Birria Tacos
Delicious and spicy Birria Tacos made with tender beef and homemade adobo paste.
Equipment
- Large Saucepan
- Heavy-based pot
- stick blender
- non-stick pan
- Sieve
Ingredients
Birria adobo (paste)
- 25 g guajillo chillies, dried (~4 pieces, heaped ¾ cup once chopped)
- 45 g ancho chillies, dried (~2-3 pieces, 1 cup once chopped)
- 6 g chillies de arbol, dried (~6 pieces, 2 tablespoon once chopped)
- ½ cup chilli soaking water (reserve after simmering)
- 5 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 small onion roughly sliced (~tennis ball size)
- 1 medium tomato roughly sliced (180g)
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Birria braising
- 5 tablespoon vegetable oil (or canola oil)
- 1.3 kg chuck beef, cut into large pieces (or boneless beef short ribs – 1.8kg/3.6 lb bone-in)
- 2 cups beef stock / broth low sodium
- 1 stick cinnamon (substitute ¼ teaspoon powder, but it’s not quite the same)
- 3 leaves bay leaves preferably fresh else dried
- 2 ½ teaspoon cooking salt / kosher salt (halve for table salt, +30% for flakes)
Beef seasoning
- ½ teaspoon cooking salt / kosher salt
Birria Tacos
- 20-25 pieces corn tortillas (14.5cm/6" wide)
- 1 white onion diced
- ½ cup finely chopped coriander / cilantro leaves
- 3 ½ cups shredded cheese (Colby, Monterey Jack or Oaxaca cheese)
- lime wedges optional
- your favorite salsa or hot sauce optional
Instructions
Prepare chillis
- Use gloves if you're sensitive to working with chilli!
- Deseed the chillies by trimming and discarding stems, cutting lengthwise, and removing seeds. Roughly chop into 1 – 1.5cm / ¼ pieces.
- Simmer chopped chillies in a large saucepan of boiling water for 10 minutes to soften.
- Reserve ½ cup of chilli-simmering water, then drain chilli in a sieve and lightly press out residual liquid.
Shredded beef
- Place cooked chillies, reserved ½ cup chilli water and remaining Adobo ingredients in a tall jug. Blitz for 20 seconds until smooth.
- Heat the oil in a large heavy-based pot over high heat, add half the beef and sear until golden brown on both sides, then remove to a bowl and repeat with remaining beef.
- Add the adobo paste to the same pan and stir for 2 minutes in oil.
- Add all Birria braising ingredients and stir, then add the beef. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, cover and cook for 2 ½ hours.
- Remove beef to shred in a bowl, add the ½ teaspoon of salt and toss to distribute.
- Skim off the red oil floating on the braising liquid surface (ideally 6 tbsp+) and place in another bowl.
- Pour 1 cup of the braising liquid into a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Once simmering, add all shredded beef and toss until absorbed.
- Taste Birria Consommé for salt and keep warm for dipping once tacos are done.
Make crispy cheesy Birria tacos
- Heat 1 teaspoon Birria Oil in a non-stick pan over medium-low heat. Wipe a tortilla around to make the underside red, heat for 10 seconds and remove.
- Spread cheese on half of each tortilla, top with beef, onion, and coriander/cilantro.
- Fold over and pan-fry 3 tacos at a time for 2 minutes on each side until golden-red and crispy.
- Remove and serve while hot with Birria Consommé for dunking!
Notes
Yield: Makes 22 – 25 tacos, depending on how generously you stuff with beef! Rich tacos may leave you satisfied with only 3.
Nutrition
Serving: 1tacoCalories: 300kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 18gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 600mgPotassium: 450mgFiber: 3gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 20IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 250mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!