wonderful recipe for chili, stews or soup.
If you want to take regular cornbread up a level, this recipe will surely do it!
Here’s the recipe.
EAST TEXAS MEXICAN CORNBREAD
(Recipe slightly adapted as found on “Country Music Cruise” and shared by Linda Davis on FaceBook)
East Texas Mexican Cornbread
Equipment
- 1 12-inch cast iron skillet or you can substitute a 9×13" baking dish
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 whisk
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 sharp knife to chop jalapeños
- 1 cutting board
- 1 hamburger chopper to break meat up into small pieces while frying
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- 1 wire rack trivet or towel to protect counter from hot cast iron skillet
Ingredients
FILLING:
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 1 large onion chopped
- 8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
CORNBREAD:
- 1 1/4 cups cornmeal
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (bleached flour toughens baked goods)
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 3/4 tsp. sea salt or kosher salt
- 2 large eggs
- 14.75 oz. can creamed corn
- 1 cup half-and-half or whole milk
- 1/4 cup bacon drippings (plus more to grease the skillet)
- 1 large jalapeno pepper diced finely
Instructions
FILLING:
- Preheat oven to 350º.
- Place a 12-inch cast iron skillet in the oven to get hot.
- Brown ground beef in a skillet and drain any excess grease.
- (You probably won’t have much if you use 93% to 96% lean ground beef.)
- Use a hamburger chopper to break meat down into small pieces while frying.
- Add onion when meat is about half-way done.
- Remove from heat.
- Add cheese, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin and salt to the ground beef mixture.
- Set aside.
CORNBREAD:
- In a large bowl, add cornmeal, flour, baking soda and salt.
- Whisk to combine.
- Add eggs, creamed corn, milk (or half-and-half), bacon grease and jalapenos.
- Mix well to combine.
- Using oven mitts, carefully remove skillet from hot oven and place on trivet, wire cooling rack or towel on top of counter.
- Grease skillet carefully with bacon drippings or oil.
- Pour half of the cornbread mixture into the bottom of the cast iron skillet.
- Spread evenly.
- Top with ground beef and cheese mixture, spreading this mixture evenly.
- Top with remaining cornbread mixture and spread evenly again.
- Bake at 350º for 45-50 minutes, or until well-browned and mixture is set.
- Slice and serve immediately.
Notes
© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen
Nutrition
Try to adjust your time so this recipe is coming out of the oven the same time everything else is ready. It’s better served HOT!
This hearty East Texas Mexican Cornbread is just what the doctor ordered when you’re in need of a Tex Mex fix!
I had never tried a layered cornbread recipe before this one. What fun!
It was so good with the picante sauce on top. Salsa, sour cream, salsa verde and fresh jalapeño slices work well too!
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