Description
Spicy Birria Mexican stew beckons with rich, tender meat slow-cooked in a complex blend of chiles and aromatic spices. Hearty flavors transport you to authentic street corners of Jalisco, promising a deeply satisfying culinary adventure.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat:
- 3.5 pounds beef chuck short ribs
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons oil
Spices and Aromatics:
- 1.5 teaspoons Mexican oregano
- 0.75 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3 whole cloves
- 1-inch piece of Mexican cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 3 teaspoons chicken bouillon
Sauce and Broth Ingredients:
- 5 guajillo chilies
- 3 pasilla chilies
- 5 roma tomatoes
- 0.25 cup vinegar
- 0.5 white onion
- 8 garlic cloves (not peeled)
- 9 cups water
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cups fresh water
Instructions
- Immerse guajillo and pasilla chilies in water, bringing to a boil. Remove from heat, cover, and allow to steep for half an hour, enabling chilies to soften and release their rich flavors.
- Char onion, garlic, and tomatoes in a skillet over medium heat. Rotate ingredients periodically to ensure even blackening, with garlic requiring approximately 5 minutes and other vegetables needing slightly longer cooking time.
- Transfer roasted vegetables to blender, peeling garlic cloves before adding. Discard original soaking liquid from chilies.
- Combine chilies, vinegar, herbs, spices, chicken bouillon, and fresh water in the blender. Pulse until achieving a silky, uniform sauce with no visible chunks.
- Generously salt beef short ribs. Heat oil in a large pot, searing meat in batches to develop a golden, caramelized exterior on all surfaces.
- Reduce heat and strain blended sauce into the pot, scraping accumulated browned bits from bottom. Allow sauce to simmer for one minute to meld flavors.
- Reintroduce browned meat to pot. Pour water, add bay leaves, and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce temperature, cover, and slow-cook for 3 hours until meat becomes incredibly tender and easily separates.
- Remove meat, shredding delicately with a fork and discarding excess fat. Return half the shredded meat to the pot, reserving remaining portion for future quesatacos preparation.
Notes
- Optimize Chili Soaking for Maximum Flavor by using hot water to help chilies rehydrate faster and release deeper, more intense flavors.
- Roast Vegetables Carefully to develop a smoky char without burning, which adds complex depth to the birria’s sauce base.
- Select Meat Wisely by choosing well-marbled short ribs with good fat content, ensuring tender and rich meat after slow cooking.
- Adjust Spice Levels easily by removing chili seeds for milder version or adding extra chilies for more heat intensity.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours 6 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Appetizer
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 295 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 780 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 6 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 23 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg