birria

Birria is a popular dish served in Mexico. Most often prepared with goat, but delicious to prepare with beef as well. Ladle into bowls or serve meat separately as a taco filling.

Beef Birria With Consomé (Birria de Res Con Consomé)

beef chuck

onion

garlic

water

Salt

7-8 chile guajillo or california (remove stems and seeds)

chile de arbol (optional)

roma tomatoes

inch piece of Mexican canela

cloves

thyme

tsp Mexican oregano

tsp marjoram

tsp cumin seeds

tsp peppercorns

bay leaves

In a large pot, add the beef, 1/2 the onion, 1/2 of the head of garlic,  18 cups of water and salt to taste. Bring up to a boil at medium heat. Skim off the top as needed. Reduce heat, cover and continue cooking until the meat is tender(about 2 hours).

In a separate pot, add the dried chiles, remaining onion, 4-6 cloves of remaining garlic and 4 roma tomatoes, Cover with water and bring to a boil at medium heat. Reduce heat and continue cooking for 10-12 minutes.

To the pot with tomatoes, add the canela, cloves, thyme, oregano, marjoram, cumin seeds and peppercorns. Let sit for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, using a wire mesh strainer, strain out the liquid from pot with tomatoes, reserving 1/2 of the cooking water. Transfer all the ingredients including any spices that are in the strainer to the blender, including the cooking water that you reserved. Also to the blender, add two cups of the beef broth from the cooked beef. Cover tightly and blend on high until smooth. let sauce settle and then blend on high again for 40 to 50 seconds.

Remove the onion and garlic from the pot with beef and discard. Using a fine wire strainer, strain the sauce from blender directly into the pot with beef. Add the bay leaves. Cook partially covered for 1 1/2 to 2 more hours or until the beef shreds apart easily. Taste for salt along the way.

You can serve the birria two ways. Serve in bowls with plenty of consomé. Garnish with onion, cilantro, lime and spicy red salsa. Or you can prepare crispy birria tacos or quesadillas and serve the consomé on the side.

Slow Cooker Beef Birria Tacos with Consomé

chuck

hot water

mozzarella cheese

black pepper

salt

oregano

chicken bullion

guajillo peppers

New Mexico peppers

White corn tortillas

Learn how to make Birria in your electric multi-cooker or on the stove.

Authentic Mexican Birria Recipe

Lb Bone-In Lamb Ribs

Lb Beef shank

Lb Beef loin

Tbsp Pepper

Tsp Ground Cumin

Ancho Chiles

Guajillo Chiles

Chipotle Pepper

Peppercorns

Tsp dried thyme

Tsp Marjoram

Tsp Dried Oregano

Bay Leaves

Tsp Ground Ginger

Cinnamon Stick

Cloves Garlic

Large Onion

Red Tomatoes

Apple cider vinegar

Water

Season the meat with salt, pepper, and cumin

Cut open the dried chiles with scissors and remove the seeds

Fry the dried chiles with a small amount of oil in a frying pan for 2-3 minutes, moving constantly so they don&#x27;t burn. Set aside

Add the chiles from the previous step to a small pot with boiling water for about 10 minutes, or until softened.

In the same frying pan where you fried the chiles, add 1 tablespoon of oil and cook the onions and tomatoes until they are browned. Add the garlic, peppercorns,  bay leaves, cinnamon stick, and all of the remaining spices except for the ground cumin and ginger. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes, moving it around often.

Add the chiles (including the water), the ingredients from the previous step, and the ginger, cumin, apple cider vinegar and water to a blender and blend until smooth. It will still be pretty thick, but that is fine. Strain and set aside the resulting sauce for the next step.

Pour the sauce over the meat in a large bowl and cover. If using the oven or stovetop methods, you will want to marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight. If using the electric pressure cooker option, you can marinate it, but it isn&#x27;t necessary.

Follow the cooking instructions according to your preferred method below.

Preparation (all methods)

Add the meat with the marinade to a large stockpot and cook over medium heat, covered, for about three hours, or until the meat falls off the bones and is easy to shred.

Method 1 - Stovetop

Add the meat with the marinade  to a large oven-safe dish and cover with aluminum foil and cook at 350 degrees fahrenheit for 2 hours or until the meat is easy to shred.

