Authentic Birria
Make THE BEST Birria with juicy, tender, slow cooked beef and a rich flavorful broth, made with chili peppers, tomatoes and vinegar. This authentic, flavorful recipe can be served as a soup or stew, or made into tacos, quesadillas or chilaquiles. It's an incredibly versatile Mexican recipe that's hearty, spicy and bursting with flavor!
Ingredients
- 12 dried guajillo chiles
- 8 dried arbol chiles, add more to make spicier, omit for less spice
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 7 ounces chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 14 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar, or distilled white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 4 pounds beef chuck roast, cut into large chunks
- 3 cups beef stock
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 bay leaves
Instructions
Rehydrate the dried chiles.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.
- Turn off the heat, add the guajillo chiles and arbol chiles to the hot water, cover and soak for 15 minutes.
- After you’ve soaked the guajillo and arbol chilies, remove them from the water and set aside one cup of the chili soaking water.
- Cut off the stem of the chiles, slice them open and remove the seeds.
Prepare the marinade.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat.
- Add the onions and cook for 4-5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.
- Transfer the onions and garlic to a blender.
- Add the entire can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, the entire can of crushed tomatoes and apple cider vinegar to the blender.
- Add the salt, pepper, oregano, paprika, cloves and cumin to the blender.
- Add the soaked chiles and cup of chili soaking water to the blender.
- Blend until smooth.
Marinate the beef.
- Place the chunks of beef in a deep casserole dish and pour the sauce from the blender over the beef.
- Cover and place in the refrigerator overnight, or for at least 6-8 hours.
Cook the birria.
- After the beef has marinated, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Heat a large dutch oven over high heat on the stove.
- Use tongs to remove the pieces of beef from the marinade and add them to the hot pan on the stove.
- Sear the beef on all sides for 1-2 minutes, then pour the marinating liquid over the beef in the pan.
- Add the beef stock to the pan and bring the liquid to a boil.
- Once boiling, add the cinnamon stick and bay leaves.
- Place a tight-fitting lid on the dutch oven, or if you do not have a lid, cover tightly with foil.
- Remove from the stove and place in the preheated 350°F oven for 2 hours.
- After 2 hours, remove the birria from the oven and use a slotted spoon to remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaves from the dutch oven.
- Use tongs to remove the pieces of beef from the liquid and place them on a cutting board.
- Use two forks, or meat claws, to shred the beef.
- Depending on how you’re going to serve the birria, you can either add the beef back to the broth, or keep it separate.
- If serving the birria traditionally as a soup or stew, place the beef back into the broth and use a ladle to serve the stew in bowls, topped with fresh cilantro and diced onions.
- Refer to the blog post above for other ways to use the birria, like in tacos, ramen, quesadillas and more.
Notes
- This recipe has a medium spice level. To make it more spicy, add more arbol chiles. For a mild spice, omit the arbol chiles.
- A cast iron dutch oven is best for this recipe as it will maintain an even temperature throughout the cooking process, and it’s large enough to hold the recipe. If you don’t have a cast iron dutch oven, use a pot that’s at least 12 inches wide with sides that are 6 inches tall so that the recipe will fit in the pot.
- You can make this recipe ahead of time. After braising the beef for 2 hours at 350°F, simply turn the oven to warm and leave the birria, covered in the oven, for up to 4 hours.
- If all of the pieces of beef will not fit in the bottom of the pot you’re using, you can sear them in two batches. As you can see from the photos, it was a very tight squeeze getting them all in the bottom of my dutch oven!
- You can braise the birria on the stove, instead of in the oven, if you prefer. Simply cover the pot, set the stovetop temperature to medium-low heat and allow the beef to simmer in the liquid for 2 hours on the stove.
- Store leftover birria in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- You can reheat the beef in the braising liquid, or remove it from the braising liquid.
- To reheat the beef birria in the braising liquid, place it in a pot on the stove over medium heat. Reheat for 15-20 minutes, or until the beef and liquid are hot and bubbling.
- If reheating the beef without the liquid, I recommend wrapping the shredded beef in foil. Reheat it in the oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes. This way the beef won’t dry out.
Nutrition Facts
Calories 387kcal (19%)Carbohydrates 11g (4%)Protein 38g (76%)Fat 22g (34%)Saturated Fat 9g (45%)Polyunsaturated Fat 2gMonounsaturated Fat 11gTrans Fat 1gCholesterol 125mg (42%)Sodium 1146mg (48%)Potassium 1044mg (30%)Fiber 3g (12%)Sugar 5g (6%)Vitamin A 1778mg (36%)Vitamin C 9mg (11%)Calcium 80mg (8%)Iron 6mg (33%)
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