Birria

Ingredients

Chile adobo

• 6guajillo chillies, stemmed and deseeded
• 4ancho chillies, stemmed and deseeded
• 2chiles de árbol, for heat
• 1onion, quartered and charred
• 8 clovesgarlic, unpeeled and charred
• 3tomatoes, charred
• 1 tbspcumin seed, toasted
• 1 tbspdried oregano
• 1 tspblack peppercorns
• 4cloves
• 1cinnamon stick
• 3 tbspcider vinegar
• 2 tspsalt

Meat

• 2 kggoat shoulder or beef chuck and short rib, in large pieces
• 2bay leaves
• 2 litreswater or light stock
• 2 tspsalt

To serve

• corn tortillas
• finely chopped white onion and coriander
• lime wedges
• dried oregano

Directions

1. Toast the dried chillies in a dry pan for about 30 seconds a side, until they puff slightly and smell fragrant. Take them off before they darken — burnt chilli makes the whole adobo bitter and there is no fixing it afterwards.
2. Soak the toasted chillies in hot water for 20 minutes, then drain.
3. Char the onion, unpeeled garlic and tomatoes in a dry pan until blackened in patches, then peel the garlic.
4. Blend the chillies with the charred vegetables, toasted cumin, oregano, peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, vinegar and salt to a smooth paste, adding a little soaking water. Pass it through a sieve — the skins never fully break down and sieving is what gives birria its velvet texture.
5. Rub the adobo into the meat, cover and refrigerate overnight.
6. Put the meat and all the adobo into a heavy pot with the bay and the water, which should just cover it. Bring to a bare simmer.
7. Cover and cook very gently for 3 hr 30 min, either on the lowest hob setting or in a 150°C (300°F) oven, until the meat pulls apart under a fork.
8. Lift out the meat and shred it, discarding bone and gristle. Skim the fat from the surface of the broth and keep it in a separate bowl — that red fat is what you fry the tacos in.
9. Season the broth and serve it as consommé in cups alongside tacos of the shredded meat with onion, coriander and lime.
10. For quesabirria, dip a tortilla in the reserved red fat, lay it on a hot griddle with cheese and meat, fold and fry until crisp, and serve with a cup of consommé for dipping.

Technique

• Sieve the adobo. This single step is the difference between a smooth braise and a gritty one.
• Keep the skimmed fat. It is not waste; it is the ingredient that makes quesabirria work.
• Goat is the original Jalisco meat; beef is the version that travelled and is now more common.

Substitutions

• Lamb shoulder, which sits between goat and beef in flavour.
• A pressure cooker brings it down to about 1 hr 15 min, with slightly less depth.

Variations

• Birria de res, the beef version behind the taco boom.
• Birria estilo Tijuana, always fried as quesabirria with consommé.

History

A spicy, slow-cooked meat stew, traditionally made with goat, most strongly associated with the state of Jalisco, where it is generally credited to Indigenous cooks working under Spanish colonial rule who needed a way to use the goats introduced by the Spanish, an animal for which no established Indigenous Mesoamerican cooking tradition yet existed. Heavy use of dried chilies and spices in the marinade and braising liquid is sometimes explained as originally serving to mask goat’s stronger flavour, though this explanation is not fully documented and birria today is valued for that same bold, chili-forward flavour in its own right. Birria tacos, in which the meat is served in a tortilla dipped in and often fried in the stew’s fat before eating, developed much more recently, gaining significant popularity in the 2010s, particularly in the United States.

Frequently asked questions

What is Birria?

Birria is a soup & stew from Mexico: jalisco chile-braised goat or beef, served with consommé. A spicy, slow-cooked meat stew, traditionally made with goat, most strongly associated with the state of Jalisco, where it is generally credited to Indigenous cooks working under Spanish colonial rule who needed a way to use the goats introduced by the Spanish, an animal for which no established Indigenous Mesoamerican cooking tradition yet existed. Heavy use of dried chilies and spices in the marinade and braising liquid is sometimes explained as originally serving to mask goat’s stronger flavour, though this explanation is not fully documented and birria today is valued for that same bold, chili-forward flavour in its own right. Birria tacos, in which the meat is served in a tortilla dipped in and often fried in the stew’s fat before eating, developed much more recently, gaining significant popularity in the 2010s, particularly in the United States.

How long does Birria take to make?

Birria takes 40 min plus overnight marinating of preparation and 4 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 8 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Birria?

Yes, within limits. Lamb shoulder, which sits between goat and beef in flavour. A pressure cooker brings it down to about 1 hr 15 min, with slightly less depth.

What is the most important thing to get right in Birria?

Toast the dried chillies in a dry pan for about 30 seconds a side, until they puff slightly and smell fragrant. Take them off before they darken — burnt chilli makes the whole adobo bitter and there is no fixing it afterwards.