Description
Birria is a rich and flavorful stew loaded with hearty, fall-apart tender beef that’s slowly braised in a deeply fragrant broth. The broth is made from authentic Mexican ingredients like dried chiles, spices, herbs, and more. Enjoy this signature, authentic Mexican dish as a stew or make the popular, Birria Tacos! This recipe feeds a crowd and the serving possibilities are truly endless with this sensational dish!
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 3″ chunks
- 2 lbs bone-in beef short ribs, English cut
- Kosher salt, to season
- 3 dried Guajillo chiles, stems cut & deseeded
- 3 dried Ancho chiles , stems cut & deseeded
- 2 dried Pasilla chiles, stems cut & deseeded
- 4 dried Árbol chiles, stems cut & deseeded
- 1 large white onion, cut in half
- 1 Mexican cinnamon stick (canela)
- 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
- 6 cloves of garlic
- 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
- 4 ½ cups beef stock or broth, divided
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil, as needed
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano (or regular oregano)
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon coriander seeds
- 4 bay leaves
For serving:
- Birria Tacos (<< click for full recipe, yay!)
- Fresh chopped cilantro, chopped white onion & lime wedges for squeezing
Instructions
- Season & rest the beef. On a large plate or medium-rimmed baking sheet, generously season the beef with salt on all sides. Set the beef aside to rest and allow it to come up to room temperature for at least 30 minutes. While the beef is resting, let’s boil the peppers + aromatics.
- Prep the chiles & boil aromatics. Take all of the Mexican chiles and deseed them by cutting off their stems and then removing as much of the inner seeds as you can, discarding the stems and seeds.
- In a large dutch oven/pot; add the dried peppers, onion, cinnamon stick, black peppercorns, and garlic cloves together. Then fill the same pot with enough water to cover everything. Bring the peppers/aromatics to a boil over medium-high heat for about 30 minutes. The onion should be tender and the peppers should be soft and pliable. Afterward, remove 1 cup of the boiling liquid and set aside.
- Blend & develop the red chile broth. Use a slotted utensil to transfer the onions, peppers, and garlic into the body of a high-powered blender. Then discard the remaining boiling water and bits left in the pot. Add the chipotle peppers, fire-roasted tomatoes, the reserved 1 cup of boiling liquid, and 3 cups of beef stock/broth into the blender. Blend the mixture very well until completely combined and silky-smooth. Then set aside while you brown the beef.
- Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).
- Brown the beef. In a large, oven-safe, heavy-bottomed pot or dutch oven (at least 5 quarts in capacity) over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons of oil. When hot, gently swirl the pot around to evenly coat the bottom. Add a few pieces of beef into the pot, working in batches, careful not to overcrowd. Sear the beef on all sides until a deep brown crust appears, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Transfer the browned beef onto a clean vessel and repeat the process until all the beef is browned- adding the additional 1 tablespoon of oil if your pot looks dry in between browning the beef.
- Assemble the birria braise. Add all of the browned beef with residual juices back into the pot along with the reserved red chile liquid in the blender. Then add in the remaining 1 ½ cups of beef stock/broth, vinegar, oregano, garlic powder, ground cumin, marjoram, ground cloves, coriander seeds, and bay leaves. Carefully stir to combine.
- Braise the birria. Cover the pot with a lid and transfer the pot into the oven. Allow the beef to braise for 3 – 3 ½ hours- until the beef is meltingly tender and falling apart.
- Shred the beef & combine. After braising, use a slotted utensil to transfer the braised meat to a rimmed baking sheet and shred the beef with two forks. Discard any fatty pieces and bones (if you used short ribs). Then add the shredded beef back into the braising liquid and stir well to combine- discard the bay leaves.
- Serve birria. You can enjoy this birria in several ways! Our favorite way to devour this dish is to make iconic Birria Tacos, yummm. Alternatively, feel free to serve this dish as a stew with fresh chopped cilantro, chopped white onion, and lime wedges for squeezing, if desired. Quesadillas, ramen, or bowl-style with rice, lettuce, beans, and/or other toppings are other creative options, too. Enjoy!
Notes
- A note on beef: I like the combination of using beef chuck roast and beef short ribs for texture and flavor. However, you can surely use all beef chuck roast (about 4 lbs) for this recipe if you’d like.
- Please read blog post in its entirety for more tips + tricks.