Birria Style Beef Cheek (Birria de Res)

Birria is a spicy stew, most often prepared with goat meat, but also very popular to prepare using beef.  A dish that originated in Jalisco, Mexico and served for any special occasion, such as weddings, baptisms and holidays. But, I say that any day can be a special occasion. Finding food ingredients that remind you of home is special enough for me! In this case, I speak of the hard to find beef cheek that I enjoyed so much growing up. These days it is much easier to find thanks to Rumba Meats and their good quality meat products. I have to refrain from purchasing too much for lack of space in my freezer, lol! So when I get that craving for barbacoa tacos or tortas(Mexican sandwiches), I keep one package in my freezer. For today’s recipe, I decided to add a basic chile sauce that is often used to prepare birria. So, with a little help from my slow cooker overnight, I had the most tender beef cheek to work with the next day. This would make a great recipe for game day parties. Perfect for sliders or nachos! Oh, and tacos of course! #tacoseveryday #mexicanfood

Birria Style Cachete de Res

Beef Cheek In Slow Cooker

3 pounds beef cheek, trim excess fat
2 teaspoons chicken or beef  bouillon powder
1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
3 cups water, 2 bay leaves

 Chile Sauce

5 dried chile california or guajillo 
6 dried chile morita
4 cloves garlic
1/3 cup oil
2 cups water, reserve 1 cup

1 teaspoon Mexican oregano and 1 teaspoon cumin
1 inch piece of Mexican cinnamon
1/3 teaspoon ground clove
6-8 peppercorns
2 teaspoons  chicken  or beef bouillon powder

Tips~ No Mexican cinnamon? Just add 1/3 teaspoon ground when blending the sauce.  

Trim excess fat from beef cheek and place into slow cooker. Add the bouillon powder, pepper, garlic and 3 cups of water. Turn onto low and cook overnight. Remove beef from broth. Strain the broth and skim fat off the top.

Remove the stems and seeds from dried chiles. Add the chiles, garlic and oil to a small sauce pan and heat to medium/low. Once chiles begin to soften in the oil, add 1 cup of water. Simmer for 10 minutes.

To the blender add the chiles, garlic, 1 cup fresh water and  1 cup of cooking liquid from chiles. Add remaining ingredients listed for sauce. Blend on high for 30 seconds. Push down with spatula and blend on high for 30 more seconds, making sure there are no large pieces left. Using a wire mesh strainer, strain the sauce.

Preheat 1 tablespoon of oil to medium heat for a few minutes. Add the strained chile sauce and cook at a steady simmer for 5 minutes. Add beef broth from slow cooker, plus 1 more cup of chicken broth. Stir well to combine and cook for 15 minutes. Add the beef cheek  to simmering pot and cook for another 20 to 30 minutes.

Serve with warm tortillas, bolillo rolls. Garnish with cilantro, onion, Chile serrano and lime. Yields up to 6 servings.

You can add some pinto or black beans into the broth if you like. Serve with warm tortillas or bolillo rolls for dipping into the broth!

From experience, it is best to purchase an extra 2 pound package of the beef cheek. Some may have more fat that is not edible and will render less meat in the end. 

Click onto picture above  to see full recipe on site for preparing Bolillo-style bread rolls.

This is what they call a Torta Ahogada! A drowned sandwich! Lol! Mexico’s version of the French Dip Beef Sandwich! Both, my favorites!

To the sandwich, I added some creamy black beans on the bottom. It really doesn’t need anything else, except for some pickled red onions to garnish on top. You can find that recipe on site.