Step 1

Start by soaking your Guajillo chiles in the hot water in a bowl and cover the bowl with a plastic wrap so it softens up. Once the pepper are softened, they're ready to use. Usually this takes around 15 minutes.

Step 2

In a blender add all the marinade ingredients along with the soaked chillies

Step 3

Blend until smooth.

Step 4

Coat the meat with the blender sauce in a large bowl and marinate or proceed with the recipe. You can marinate the lamb for upto 12 hours.

Step 5

To make the birria stew: sautee the onions with the oil until soft and tanslucent

Step 6

You can use an instant pot or large stovetop pan for this recipe.

Step 7

Once the onions are ready, add in the lamb and sauce mixture all at once.

Step 8

Add to that the whole spices and stock. Now bring the stew to a boil and then cook on medium heat

Step 9

For instant pot --select pressure high and cook for 40 minutes--depdning on the size of your shanks, you may need 50 minutes.

Step 10

For stove top -- cover the pot and cook for 1 hour and 24 minutes-2 hours depending on the sizeo of your shanks.

Step 11

USDA recommends lamb reach an internal temp of 145F

Step 12

If you want to bake the birria in the oven (no stove top option) -- place all ingredients with onions in an oven safe dish and cover the dish with foil. Roast in a 400 degree oven for 1 hour and half.

Step 13

The stew is ready when the meat comes out tender. Remove the meat from the sauce and reserve the sauce in a bowl.

Step 14

Take the lamb shanks and use a fork to shred them into fine shreds on a wooden board.

Step 15

Add the meat to bowl along with 3 ladles of the reserved sauce to flavor up the lamb for stuffing the tacos.

Step 16

Make the tacos: Dip each tortilla into the reserved sauce to flavor it up. Make sure to quickly dip and remove the tortilla and always work with one tortilla at a time.

Step 17

In a heavy duty skillet, place the tortilla in to the pan and add cheese over half of the tortilla. Then Add the lamb meat over the cheese and fold over the tortilla to make the tacos shape.

Step 18

flip the tacos and allow it to sear on both sides a total of 5 minutes until crisp.

Step 19

Garnish the tacos with cilantros and jalapeños

Step 20

For the dipping sauce : take 2 cups of the reserved birria stew sauce and add in chopped onions, jalapeno (optional) and remaining cilantro.

Step 21

Dip the lamb birria tacos in the dipping sauce and ENJOY!