This barbecue steak quesadilla is packed with flavor thanks to a spicy sweet BBQ sauce, shredded cheese, and tender steak. A creative griddle quesadilla to make on your flat top grill or in a skillet!
Quesadillas are some of the most popular griddle recipes to make. Probably because they’re so easy to whip up, and unlike using a skillet on the stovetop, you can make at least 4 or 5 quesadillas at one time on your flat top grill.
But after eating regular Mexican-style griddle quesadillas with grilled chicken and cheese for the 42nd time, you might be looking for a way to switch up the flavors in this popular Blackstone recipe.
Enter the barbecue steak quesadilla!
These easy quesadillas on the griddle combine steak, a spicy barbecue sauce, and shredded cheese for a flavor-packed griddle dinner that’s anything but boring! Here’s how to make an easy BBQ steak quesadilla on the griddle:
Ingredients for BBQ Steak Quesadillas
Here are the ingredients that you need to make these easy BBQ steak quesadillas:
- Steak. We used sirloin steaks, because that’s what was on sale at the grocery store. I personally prefer to use less expensive cuts of steak for steak quesadillas, but you can definitely substitute ribeye or strip instead. Chuck eye steak is another good inexpensive option for this recipe.
- Shredded cheese. For best results, buy the block cheese and grate it yourself. We used one block of sharp cheddar and one block of pepper jack.
- Tortillas. I’ve found that taco sized tortillas work best for making quesadillas on the griddle, but for larger quesadillas you can also substitute burrito sized flour tortillas.
- Onions and bell peppers. We used a mixture of green bell pepper, yellow onion, and green onions.
- Barbecue sauce. We got the Southern City Flavors Apple Moonshine BBQ Sauce in a Grill Masters Club subscription box, and it is FANTASTIC! If you can’t find it locally, then substitute your favorite barbecue sauce.
- Steak seasoning. We used our own Smash That Burger Seasoning, which is also great on steaks!
- Chipotles in adobo. These come canned and you can typically find them in the Hispanic aisle of the grocery store. See my tip for saving your leftover peppers down below.
- Cilantro.
Chipotles in Adobo Hack:
Only need 1-2 peppers out of the can? Instead of throwing away the leftover chipotles in adobo, empty the can into a Ziploc bag, label the bag with a Sharpie marker, and store in the freezer. When you need a small amount for a recipe like this one, just use a knife to “shave” off slivers of the frozen peppers to use, and return the bag to the freezer.
How to Make Griddle Steak Quesadillas
Making the Smoky Barbecue Sauce
Fun fact – We sometimes use a barbecue sauce binder when making grilled ribeyes. The sugar in the barbecue sauce caramelizes on the grill to create a fantastic and flavorful crust that’s slightly sweet, and my wife absolutely LOVES it!
So we decided to pair this steak quesadilla with a smoky sweet and spicy barbecue sauce as well.
But since I was adding the sauce to a quesadilla, I didn’t want the sauce to be too runny and to ooze out the sides of the tortilla. So I did what I’ve done many times in the past… take a store-bought jarred sauce and reduce it in a saucepan!
To make the smoky spicy sauce for your steak quesadilla, simply add about a cup of your favorite barbecue sauce to a medium saucepan on the griddle top. Then stir in some diced chipotles in adobo, and allow the sauce to heat and reduce.
For a spicier sauce, you can add more diced peppers or even a few dashes of hot sauce. Or for a milder sauce, leave the peppers out altogether and simply reduce the barbecue sauce to a thicker consistency.
*By the way, the Southern City Flavors Apple Moonshine BBQ Sauce that we received in a Grill Masters Club subscription box is one of the BEST barbecue sauces that we’ve ever had. The sauce has a fantastic flavor and consistency right out of the bottle! That’s one of the things that I love most about the Grill Masters Club box – I get to discover new barbecue and grilling seasonings and sauces that I would have never tried!
Prepping the Steak Quesadilla Ingredients
While the sauce is reducing, prep the other quesadilla ingredients.
Dice the green pepper and yellow or white onion, rough chop some cilantro, and thinly slice some green onions. I also added a diced fresh jalapeno to my vegetable mix, but that’s completely optional. Then, freshly grate the blocks of cheese to add to your quesadilla. Here’s what my prepped ingredients looked like:
Next, season your steak so that it’s ready to cook on the griddle.
The sirloins that I used were on the thicker side, and since I was using the steak for a quesadilla, I decided to cut them in half lengthwise to thin them out a bit. Plus, doing so gave me more surface area, which means more flavor because there’s more seasoning and more of that great crust that you get from cooking steaks on the griddle. You can definitely cook thicker steaks on the flat top grill, but they take longer to cook through.
I seasoned the steak with our Smash That Burger Seasoning, which is also fantastic on steaks. In fact, the combination of Smash That and Shake That (our all-purpose seasoning) has been my go-to steak seasoning lately.
Sautéing the Onions and Peppers
Once you get everything prepped, it’s time to cook the peppers and onions. Just add a few tablespoons of your favorite cooking oil to the griddle surface (we recommend avocado oil for griddle cooking), and begin sautéing the onions and bell peppers.
I wanted my vegetables to develop a bit of a char, so after briefly sautéing them together, I spread the peppers and onions out in a thin even layer on the griddle and then just let them cook untouched for a few minutes.
After about 4 or 5 minutes, the vegetables should pick up some nice color. Season with salt and pepper, and move the sautéed vegetables to the cooler zone of the griddle to stay warm.