Method 2 - Oven

Add the meat with the marinade (or just the meat and the marinade separately if you chose not to marinate it) to the pot of the electric pressure cooker.

Follow instructions for your electric pressure cooker to bring it to high pressure and cook for 45 minutes. Release pressure naturally for 5 minutes and then use the quick pressure release option to release the rest of the pressure. Remove the lid per instructions and the meat will be tender and ready to shred.

Method 3 - Electric Pressure Cooker *Preferred Method

Remove the meat and shred it. You can then serve it over the soup made from the sauce that the meat cooked in or you can serve it with tortillas as tacos with cilantro, lime, onions, and salsa.

How to Serve

This Birria Tacos recipe is juicy, cheesy, delicious—a true showstopper. It begins with braising a birria de rez and then making a consomé and frying up tacos with Oaxacan cheese. 

Birria Tacos

oxtail or short ribs

neutral oil ((avocado or vegetable oil))

ancho chiles ((ends trimmed and de-seeded))

guajillo chiles ((ends trimmed and de-seeded))

chiles de arbol ((ends trimmed and de-seeded))

black peppercorns

dried Mexican oregano

cumin seeds

coriander seeds

Mexican cinnamon

apple cider vinegar

beef broth

cilantro

white onion ((minced))

lime

Kosher salt

Corn tortillas

Oaxacan cheese ((or mozzarella))

Bring the meat to room temperature, about 30 minutes and then sprinkle liberally on all sides with kosher salt. In a large Dutch oven (or a pot with an oven-proof lid), set over medium-high heat, add the neutral oil. When hot, add the meat and sear on all sides until browned. I like to do a hard sear. You’ll have to do this in batches. Transfer to a bowl.

To Sear the Meat:

Meanwhile, in another medium pot, add the dried chiles, halved white onion, garlic cloves, tomatoes, spices, bay leaves and add cold water until it covers everything. Place over medium heat and simmer gently for about 15 minutes. Pour through a strainer and transfer everything (including the whole spices) to a blender. If your blender is small you may need to do this in batches.

Add the apple cider vinegar and about 1 cup of beef broth or water and blend until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Add salt to taste (I added about 1 tablespoon of kosher salt).

*Note: I have a high-powered blender and it resulted in a super smooth sauce. If you have a blender that is meh, you may want to run the sauce through a strainer to discard any big bits the blender didn’t puree. Very optional!

To Make the Sauce:

Preheat the oven to 300F. Add the meat back to the pot and pour the sauce over it. To the blender, add the remaining 2 cups of broth or water and swish it around to pick up any leftover sauce and pour it into the pot. Place over medium heat until it reaches a gentle simmer and then immediately cover and transfer to the preheated oven. Cook for about 3 hours, until the meat is tender.

To Braise the Meat:

Mix together the cilantro, white onion, lime and salt.

Remove the meat from the sauce and shred using two forks. Ladle the broth into a bowl and add a handful of diced cilantro.

Add a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Dip the tortilla into the top of the broth (this should be fat) and add it to the skillet. Pan fry on one side for about 30 seconds and then flip over. Add a some of the shredded meat and the shredded cheese. Fold over and cook until pan fried on both sides, about 1 minute. Transfer to a plate and serve alongside the broth.

To Assemble the Tacos:

Beef Birria. Rich and flavorful this beef birria is perfect served as a stew topped with onion, cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. OR chop up the meat and fry up some Quesabirria tacos! These are the most FAMOUS Tacos!

Best Beef Birria and Birria Tacos

lbs chuck roast

white onion (dry skins removed, cut in half crosswise)

garlic bulb (cut the narrow top off, no need to peel)

carrot

bay leaves (dried)

guajillo chiles (stems

tbsp chicken boullion

chili powder

tsp mexican oregano

tsp cumin

salt ((adjust

white corn tortillas

quesadilla cheese (or any good melting cheese)

Combine Ingredients

Combine Ingredients: In large pot add meat, onion, garlic, carrots, bay leaves and dried peppers. Cover with water. (This uses my large 7 qt pot and fills it to the top!)

Add Seasonings

Add Seasonings: Add chicken bouillon, oregano, cumin and salt, stir to combine. Bring to a boil.

