Mexican Birria Recipes

BIRRIA RECIPE

Steps:

• Place Anaheim and guajillo peppers in a saucepan and cover with water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and cool for 5 minutes.
• Pour chiles and water into a blender; add onion, mixed spices, and salt. Blend until sauce is smooth.
• Mix stew meat, sauce, and bay leaves in a large pot; cook over medium-low heat until meat is very tender, 3 to 5 hours.

BIRRIA DE CHIVO ESTILO JALISCO (MEXICAN BRAISED GOAT)

Steps:

• Bring a pot of water to a boil; add ancho chile peppers and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let chiles soak in the hot water until soft, about 10 minutes; drain.
• Blend softened chiles, 1 cup vinegar, 15 peppercorns, ginger, 2 garlic cloves, 3 cloves, 1 pinch marjoram, 1 pinch cumin, and 1 pinch thyme in a blender until marinade is smooth. Strain marinade into a bowl.
• Place goat in a bowl and pour in marinade, coating goat completely. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Transfer goat and marinade to a baking dish; cover with a lid or aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until goat is very tender, about 3 1/2 hours. Remove lid or foil and cook until goat is browned, about 15 minutes. Pour meat juices into a container and reserve. Cover the goat to keep warm.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add tomatoes and boil until soft, 5 to 10 minutes. Drain and let tomatoes cool until easily handled.
• Peel tomatoes and place in blender with reserved goat juices, 2 cups water, 3 peppercorns, 2 garlic cloves, 2 cloves, 1 pinch marjoram, 1 pinch thyme, and 1 pinch cumin. Blend until meat sauce is smooth.
• Pour meat sauce into a small saucepan and season with salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer over low heat.
• Bring a pot of water to a boil; add chiles de arbol and boil until soft, about 5 minutes. Drain.
• Blend softened chiles with 1/4 cup vinegar, 10 peppercorns, 1 garlic clove, and salt until hot sauce is smooth. Strain into a glass.
• Cut goat into bite-sized pieces and serve with a generous amount of meat sauce and hot sauce on the side. Sprinkle onion over goat.

BIRRIA TACOS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• For the beef: Combine the ancho, New Mexico and de arbol chiles, tomatoes, onion, garlic and beef broth in a large pot. Place over medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer. Continue to simmer for 12 to 14 minutes while you sear the beef.
• Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the chuck roast with salt and pepper. In two batches, sear the beef, browning on all sides, about 6 minutes per batch. Transfer the beef to a plate.
• Using an immersion blender, blend the chile and tomato mixture until smooth.
• Add the blended sauce to the Dutch oven, scraping the pan to release any bits stuck to the bottom. Add the meat back to the pot with any juices from the plate. Add the apple cider vinegar, coriander, cumin, dried oregano, cinnamon sticks and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer, cover and transfer to the oven. Cook until the beef is very tender, about 3 hours.
• Remove the beef to a bowl and shred with 2 forks. Set aside.
• For the tacos: To build the tacos, grab a tortilla and dip it in the warm braising liquid. Lay the tortilla on a griddle over medium heat, top with a couple of tablespoons of the mozzarella and 2 to 3 heaping tablespoons of the beef. Add a little onion and cilantro, then fold in half to close. Repeat with 3 more tortillas.
• Cook the tacos on the griddle until crisp, 30 to 45 seconds per side. Remove to a platter and squeeze over the lime juice. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and serve with the braising liquid on the side for dipping.

MEXICAN STEW: BIRRIA

Steps:

• On hot griddle toast the ancho and gaujillo chile and submerge in hot water. Let chiles sit for 20 minutes. Remove from water and puree in blender with a cup of warm water. Set aside.
• In a deep Dutch oven, add the beef and ribs, water, onion, and garlic cloves. Bring to boil and cook for 1 hour. At this point add the bay leaves, thyme, chile puree, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper simmer for 30 minutes. To make sauce, puree the garlic, vinegar, and chile powder in a blender.
• Serve the stew in a big bowl with a sprinkle of onion and cilantro and a squeeze of lime on top. Serve with corn tortillas and some of the sauce on the side, as well.