Beef chuck slow-braised in a deeply spiced guajillo and garlic sauce until tender enough to shred.
Birria originated in Jalisco as a goat stew served at weddings and celebrations, and while beef has become a common substitute outside its home region — especially in the birria tacos popularized across the US — the technique remains the same: a heavy blend of dried chiles, garlic, and warm spices simmered low and slow with the meat until it's tender enough to pull apart with a fork. The chile-garlic paste is the backbone of the dish, built from guajillo and ancho chiles toasted and blended with a generous amount of garlic, cinnamon, and cumin. Browning the beef well before braising develops a fond that deepens the final broth, and the meat needs a genuinely long braise — a couple of hours at minimum — for the connective tissue to fully break down into tender, shreddable meat. The braising liquid itself becomes the consommé that birria is often served with alongside, spooned over the meat or served on the side for dipping. While this braise can be eaten as a simple stew with rice, it's also the base for birria tacos: shredded meat folded into tortillas dipped in the reserved fat from the broth, then pan-fried until crisp, and served alongside the remaining consommé for dipping.
Serves 6
Toast guajillo and ancho chiles in a dry skillet 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Soak in hot water 15-20 minutes to soften.
Blend soaked chiles, tomatoes, garlic, quartered onion, cinnamon, cumin, cloves, vinegar, and 1 cup of the stock until smooth.
Heat oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Brown the beef in batches, 3-4 minutes per side. Set aside.
Return beef to the pot, add the chile sauce, remaining stock, bay leaves, and salt. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook on low heat for 2-2.5 hours, stirring occasionally, until the meat is fork-tender.
Remove the beef and shred with two forks. Skim excess fat from the surface of the broth (reserve some for frying tortillas if making tacos).
Serve the shredded beef in bowls with the broth ladled over, or use it to make birria tacos, garnished with diced onion and cilantro.
Toast the dried chiles just until fragrant, not until smoking — burnt chiles turn the sauce bitter.
Brown the beef well in batches without crowding the pot, which is key to developing a deep, rich final broth.
Skim the fat that rises to the top of the broth and save it for frying tortillas if making birria tacos — it adds significant flavor.
Use goat meat for a more traditional Jalisco-style birria.
Make birria tacos by dipping tortillas in the reserved fat, filling with shredded meat and cheese, and pan-frying until crisp.
Add a chipotle in adobo to the chile sauce for extra smokiness.
Refrigerate up to 4 days in an airtight container; the flavor improves overnight. Freezes well up to 3 months — thaw in the fridge before reheating gently on the stove.
Birria originated in Jalisco, Mexico, traditionally made with goat meat for celebrations and weddings, and has become internationally popular in recent years largely through the beef-based birria tacos served with consommé for dipping.
Yes — brown the beef and blend the sauce on the stove first, then combine everything in a slow cooker and cook on low for 7-8 hours until the meat is tender.
A combination of dried New Mexico chiles and a bit of paprika for color can approximate the flavor, though the result will be milder and less complex.
Beef chuck renders quite a bit of fat during a long braise — skim it off the surface with a spoon once the meat is done, or refrigerate the broth and lift off the solidified fat layer.
Per serving (380g / 13.4 oz) · 6 servings total
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