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Birria Revisited

A variation of my original beef birria recipe! Get creative! Never stop learning!
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes
Servings 6 Servings

Ingredients

  • 3 lbs chuck roast sliced into large chunks
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Avocado or olive oil
  • 1 large white onion, divided in half reserve 1/2 for the sauce
  • 10 large cloves of garlic reserve 1/2 for the sauce
  • 1 gallon of water
  • bay leaves
  • 1 cup dried chickpeas, previously soaked in water for a few hours

Salsa/Sauce

  • 2-3 tbsps avocado oil
  • reserved onion, sliced
  • reserved garlic cloves
  • 8-9 chile california pods stems and seeds removed
  • 4-5 chile morita chile morita typically comes with no stems, I leave seeds in.
  • 1 large roma tomato, sliced into quarters
  • 2 inch piece of fresh ginger
  • 1 tsp peppercorns
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/2 tsp marjoram
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 4 whole cloves
  • cinnamon

Garnish

  • 1 c Diced onion
  • 1/2 c Chopped cilantro
  • 12-16 Lime wedges
  • Spicy Salsa For Birria see link above

Instructions

  • In a large dutch oven style pot at medium heat preheat 3-4 tbsps oil for a few minutes
  • Add the 1/2 of the onion, 5 cloves of garlic and seasoned beef. Sear and brown for 5 minutes, turning as needed. Pour in 1 gallon of water to the pot. Stir gently. Season with salt, to taste. Add bay leaves. Bring up to a light boil and skim off the foam on top as needed.
  • If using uncooked chickpeas that you previously soaked, add them to the pot with beef now. If using canned, wait to add them later.
  • Wipe down chile pods if they look dusty. Remove the stems and seeds from large pods. Small chile morita typically comes with no stems. I leave the seeds in to add heat to the recipe.
  • In a separate large pot, preheat 2-3 tbsps of oil to medium heat for one minute. Add the remaining onion, garlic, ginger and tomato, Saute for a few minutes. Add the chile pods and saute for another 3-4 minutes. Add the spices and cook for 1 more minute.
  • Pour in just enough water to cover chile mixture, about 4 cups. Bring up to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, transfer softened ingredients to the blender. Then pour in all the liquid with spices. Season with salt to taste. Blend on high until smooth. Taste for salt. If not using a power blender, strain 1/2 of the the chile sauce through a wire mesh strainer directly into the pot with simmering beef. Strain remaining salsa/sauce and refrigerate for 1 month or freeze, for a few months, for another recipe.
  • Remove the onion, garlic and bay leaves from the pot and discard. Continue cooking birria until beef is very tender. Add some beef to bowls, then ladle in some of the consome with chickpeas. Garnish with onion, cilantro, lime and salsa. Serve with warm tortillas.

Notes

Variation on Serving: Separate the beef from the consome. Serve bowls of consome on the side with garnishes. Prepare quesabirria tacos. On preheated nonstick griddle add some grated melting cheese(Chihuahua or Oaxaca). When it melts place corn tortilla on top. When it begins to build a crust on cheese surface, flip over and add some shredded birria. Fold over like a taco. Skim some of the fat on top of consome and spoon onto quesatacos. Flip over as needed until desired crispiness. Dunk quesatacos into consome! Enjoy!