Birria Seasoning
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This Birria Seasoning recipe is a bold, flavorful blend of dried chiles and warm spices like cumin, cloves, and oregano, perfect for making rich, delicious birria at home! It has all of the flavors of my authentic Mexican birria recipe but in a simple spice blend that makes it easy to create flavorful birria in an Instant Pot, Crock Pot or on the stove, in no time!
Why you’ll love this recipe
Birria is an authentic Mexican dish made by marinating goat, lamb or beef, in a combination of chiles, spices, tomatoes and vinegar. I spent a lot of time perfecting my homemade birria recipe and it’s been a hit on the blog ever since!
I love making this recipe for parties and big family dinners, but I wanted an easier way to make birria a regular weeknight meal, which is why I created this birria seasoning recipe. And here’s why you’ll love it.
- It has all of the flavors of birria, but you don’t need to rehydrate the chilies or marinate the meat. This cuts out two of the most time consuming steps of making birria. Now all you have to do is season the meat, sear it, then let it cook in beef stock, apple cider vinegar and tomato sauce.
- This seasoning is a time-saving hack that means you can toss together the birria in 10 minutes in the morning and let it slow cook all day, or make it in under an hour in an Instant Pot.
- You can use the seasoning over-and-over again. This recipe does call for more ingredients than most of my spice blends, but it’s becauce I wanted to recreate all of the authentic, delicious flavors of traditional birria in a homemade seasoning mix. The great news is, once you have all of the spices, you can mix up a big batch of this seasoning and it stays good in the pantry for up to 6 months. So you can make it once and use it over and over again to make easy, flavorful birria tacos a regular weeknight meal!
- It’s much less expensive than buying a birria seasoning bomb or seasoning packet. One birria bomb costs $8-10 and only makes one meal of birria. A seasoning packet, which usually contains filler ingredients and added sugar, costs $3-8 for one meal of birria. Making this birria seasoning at home is more flavorful and less expensive, a win-win for your taste buds and your wallet!
Ingredients
Here I explain the best ingredients for this birria seasoning recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For the exact ingredient measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Dried guajillo chili powder – guajillo chiles are mild to medium in spice. They add a rich, sweet and somewhat fruity flavor to the birria seasoning. I had to order this chili powder online, but a good substitute that you can find in most major grocery stores is New Mexico chili powder or ancho chili powder. These will usually be sold with other dried chilies and chili powders on an end cap near the spice aisle or hispanic food section.
- Chipotle chili powder
- Onion powder (or granulated onion)
- Garlic powder (or granulated garlic)
- Dried arbol chili powder – these little chiles are spicy! In fact, they’re about 6 times as hot as a jalapeno. I add one tablespoon of arbol chile powder to this seasoning mix, which makes it medium-to-spicy. If you like less spice, only add 1 teaspoon. If you prefer a mild birria seasoning, replace the arbol chili powder with more guajillo chili powder. I also had to order this chili powder online, but you can easily substitute in cayenne pepper.
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Mexican oregano – while there is a difference between Mexican oregano and traditional oregano, you can use them interchangeably in this recipe if you don’t have Mexican oregano on hand. Mexican oregano is a bit stronger in flavor, but their shared peppery flavor, means that you can use either one and end up with similar flavors.
- Smoked paprika – I recommend smoked over sweet paprika in this recipe. The smoky flavor pairs well with the chili powders.
- Ground cumin – this spice adds a warm, earthy layer of flavor to the dish.
- Ground cloves
- Ground cinnamon – in my traditional birria recipe, I simmer the beef with a cinnamon stick. To keep things simple, we’re adding ground cinnamon right into this seasoning mix.
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl.
- Store in an airtight container in the pantry for up to 6 months.
How to make birria
- In a slow cooker: cut 2 pounds of beef chuck roast into large pieces. Season on all sides with 4 tablespoons birria seasoning. Sear the seasoned beef in a large pot on the stove over high heat for 2-3 minutes per side, then transfer the beef to a Crock Pot. Pour in 1 ½ cups beef stock, ½ cup apple cider vinegar and an 8 ounce can of tomato sauce. Slow cook on high for 4-5 hours, or on low for 8-10 hours.
- In an Instant Pot: cut 2 pounds of beef chuck roast into large pieces. Season on all sides with 4 tablespoons birria seasoning. Use the saute function on the Instant Pot to sear the beef on all sides for 2-3 minutes. Pour in 1 ½ cups beef stock, ½ cup apple cider vinegar and an 8 ounce can of tomato sauce. Cook on high pressure for 40 minutes. Allow the pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes, then release any remaining pressure. Check out this Instant Pot Birria post for step-by-step photos and more helpful tips.
- In the oven: cut 2 pounds of beef chuck roast into large pieces. Season on all sides with 4 tablespoons birria seasoning. Heat a large oven-safe pot or dutch oven on the stove over high heat. Add the seasoned beef and sear on all sides for 2-3 minutes per side. Pour in 1 ½ cups beef stock, ½ cup apple cider vinegar and an 8 ounce can of tomato sauce. Cover the pot with a lid. Transfer it to an oven, preheated to 350°F, and cook for 2 hours.
No matter which cooking method you use, you’ll want to use a slotted spoon to remove the tender beef from the liquid after it’s cooked. Use two forks to shred the beef. Depending on how you serve the birria, you can either add the beef back to the broth, or keep it separate.
How to serve it
Beef birria is traditionally served as a soup or stew, topped with fresh cilantro and diced onions. If serving traditional birria stew, after shredding the beef, add it back to the broth. Use a ladle to serve the stew in bowls, topped with cilantro and onions. Serve lime wedges on the side for squeezing fresh lime juice over the birria.
The broth that the beef is cooked in is called a consomé. It makes a delicious base for birria ramen or chilaquiles. The birria beef is perfect for making incredibly flavorful quesabirria tacos, burritos or nachos!
You can also use this seasoning mix to make chicken birria with chicken thighs instead of beef chuck roast.
Recipe notes
This recipe makes 16 tablespoons of birria seasoning. I recommend using 2 tablespoons of seasoning per pound of meat.
If you’d like to make a double batch of the seasoning, simply click the 2X button in the recipe card below. The ingredient amounts in the recipe card will automatically update to accommodate the new serving size. Store the seasoning in an airtight container, like a 16 ounce mason jar, in the pantry for up to 6 months.
More homemade seasonings
Stock your pantry with the most popular Mexican seasoning recipes on the blog!
Birria Seasoning
Ingredients
- ¼ cup dried guajillo chili powder, or New Mexico chili powder
- ¼ cup chipotle chili powder
- 2 tablespoons onion powder
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon dried arbol chili powder, or cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Store in the pantry for up to 6 months.
Notes
- Spice level: this seasoning blend is somewhere medium-to-spicy, depending on your spice tolerance. If you want to reduce the spice level, take the arbol chili powder from 1 tablespoon down to 1 teaspoon. If you want to make a mild birria seasoning, replace the arbol chili powder with more guajillo chili powder which has a mild spice level.
- Refer to the blog post above for instructions on how to make birria with the seasoning mix in an Instant Pot, Crock Pot, or in the oven.
- You can use this birria seasoning to season beef, goat, lamb, or chicken. I recommend using 2 tablespoons of seasoning per pound of meat.
Nutrition Facts
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