Birria Tacos
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.
Ingredients
- 2 poundsboneless chuck
- 1 poundoxtail or bone-in short ribs
- 1 teaspoonneutral oil ((avocado or vegetable oil))
- 7ancho chiles ((ends trimmed and de-seeded))
- 7guajillo chiles ((ends trimmed and de-seeded))
- 3chiles de arbol ((ends trimmed and de-seeded))
- 1white onion ((peeled and halved))
- 6garlic cloves ((peeled))
- 4roma tomatoes
- 1 tablespoonblack peppercorns
- 1 teaspoondried mexican oregano
- 1 teaspooncumin seeds
- 1 teaspooncoriander seeds
- ¼ teaspoonground cloves
- ½mexican cinnamon stick ((see note if not using mexican cinnamon))
- 3bay leaves
- 1 teaspoonapple cider vinegar
- 3 cupsbeef broth or water ((divided))
- ¼ cupminced cilantro
- ¼white onion ((minced) )
- 1juice from lime
- kosher salt
- corn tortillas
- 3 ouncesoaxacan cheese ((or mozzarella) )
Directions
To sear the meat:
- 1
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 make the sauce:
- 1
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 the solids (including the whole spices) to a blender. If your blender is small you may need to do this in batches.
- 2
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).
- 3
*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 braise the meat:
- 1
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 assemble the tacos:
- 1
Mix together the cilantro, white onion, lime and salt.
- 2
Remove the meat from the sauce and shred using two forks. Ladle the broth into a bowl and add a handful of diced cilantro.
- 3
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.