Morcon
Ingredients
Ingredients for the Morcon
- 2 lbs beef bottom round (ask your butcher for wide beef slices)
- 1 lemon (juiced)
- ½ cup soy sauce
- pepper (add to taste)
- 12 slices bacon
- 1 medium carrot (peeled and sliced lengthwise)
- 2 hot dogs (sliced lengthwise)
- 4 Gherkins sweet pickles
- 4 oz cheddar cheese (sliced lengthwise)
- 4 hard-boiled eggs (peeled and halved)
- ½ cup flour
- ¼ cup oil
Ingredients for the Sauce
- 1 onion (peeled and chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
- reserved marinade
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 2 cups beef broth (or water)
- 1 bay leaf
- salt (add to taste)
- pepper (add to taste)
- ½ cup liver spread
Instructions
- Pound the beef slices to ½-inch thickness between plastic films, trimming for a neat rectangle.
- Mix the beef, lemon juice, soy sauce, and pepper in a bowl. Marinate for 30 minutes. Save the marinade (reserve marinade)
- Fry the bacon until cooked but not crispy then drain on paper towels.
- Drain the beef and reserving marinade. Lay the beef on a flat surface then top with bacon, carrots, hot dogs, pickles, cheese, and halved eggs.
- Roll the beef layers into a log and secure it with kitchen twine. Coat the roll lightly with flour.
- Brown the beef in a wide skillet over high heat then remove and drain it on paper towels.
- Keep a tablespoon of oil in the skillet and discard the excess. Cook the onions and garlic until softened.
- Add the reserved marinade and bring to a boil then scrape the sides to deglaze the pan.
- Introduce the tomato sauce, beef broth, bay leaf, salt, and pepper to the pan. Bring to a boil.
- Gently add the beef rolls, lower the heat, cover, and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour until tender.
- Let the beef rolls stand for 3 to 5 minutes, then slice into 1-inch rounds. Arrange on a serving platter and keep warm.
- Stir in the liver spread into the sauce and cook it for an additional 5 minutes or until thickened.
- Pour the sauce over the Morcon slices and serve hot.
Details Behind My Morcon Recipe
Morcon Recipe – How well do you know roulade dishes? Usually, when it comes to roulade dishes, the first thing that comes to mind are cakes. While there are plenty of sweet roulade dishes, there is also a selection of savory roulade dishes. Morcan is one example of this. What is morcon? Morcón, also known as morconito, is a savory Filipino dish enjoyed during festive occasions, particularly Christmas. The dish gets its name from the Spanish morcón, a dry sausage originally used for stuffing.
This Filipino-style roulade features lean beef rolled and stuffed with a delicious combination of hard-boiled eggs, sausages, sweet pickles, cheese, and carrots. While beef is the traditional choice, variations can be made using chicken or pork. A delicious sauce, made with garlic, onions, cheese, chili peppers, and bay leaves simmered in tomato sauce and water, complements the morcón. The fried beef is then added to the sauce, braised until tender, and sliced into bite-sized pieces. Morcón is traditionally served with the flavorful sauce and goes well with white rice.
The recipe above is one of many ways to make morcon. Like any other recipe, there are different tips and tricks to make the dish even better.
Additional Notes for My Morcon Recipe
The first thing to help make morcon better is know which parts of the beef to use. Traditionally, Morcon recipes use lean yet flavorful cuts that are budget-friendly and benefit from braising. Recommended cuts include beef brisket, beef round, and chuck. These cuts are perfect for slow-cooking and braising, ensuring a lump of flavorful and tender meat in your Morcon. Next, there are some things to help get better results with the meat.
Don’t marinate the beef for too long, as it may make the meat mushy. When tying the rolls, don’t do it too tightly, as the meat expands during cooking. After browning the meat, leave the pan as the browned bits add great flavor. For other sauce options, you can replace the liver sauce with shredded quick-melt cheese for extra creaminess. Another option is to substitute part of the water with pineapple juice for a hint of fruitiness.
When storing leftovers, keep the Morcon and sauce in separate containers. Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months for longer storage. This helps maintain the flavors, allowing you to easily enjoy Morcon later on.
Dishes Similar to Morcon
If you want to try other dishes similar to morcon, the best dish to test would be embutido. Embutido, also known as embotido, is a steamed pork meatloaf that is also particularly popular during Christmas celebrations. Made with ground pork, this savory dish is filled with hard-boiled eggs, sliced ham, or various sausages. While traditionally steamed, embutido can also be baked, offering a versatile preparation.
Served hot or chilled, it pairs well with banana ketchup or other sweet sauces for dipping. Raisins add a unique touch to the mixture, and variations may include ingredients like sweet pickle relish, cheese, pineapple chunks, and sliced pimiento or bell peppers. The key to its preparation lies in cooking it wrapped in aluminum foil, ensuring a delicious and cohesive meatloaf that is typically sliced either hot or chilled to perfection.
Other Ground Meat Dishes
Generally, many Filipino dishes incorporate ground meat or tender meat mixed with a variety of ingredients. For another ground meat dish, you should try giniling. “Giniling” in Tagalog means ground meat and is a versatile ingredient in Filipino cuisine. It often refers to a dish that includes ground meat mixed with carrots, potatoes, bell peppers, and raisins—a popular choice for holidays and parties with various versions. Pork giniling is a notable variation, focusing on ground pork, though alternatives like chicken or veggie meat can be used. The flexibility of giniling allows for diverse preparation methods
Other Beef Dishes
If you are looking to explore other beef dishes, you should try beef pares. Beef Pares, a Filipino beef stew, gets its name from the English word “pair” or “pairing” as it is traditionally served with rice and soup, creating a complete and affordable meal. This flavorful stew allows for various cooking methods, with brisket being the most common choice of beef. However, alternative cuts like chuck, round, and bone-in short ribs are also suitable, though they may need more time to tenderize.
Another beef dish option you can try is sizzling bulalo. Bulalo is a classic Filipino beef soup highlighting beef shanks and bone marrow, cooked until the collagen and fat blend into a clear, flavorful broth. The dish incorporates a variety of ingredients such as leafy vegetables, corn on the cob, scallions, onions, garlic, ginger, and fish sauce, enhancing the overall taste. While traditionally served as a soup, an alternative way to enjoy Bulalo is as a sizzling steak on a metal plate, accompanied by vegetables.
Overall, there are plenty of dishes featuring meat cooked in a variety of ways for you to enjoy in Filipino cuisine.
