Friends! I am especially excited to share todays beef birria recipe with you! I’ve worked on it for what seems like an eternity. Making batches and batches of birria and loading it up in corn tortillas, over rice, and some times, in a bowl with ramen and a soft boiled egg on top. Let’s not even mention all the birria tacos and birria ramen I gobbled up from my favorite local food truck all in the name of taste testing. Birria de Res is a dish from the state of Jalisco in Mexico and is traditionally made with goat meat. I’m sharing my recipe using beef as it is much easier to find. You can also make this with goat meat if you’d like, but you will have to play around with the cooking times a bit to make sure the meat isn’t over or undercooked. All this to say, I’ve layered this dish with layers and layers of flavor and I hope you’ll take some time out of your busy week to just relax, put on some music, and make this birria recipe with me! And hey, if you can’t make it slow-paced, I get it, I’ve got pressure cooker instructions too!
Ingredients for homemade birria:
Dried Chilies: I use a variety of dried chilies for this recipe. Nowadays, most mainstream grocery stores carry these peppers. You’ll either find them near the produce section, in the international aisle, or in the spice aisle. I use ancho chiles, guajillo chiles, and chili de Arbol for this recipe. Be sure to invest in some disposable gloves. The first time I handled these peppers without them, my hands burned for a good 12 hours afterwards! Some people also use chipotle peppers which gives birria a smoky flavor. I’ve always enjoyed birria without it, so you won’t find chipotle peppers in my stew.Oil: You’ll need it to saute the peppers, the onions, and garlic, as well as the chunks of chuck roast. Onions: I use white onions for this recipe and you’ll want to cut them into large chunks so we can a little color on them then toss them in the blender. You may also want some extra for topping your birria!Garlic: I leave the garlic whole in this recipe and just saute it with the onions before tossing it in the blender to make the chile paste.Water or broth: That is the question! Personally, I like to use bone-in short ribs when I’m making birria, so I usually opt for water as the bones will amp up the stewing liquid plenty without the need for broth. If you plan to use all chuck roast and skipping the short ribs, I do suggest using broth instead of water because you simply won’t be able to develop that same flavor without the bones.Tomatoes: I use fresh tomatoes that I’ll toss into the blender along with all the seasonings, spices, chilies, onions and garlic.Vinegar: Vinegar plays a two-part role in this recipe. The first is that it helps give the broth a more complex flavor that pairs beautifully with the spices and chilies used in this recipe. The second is that vinegar helps extract more flavor from the bones which means the consommé will be even more flavorful!Dried Herbs: You’ll need bay leaves, dried thyme, and dried Mexican oregano for this recipe. Seasonings: I use whole black peppercorns, whole cloves, ground cumin, dried ginger, kosher salt, and Mexican cinnamon for this recipe. Beef: I like to use two different cuts of meat for this recipe. The first is a large chuck roast that I’ll just breakdown into about 8 pieces. Cutting the large roast down insures that more heat surrounds each piece and so that the meat cooks faster. If you were to leave this as a whole roast, it would take significantly longer to cook. The second cut is bone-in short ribs. The bones help provide additional flavor to the consommé or the stewing liquid. However, you could also use additional chuck roast to make up for the short ribs if you prefer.Toppings: You’ll want chopped cilantro, onions, and lots of lime wedges for serving. If you’re serving this with rice, I suggest topping the rice with stew and then adding the toppings. For ramen bowls, you’ll want an assortment of sliced toppings, like radishes. For quesabirria tacos, you’ll also need shredded Oaxaca cheese and corn tortillas.
How to make the best homemade birria meat:
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if you used a conventional blender (not high powered) you will want to strain the chili mixture at the end when the meat is done. This is so you don’t end up with bits of spice in your stew!Water or broth: If you’re using only chuck roast for this recipe, I suggest using beef broth instead of water and waiting on salting until the very end. If you’re using bone-in short ribs, you can skip the broth and use water!Pressure Cooker: You’ll need a 6 quart pressure cooker for this recipe. Follow steps 1 and 2 and most of 3, searing the meat in the pressure cooker. Once the meat is seared, add chile paste, water, and salt. Place the lid on top, seal the vent, and pressure cook on high pressure for 48 minutes. Then, allow a natural pressure release for 10 minutes, and pick up from step 4 above.Cinnamon: Mexican cinnamon can be found in Hispanic grocery stores. If you use regular cinnamon, skip it from the ingredients that are added to the blender. Instead, add it directly to the meat when you’re pouring in the blended liquid at the end of step 3. Fish out the cinnamon stick and discard when you shred the meat.
