Birria is a Mexican slow-cooked meat dish typically made with goat or beef (sometimes lamb). This recipe uses beef. It is often eaten as a caldo (soup) but also used as a filling for tacos. The broth, rich with the collagen from the meat, is called consomé. This recipe isn’t exactly how I make mine but it’s pretty close.
25 g (0.9 oz) guajillo chillies, dried (~4 pieces, heaped 3/4 cup once chopped)
45 g (1.6 oz) ancho chillies, dried (~2-3 pieces, 1 cup once chopped)
6 g (0.2 oz) chillies de arbol, dried (~6 pieces, 2 tbsp once chopped)
1/2 cup chilli soaking water (reserve after simmering)
5 garlic cloves , peeled
1 small onion , roughly sliced (~tennis ball size)
1 medium tomato , roughly sliced (180g)
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp black pepper
Birria braising:
5 tbsp vegetable oil (or canola oil)
1.3 kg/2.6 lb chuck beef , cut into 6 large pieces (or boneless beef short ribs – 1.8kg/3.6 lb bone-in)
2 cups beef stock / broth , low sodium
10 cloves (or 1/4 tsp ground cloves)
1 cinnamon stick (substitute 1/4 tsp powder, but it’s not quite the same)
3 bay leaves , preferably fresh else dried
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (or regular white vinegar, red or white wine vinegar)
2 1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt (halve for table salt, +30% for flakes)
Beef seasoning:
1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
Birria Tacos:
20 – 25 corn tortillas (14.5cm/6″ wide)
1 white onion , diced
1/2 cup finely chopped coriander / cilantro leaves
3 1/2 cups (350g) shredded Colby, Monterey Jack or Oaxaca cheese (if you can get it)
Lime wedges , optional
Your favorite salsa or hot sauce , optional
Simmer chopped chillies 10 min. Strain, blitz Adobo paste. Brown beef, cook off adobo paste, slow-cook beef 2 1/2 hrs (lid on). Remove meat, shred, skim fat off braising liquid (“Birria Oil”). Toss beef in skillet with 1 cup braising liquid (aka Consomme). Heat 1 tsp Birria oil over low heat, wipe pan with tortilla, remove, repeat x2 with 1/2 tsp oil each. Top tortilla with cheese, beef, onion, coriander, fold over, pan fry until crisp. Serve with Birria Consomme for dunking!
s_decoy
This seems like a pretty good recipe but I am begging you to salt as you cook instead of just throwing it all in at the end 👏
2 Comments
Birria is a Mexican slow-cooked meat dish typically made with goat or beef (sometimes lamb). This recipe uses beef. It is often eaten as a caldo (soup) but also used as a filling for tacos. The broth, rich with the collagen from the meat, is called consomé. This recipe isn’t exactly how I make mine but it’s pretty close.
Source: [Recipe Tin Eats](https://www.recipetineats.com/birria-tacos/)
Birria adobo (paste):
25 g (0.9 oz) guajillo chillies, dried (~4 pieces, heaped 3/4 cup once chopped)
45 g (1.6 oz) ancho chillies, dried (~2-3 pieces, 1 cup once chopped)
6 g (0.2 oz) chillies de arbol, dried (~6 pieces, 2 tbsp once chopped)
1/2 cup chilli soaking water (reserve after simmering)
5 garlic cloves , peeled
1 small onion , roughly sliced (~tennis ball size)
1 medium tomato , roughly sliced (180g)
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp black pepper
Birria braising:
5 tbsp vegetable oil (or canola oil)
1.3 kg/2.6 lb chuck beef , cut into 6 large pieces (or boneless beef short ribs – 1.8kg/3.6 lb bone-in)
2 cups beef stock / broth , low sodium
10 cloves (or 1/4 tsp ground cloves)
1 cinnamon stick (substitute 1/4 tsp powder, but it’s not quite the same)
3 bay leaves , preferably fresh else dried
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (or regular white vinegar, red or white wine vinegar)
2 1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt (halve for table salt, +30% for flakes)
Beef seasoning:
1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
Birria Tacos:
20 – 25 corn tortillas (14.5cm/6″ wide)
1 white onion , diced
1/2 cup finely chopped coriander / cilantro leaves
3 1/2 cups (350g) shredded Colby, Monterey Jack or Oaxaca cheese (if you can get it)
Lime wedges , optional
Your favorite salsa or hot sauce , optional
Simmer chopped chillies 10 min. Strain, blitz Adobo paste. Brown beef, cook off adobo paste, slow-cook beef 2 1/2 hrs (lid on). Remove meat, shred, skim fat off braising liquid (“Birria Oil”). Toss beef in skillet with 1 cup braising liquid (aka Consomme). Heat 1 tsp Birria oil over low heat, wipe pan with tortilla, remove, repeat x2 with 1/2 tsp oil each. Top tortilla with cheese, beef, onion, coriander, fold over, pan fry until crisp. Serve with Birria Consomme for dunking!
This seems like a pretty good recipe but I am begging you to salt as you cook instead of just throwing it all in at the end 👏