Taco empanadas? Find them at Joe's Rotisseria in Asbury Park

Joe Brignoni isn't afraid to make food that's out of the box.

There's his "Triple Threat," which is half pizza and half calzone, divided by a row of garlic knots. He makes footlong mozzarella sticks; a pizza with chicken parmesan sliders baked into the crust; uses slices of Sicilian pizza to make sandwiches; and builds 6-foot-long French bread pizzas.

"I just like to have fun," said Brignoni, who owns Joe's Rotisseria in Asbury Park and Roselle Park. "(For customers), it's like a 'Wow, I'm seeing this for the first time.' "

His new creation is an empanada taco, an idea that came about when empanadas were splitting and opening while cooking in the fryer. He decided to open them on purpose and fill them with taco toppings.

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Brignoni starts by rolling thin rounds of empanada dough then, with the help of an empanada-making machine, stuffs them with two kinds of fillings: beef, cheese, sofrito and seasonings in one, and shredded rotisserie chicken, Buffalo sauce, sour cream and spices in another.

The empanadas are fried until golden, then split and stuffed with iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, onions, sour cream and shredded cheese ($16.75 for three).

"I just like to be different and put out a different product," he said. "It's new, and one of my bestsellers."

Go: 504 Main St., Asbury Park. Also 547 Westfield Ave., Roselle Park; joes-rotisseria.com.

Sarah Griesemer joined the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey in 2003 and has been writing all things food since 2014. Send restaurant tips to [email protected], follow on Instagram at Jersey Shore Eats and subscribe to our Jersey Shore Eats newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Asbury Park: Joe's Rotisseria makes taco empanadas