← Nouns Cooking · Mexican

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg beef chuck or boneless short rib, cut into 4–6 large pieces
• 2½ tsp Salt
• 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 6 Dried guajillo chillies, stems and seeds removed
• 3 dried ancho chillies, stems and seeds removed
• 3 dried chiles de árbol, for heat (optional)
• 2 Tomato, quartered
• 1 white onion, roughly chopped
• 6 cloves Garlic, peeled
• 2 tbsp Cider vinegar
• 2 tsp Dried oregano
• 1 tsp Cumin
• 4 whole cloves
• ½ tsp Black pepper
• 1 Cinnamon stick
• 3 Bay leaves
• 750 ml Beef stock
• 24 corn tortillas
• 1 white onion, finely chopped
• 1 bunch Coriander (cilantro), chopped
• 2 Lime, cut into wedges
• 200 g Oaxaca or mozzarella cheese, for quesabirria, grated (optional)

Method

1. Season the beef all over with the salt. Toast the dried chillies in a dry frying pan over medium heat for about 30 seconds a side, just until they smell fragrant and blister; do not let them blacken or the sauce turns bitter.
2. Put the chillies in a bowl, cover with boiling water and leave to soften for 15 min.
3. Drain the chillies and blend them with the tomatoes, onion, garlic, vinegar, oregano, cumin, cloves, pepper and a ladle of the stock until completely smooth.
4. Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat and brown the beef well on all sides, in batches, 8–10 min in all. Pour the chilli sauce through a sieve into the pot, pressing on the pulp, then add the rest of the stock, the cinnamon and the bay leaves.
5. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook on the lowest heat (or in a 160°C / 320°F oven) for 3 hours, until the beef falls apart at a nudge. Top up with a splash of water if it gets too thick.
6. Lift out the beef and shred it. Skim off the red fat from the surface and keep it for frying the tacos. Taste the broth (the consommé) for salt.
7. For tacos, dip each tortilla in the reserved fat, fry it in a hot pan for 1 minute, fill with beef (and cheese, if you like), fold and crisp on both sides. Serve with cups of hot consommé topped with onion, coriander and lime.

Tips

• Birria tastes even better the next day; chill it overnight and the fat sets on top, so it is easy to lift off.
• Want it milder? Leave out the chiles de árbol; guajillo and ancho bring colour and depth with only gentle heat.
• The cheese for quesabirria is optional; leave it out to keep the dish dairy-free.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Mexican Please RecipeTin Eats BBC Good Food