READY IN ABOUT 4 hrs

Pork Empanadas

Read Reviews (31)

"Tender pork turnovers. Filling can be used for almost anything else, such as taco filling. Can be frozen baked or unbaked. The pork and the empanada dough can be made ahead of time." — Michele O'Sullivan

Directions

To make the filling: Place pork in a large pot and cover with water. Add onion, garlic, salt, oregano, cumin and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. While pork is cooking, prepare dough.
To make the dough: Sift together the flour, masa harina, baking powder and salt. Add the shortening to the dry ingredients and mix well. In a separate bowl, beat together the egg and 1/2 cup milk. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the egg mixture and stir with a fork until the dough comes together in a ball. Divide the dough into 16 even pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Place in a container, cover, and refrigerate.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
After the pork has simmered for 1 1/2 hours, remove from liquid. Place pork in a baking dish and bake for 1 hour or until meat shreds easily with fork. Remove from oven (keep oven turned on) and shred into small pieces. Add salsa to shredded pork.
Lightly grease a baking sheet.
On lightly floured surface, flatten a piece of dough with the palm of your hand. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough to make a 5-inch circle about 1/8-inch thick. Place 2 to 3 tablespoons of filling in the center of the dough circle. Brush edges of dough with milk. Fold dough over filling. Pinch edges together. Crimp with fork to seal.
Place on prepared baking sheet and repeat with remaining empanada dough. Leftover filling can be frozen or used in tacos, tamales, or burritos.
Bake in preheated oven until golden, about 20 minutes. Remove to rack and cool for about 5 minutes. Serve warm.

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 50 mins
COOK 20 mins
READY IN 3 hrs 45 mins

Footnotes

Cook's Notes:
You may substitute vegetable shortening for the lard, if you prefer.
These pastries can be frozen baked or unbaked. If baking raw empanadas directly from freezer, do not thaw. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven (175 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes. Reheat baked frozen ones at the same temperature for 15 minutes.

Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

Apr 22, 2007

These were delicious, but to save time, instead of making the pastry part, Goya makes empanada discos in pkgs of 10 in most grocers freezers. This saves lots of time. You can make the filling ahead of time, then thaw the discos and right in the oven.

—Dave-bo-bave

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Sep 10, 2006

I am not a big empanandas fan, but I do love using the recipe for pulled pork and using it for tacos.

—emilyadaniels

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35 Ratings

Dec 23, 2003

DH devoured these. I have much more respect for people who willilingly prepare things like this on a regular basis. =) This recipe did prompt me to go buy those rings that go on your rolling pin to get the dough thickness accurate and a pastry mat with the circles. Next time I'll probably double the pastry dough recipe since I got 16 balls that ended up much too thin and tended to tear when the empanadas were shaped. DH also wants to try them with the meat filling from the Puerto Rican Meat Patties recipe on this site.

—Kristen

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Jan 25, 2003

Pretty good. I added 3 ancho chiles (dried/deseeded) to meat/water mixture, and after meat cooked and chiles soften, I took 2 cups of reserved juices and blended with chiles, this made a thicker sauce and alot of flavor. They were a hit at graduation party!

—T.M. Nebraska

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Jul 12, 2003

Thank you for providing a REAL empanada recipe to the mix, where most all of the others turn out to be empanada-filling recipes using pre-made pastry dough! My kids devoured these!

—ELIZABETH GEHMAN

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Dec 18, 2007

Excellent! Very yummy and easy to make. I made mine with cornmeal since I didn't have masa harina and they were great. These freeze beautifully, so make extras! You won't believe how yummy they are!

—brownie

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Dec 29, 2003

I used a different meat filling, with ancho chillies. The crust is really good. My family prefered them cooked on top of the stove, using a comal,instead of baked. The masa gets a really nice toasted corn flavor. The dough rolls out really well also. I will make them again. I have tried so many wonderful recipes on this website. I love it!

—VANESSA RONSSE

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Jul 14, 2003

This was good, but I would have prefered the filling for the meat portion to be a little...juicier? Still, excellent flavor, and will make again.

—Mrs_Mike

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Nutrition

Calories
209 kcal
10%

Carbohydrates
15.4 g
5%

Cholesterol
42 mg
14%

Fat
12.6 g
19%

Fiber
1.5 g
6%

Protein
8.5 g
17%

Sodium
270 mg
11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Pork Empanadas

Serving Size: 1/16 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 16
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 209
Calories from Fat: 113

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 12.6g 19 %
Saturated Fat 4.7g 24 %
Cholesterol 42mg 14 %
Sodium 270mg 11 %
Potassium 191mg 5 %
Total Carbohydrates 15.4g 5 %
Dietary Fiber 1.5g 6 %
Protein 8.5g 17 %
** Sugars 1.2g
Vitamin A 2 %
Vitamin C 2 %
Calcium 6 %
Iron 16 %
** Thiamin 33 %
Niacin 30 %
Vitamin B6 9 %
Magnesium 7 %
Folate 22 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.