This is one of the most beloved dishes in Mexico and beyond and it is so easy to see why. The flavours are intense and well balanced, the beef becomes so tender because of the long and slow cooking process and everything becomes exponentially tastier. Only some fresh cilantro and onions and a bit of fresh lime juice are needed to go to taco heaven. And you can make it at home!
Originally, goat is used instead of beef but beef birria is very popular too. The secret relies in the adobo. There are many recipes for “authentic” birria but in essence, the adobo has tomatoes, onion, garlic and the spices listed here. Where it changes the most is in the dry chillies used. The beauty of making a recipe from zero is the possibility to adjust it and tailor it to your taste.
Adobo
-5 ripe medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
-½ white onion, roughly chopped
-6 garlic cloves
-½ tbsp peppercorns
-½ tbsp allspice
-½ tbsp thyme
-½ tbsp oregano
-½ tbsp cumin
-2 bay leaves
-¼ cinnamon stick
-1 tbsp white vinegar
-500ml water
-1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 Rinse the pasilla, ancho and pasilla chillies under running water to remove any dirt. Using a pair of scissors, cut them lengthwise and remove the seeds and stem.
2 In a large pot on medium heat, add the vegetable oil and cook the tomatoes, onion and garlic cloves for 10 minutes.
3 Once the vegetables have softened, add all the spices, chillies and vinegar. Stir and let it cook for another 5 minutes. Add the water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes.
4 Transfer all the ingredients and liquid to a blender and blend using the highest speed to make it as smooth as possible.
Birria
-1kg short ribs
-1.5l water
-1 salt
-adobo
1 Return the adobo to the pot and on medium-high heat add the water and add a heaped tablespoon of salt. Taste and correct seasoning as needed.
2 Add the short ribs and cook for at least two hours on low heat. We want the short ribs to cook slowly until they fall apart from the bone.
3 After two hours, turn off the heat and remove the beef from the stew. You can either pull apart the beef or finely chop it with a knife. Set the beef aside.
4 The stew should be perfect and delicious at this point. There are two options here. You can pass the stew through a sieve to remove any leftover from the spices that could have survived the blender or you can leave it as it is. Whatever you do, make sure to keep it on low heat so it’s ready to be served as consomé or stock next to your birria tacos.
Tacos de Birria
-Coriander roughly chopped
-Onion finely chopped
-Lime wedges
-Your favourite salsa
1 You can fry the birria beef on a pan with a little bit of the fat from the stock or serve it straight from the pot.
2 Warm up the corn tortillas, add the beef and sprinkle fresh onions and coriander on top. Drizzle a little bit of fresh lime juice over it and dollop your favourite salsa.
3 Serve a small dish with the consomé on the side, topped with coriander, onions and lime juice too. You can drink it, have it as a soup or the best option, you can dip your birria tacos straight in the consomé for the most authentic way to enjoy tacos de birria.
Notes
- Try making a quesadilla and add birria to it. Same toppings! This is such a winning combination every single time.
- If you want to obtain the classic red, toasted look you often get on birria tacos, Take a bit of the fat from the cooking process and add it to a pan and lightly fry the tortillas. While on the pan, add the cheese and birria. Fold the tortilla and let it toast until the cheese has melted and the tortillas are crunchy and golden brown. This is the most delicious way to eat birria tacos.
- The consomé or stock is so good! Make sure to keep it warm and serve it with your tacos! There’s nothing like dipping crunchy birria tacos right in the broth before every bite!
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