Birria

Beef submerged in its own chilli broth in a sealed pot, which is why it is the one that arrives wet.

Beef. Not vegetarian — contains beef.

Ingredients

the broth

• 8 guajillo chillies, stalks and seeds removed
• 4 ancho chillies, stalks and seeds removed
• 2 chipotle chillies
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 onion, quartered
• 400 g tomatoes
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• 4 cloves
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon salt

the meat

• 2 kg beef shin and short rib, on the bone
• 1.5 litres water

to serve

• corn tortillas, as on their own page
• 1 white onion, finely chopped
• a handful of coriander, chopped
• lime wedges

Method

1. THE MEAT IS SUBMERGED IN ITS OWN CHILLI BROTH IN A SEALED POT, and that is why birria is the wet one. The other slow meats on this site are wrapped and steamed in their own vapour; this one sits in liquid from the start, so the chilli goes into the beef and the beef goes into the chilli for four hours in both directions. What comes out is not pulled meat with a sauce poured over it but meat and broth that taste of each other, and the broth is served in the bowl rather than in a cup beside it.
2. THE CHILLIES ARE TOASTED, SOAKED, AND THEIR WATER THROWN AWAY. Thirty seconds a side on a dry pan and no more -- past that they turn bitter and nothing rescues the pot. Twenty minutes in hot water to soften, then drained, and the soaking water goes down the sink: it is harsh and bitter and is not a short cut to flavour.
3. THE BROTH IS BLENDED AND THEN STRAINED, AND STRAINING IS NOT OPTIONAL. Dried chilli skins do not break down in a domestic blender however long it runs, and left in they give the finished broth a fine gritty texture that is immediately noticeable in a bowl of liquid. Through a sieve, pressed with a ladle, it comes out smooth and glossy.
4. THE WHOLE SPICES GO IN WHOLE AND THE POT IS SEALED. Cinnamon, cloves and cumin blended into the broth would dominate it within an hour. Dropped in whole with the bay they infuse slowly over four hours, and a tight lid keeps what they give off in the pot rather than in the kitchen.
5. THE FAT CAP IS LEFT ON THE TOP AND NOT SKIMMED, which is the opposite of what is usually done to a braise. As it cooks, a deep red layer of chilli-stained fat rises and sits on the surface; it keeps the broth from reducing too far and it is the single most useful thing the pot produces. Skimmed away, the broth is thinner and the quesabirria on the next page becomes impossible.
6. The chillies toasted on a dry pan 30 SECONDS a side, then soaked in hot water 20 MINUTES. DRAINED, the water DISCARDED.
7. Blended with the garlic, onion, tomatoes, oregano, vinegar and salt until smooth.
8. STRAINED through a sieve into the pot, pressed through with a ladle, and the skins left behind discarded.
9. The beef added with the 1.5 litres of water, and the cinnamon, cloves, cumin seeds and bay dropped in WHOLE.
10. Brought to a bare simmer, the lid put on TIGHT, and cooked 4 HOURS -- on the hob over the lowest heat or at 150°C in the oven.
11. TESTED: the meat should fall off the bone at a touch. If not, another 45 minutes.
12. The meat lifted out, bones discarded, and SHREDDED coarsely.
13. The whole spices and bay fished out of the broth. The FAT CAP on the surface LEFT ALONE.
14. The shredded meat returned to the broth and warmed through. Tasted for salt.
15. Ladled into bowls with plenty of broth, with tortillas, onion, coriander and lime.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Mexico · All recipes