Homemade Beef Birria Consomé Recipes

BEEF BIRRIA

Steps:

• Cut each beef short rib through the middle, all the way down to the bone. Cut beef chuck in half; cut each half into 3- to 4-inch pieces.
• Place beef chuck and short ribs into a soup pot and season with salt, black pepper, oregano, cumin, cinnamon, and cloves. Toss very thoroughly until the meat is evenly coated with the spices, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Cover and transfer into the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
• Prep guajillo chiles by snipping off stems with scissors; slice open and scrape or shake out the seeds onto a plate to discard.
• Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add dried guajillo chiles and toss in the hot oil, about 30 seconds. Add chopped onion, garlic, and ginger; toss to combine. Add tomatoes and water, raise heat to high, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for 30 minutes.
• Turn off heat and use an immersion blender to blend the mixture as smooth as possible, or transfer to a regular blender, working in batches as needed.
• Remove the soup pot with meat from the refrigerator. Strain the reserved chili mixture into the pot using a large mesh strainer. Add bay leaves, honey, vinegar, and chicken broth.
• Bring to a boil over high heat, and then lower to medium-low. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the meat is falling-apart tender, 3 to 4 hours. Skim fat off of the top and reserve for future birria queso tacos.
• Place some chunks of beef into a soup bowl and ladle some of the cooking liquid over top. Top with white onion and chopped cilantro and squeeze lime juice over top.

BEEF BIRRIA QUESO TACOS WITH CONSOMé

Steps:

• Stir reserved beef birria sauce, chicken broth, carrots, celery, and cabbage together in a saucepan over high heat; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, occasionally brushing the caramelized bits (side fond) off the side with the hot liquid, until vegetables are nice and tender and consomé has reached desired consistency, about 20 minutes. Reduce heat to low and keep hot while you prepare the tacos.
• Heat some reserved beef fat in a large skillet over medium heat until melted. Add 2 tortillas and toss with a spatula until generously coated in fat. Toast briefly until golden brown, then cover with Monterey Jack cheese and some shredded beef. Drizzle each taco with about 1 tablespoon consomé liquid, then top with white onion and cilantro.
• Fold tacos in half and press gently. Continue to cook, flipping back and forth, until browned and crispy, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and repeat to make remaining tacos, adding more fat if necessary.
• Ladle consomé into a bowl and garnish with remaining white onions and cilantro. Squeeze lime wedges into consomé and serve with tacos.