Skim

Skim: After 30 minutes, skim the top of the pot to remove impurities from the bone cooking out. (will look like little bits of foam on the top)

Blend Peppers

Blend Peppers: Remove the peppers (should be softened) and place in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth, add up to 1/4 cup of broth if needed to help get a smooth consistency. 

Strain Peppers

Strain: Strain the peppers if needed to remove bits of skin (if using a high powered blender this step is not necessary). 

Combine

Combine: Add the blended peppers into the broth and stir to combine.

Season

Season: Add in the chili powder as desired to get a nice deep red color to the broth. 

Simmer

Simmer: Cover and continue to simmer for about 3 hours or until meat is tender and easily shredding on it’s own. (remove lid and give a stir every 40 minutes or so. Can also taste the broth once the meat is cooked through and adjust seasonings as needed).

Reserve Grease

Reserve Grease: Skim the grease from the top of the broth (SAVE THIS!) pour the grease into a small skillet or saucepan, this is used for making the tacos if desired. 

Remove Flavorings

Remove the onion, garlic, carrots, and bay leaves from the broth. (these ingredients were in the broth for flavoring…people are more than welcome to eat and enjoy them, so save them if you want!)

Cut Meat

Serving: Remove the meat from the broth and cut into large chunks for serving. Remove any bones. 

Serve Soup

Serve a couple pieces of meat into a bowl, spoon broth on top.

Toppings

Top with diced onion and fresh cilantro. Serve with a wedge of lime to squeeze in.

To Serve as a Stew:

Chop Meat

Chop Meat: Remove the meat from the broth, and finely chop until only small pieces remain. 

Heat Skillet

Heat a large skillet/griddle over medium heat. 

Frying Tortillas

Frying Tortillas: Dip the corn tortilla into the reserved grease from the broth. 

Add Fillings

Place on heated griddle, top with the chopped meat and cheese. 

Frying

Fold the taco over and press down with a spatula. Continue cooking until the taco is crisp and golden on the bottom, about 2-3 minutes. Then flip and continue cooking the other side. (it’s ok if some of the cheese leaks out while frying, the golden cheese is the best part!) Plus you can spoon some additional grease onto the tortilla while it cooks if you need more coloring to the tortilla. 

Cook until both sides are crisp. Remove from heat and allow to cool briefly before serving, will be very hot. 

Continue

Topping

Top tacos with fresh cilantro and onion if desired.

Serving

Serving: Serve with a bowl of the broth topped with onions and cilantro on the side. 

Dip the tacos into the broth while eating.

To Make Quesabirria Tacos:

This mash up of birria tacos and ramen is just too good to be missed!

Birria Ramen Recipe

beef

guajillo peppers (see notes)

oz chipotle peppers

vinegar vinegar

oz crushed tomatoes (1 small can)

tsp dried oregano (Mexican preferred)

tsp smoked paprika

cinnamon

chicken stock (or beef stock, sodium free/unsalted preferred)

portions ramen noodles

eggs (optional)

cabbage (shredded)

lime wedges

jalapeños (sliced)

fresh cilantro (chopped)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and then remove from heat. Soak your dried guajillo peppers for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, cube your beef and season all sides with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Add chipotles in adobo, vinegar, tomatoes, garlic, oregano, smoked paprika, and cumin to the blender. When the peppers are done soaking, hold them by the tip over the sink and use scissors to cut the stem off and allow the seeds to fall out, then add to blender. Blend the marinade into a smooth paste. Marinate the meats for a minimum of two hours or up to overnight.

Set your Instant Pot on saute high or use a skillet over medium heat. Add 1-2 tbsp oil, then saute the onions until golden and translucent (6-8 minutes).

Add the meats, marinade, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, and cloves to the pot. Cover with chicken broth, then set to high pressure for 45 minutes. If using a slow cooker or stovetop, set to low heat for 4-6 hours. When the instant pot is finished, allow a natural release, then remove the meat. Shred, set aside, and discard the bones (if any). Taste and season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Keep the consomé on warm and cook your noodles in rapidly boiling water, according to the package. Drain well.

Ladle 2 cups of piping hot broth into deep bowls. Add the noodles and top with birria meat, shredded cabbage, onions, chopped cilantro, jalapeños, and birria ramen egg if desired.

Mouth-watering tacos de birria filled with tender shredded beef, white onions, cheese, and cilantro – the perfect meal for sharing!

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