Cooking the Steak
Next, get ready to sear your steak. Turn the griddle temperature up to a medium or medium high – this will vary based on what type of griddle you are using. A great surface temp for searing griddle steaks is about 450-500 degrees F.
Then, add a bit of avocado oil (or another high heat oil) to the surface and spread it around with your spatula. Sear the steaks on the first side until they’re about half-way cooked through to your liking, and then flip to the second side.
I cooked my steak to about 125-128 internal temperature, because I wanted a good medium rare. Since the entire piece of meat is in contact with the hot griddle surface, the steaks will probably have some carryover cooking as they rest.
When the steaks are done to your liking, transfer them to a cutting board to rest. Then, cut the steak pieces slightly smaller than bite-sized. Remember, the steak is going on a cheesy quesadilla, and there’s nothing worse than biting into a steak quesadilla or a steak burrito and having half of the ingredients fall out.
Here’s what my cooked steak looked like before I added it to my barbecue steak quesadilla:
Building the Barbecue Steak Quesadilla on the Griddle
Your delicious BBQ quesadillas are almost ready! Now you just have to “build” them on the griddle. This is exactly like making a quesadilla in a skillet on the stovetop, except with a griddle, you can make multiple quesadillas at one time.
- Add a small bit of oil or butter to your griddle surface.
- Place the tortilla on the griddle.
- Sprinkle a thin layer of shredded cheese over the entire tortilla.
- After about 1-2 minutes, the cheese should start to melt. Add some of the cut steak to half of the tortilla.
- Add the sautéed onions and peppers on top of the steak.
- Drizzle on some of the reduced barbecue sauce.
- Sprinkle on some cilantro and/or sliced green onion.
- Use your spatula to fold the side of the tortilla without the steak over in half to form the quesadilla.
Once the tortilla is folded in half, it shouldn’t take long for your quesadilla to finish cooking. If needed, you can flip the steak quesadilla to the other side so that the cheese melts evenly and both sides get nice and golden brown. Then, just remove from the griddle and allow the cheese to cool slightly before cutting your quesadillas into triangles.
It’s that easy!
Other Griddle Quesadilla Recipes to Try
Pizza Quesadillas
These easy pizza quesadillas have all of the flavors of your favorite deep dish, but with way less carbs! We make these griddle quesadillas on low carb tortillas for a guilt-free weeknight griddle dinner that even the kids love!
Leftover Brisket Quesadillas
Want a creative way to use up leftover brisket? Try these flavor-packed brisket quesadillas! This easy griddle recipe is great for leftover pulled pork also!
Barbecue Steak Quesadilla Recipe
Want to print this Blackstone recipe to save for later? Just use the recipe card down below:
Barbecue Steak Quesadilla
Ingredients
- 1½ lb steak (sirloin, ribeye, strip, etc.)
- steak or beef seasoning *We used Smash That Burger Seasoning
- 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese freshly grated
- 8 oz pepper jack cheese freshly grated
- ¾ cup onion diced
- ¾ cup green bell pepper diced
- 1 green onion thinly sliced
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped
- 1 cup barbecue sauce *We used Southern City Flavors Apple Moonshine BBQ Sauce
- 1-2 tablespoons canned chipotles in adobo finely diced
- 4 flour tortillas burrito or taco sized
- 2-3 tablespoons cooking oil *We recommend avocado oil for griddle cooking
Instructions
- Heat griddle to about 375-400 degrees F.
- Set a small saucepan on the griddle. Add 1 cup of Southern City Flavors Apple Moonshine Barbecue Sauce and finely diced chipotles in adobo to the pan. Stir to combine. Allow the sauce to reduce and thicken, stirring occasionally. When sauce is reduced to your liking, remove from the heat and set aside.
- Add about 1 tablespoon of cooking oil to the heated griddle surface and spread it around with your spatula. Saute the peppers and onions on the oiled surface until tender. Season with salt and pepper, and move the sautéed vegetables to the cooler zone on the griddle.
- Season both sides of the steak with Smash That Burger Seasoning. Turn the griddle temp up to about 425-475 degrees F. Add about 1-2 tablespoons of high heat cooking oil to the griddle and spread it around with your spatula. Lay the steaks on the oiled surface, and cook on the first side until half-way cooked through to your liking. Flip steaks to the second side and continue to cook until done to your liking. Transfer steaks to a cutting board to rest.
- After steaks have rested for about 5-10 minutes, cut into pieces that are slightly smaller than bite-sized.
- Add a small bit of oil or butter to the griddle. Place the tortillas on the griddle. Sprinkle the shredded cheese on the tortillas, dividing equally between the 4 tortillas.
- After about 1-2 minutes when the cheese is slightly melted, add the cut steak to the top of the cheese, keeping the steak pieces on one side of the tortillas. Add the sautéed peppers and onions on top of the steak. Drizzle some of the thickened barbecue sauce on top, and sprinkle on chopped cilantro and/or sliced green onion.
- Use your spatula to fold the side of the tortilla without the steak over in half to form the quesadilla.
- Cook the quesadillas for an additional 2-4 minutes, or until the cheese is melted through. If needed, you can flip the steak quesadilla to the other side so that both sides get golden brown.
- Remove from the griddle and allow the cheese to cool slightly before cutting your quesadillas into triangles. Enjoy!
Notes
- For a spicier quesadilla, you can add more diced chipotle peppers or even a few dashes of hot sauce to the barbecue sauce as it is reducing. Or for a milder sauce, leave the peppers out altogether and simply reduce the barbecue sauce to a thicker consistency.
- This barbecue quesadilla is also fantastic with leftover pulled pork or brisket.
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