What is Birria?
Birria is a traditional Mexican dish originating from the state of Jalisco that is similar to stew. The meat is braised and slow cooks in a chile sauce for several hours until perfectly tender. It can be eaten as-is (as a stew) or the meat can be shredded and used as a filling in your favorite Mexican dishes. The possibilities are endless!
Ingredients for Birria
The Meat:
Traditionally, in Mexico, birria is made with lamb or goat meat but here in the U.S. it is most commonly made with beef (also called birria de res). I used a chuck roast for this birria recipe and cut it into large chunks for better braising. You can also use stew meat, rump roast, short ribs, flank steak, or even brisket.
The Sauce:
The sauce for birria can vary depending on what you are making the birria for. You can make a thicker sauce, almost like a gravy or stew or you can choose to make a consommé by making the sauce on the broth-y side. For this recipe I wanted to aim for something more in the middle. The sauce in this recipe is slightly thicker than a consommé but still thin enough to use as a dipping sauce with birria tacos. You can adjust the broth amounts to your liking. Here are the key ingredients in this sauce:
Chiles – Using dried chile peppers is the way to go for this recipe. They are super cheap (I got each pack of chiles for around $1) and they have a great, smoky, flavor. You can use fresh chiles or even canned chiles and get similar results but you can’t beat the ease of dried. Popular chiles used in birria include: adobo, ancho chiles, guajillo chiles, Tomatoes – You can use fresh Roma tomatoes or you can use canned, fire roasted tomatoes or whole San Marzano tomatoes. If you want a thinner sauce (more like a broth), you can leave the tomatoes out. Onions – Yellow, white, or red onions work great. I opted for a white onion in this recipe because I like the mild flavor. Broth/Liquid – Beef broth, beef stock, or consommé can be used to braise the beef. You can add or take away some of the broth depending on how thick (or thin) you want your sauce. Additional Spices and Seasonings – Seasonings for birria can vary greatly from recipe to recipe. Honestly, use that you like! In this recipe I kept it pretty simple and used garlic, cumin, oregano, cinnamon, paprika, and salt and pepper. Then I garnished with fresh lime wedges and cilantro. If you feel so inclined, you can also add thyme, cloves, bay leaves, chili powder, or a whole cinnamon stick.
How To Make Birria
Birria may seem intimidating because it takes a while to cook and the sauce is made from scratch but it is actually really easy to make! It can be broken down into just a few simplified steps:
Toast and soak the chiles Brown the beef in a Dutch ovenCook the sauce ingredients and then blend until smoothPour sauce over the beef and cook in the oven for several hoursServe as a stew or shred and serve as a filling
How to Serve Birria
As mentioned above, there are several different ways you can serve birria. The first way is to serve the birria as a stew (or beefy soup). Just remove the birria from the oven, give it a good stir, then serve in bowls and top with chopped onions, lime, and cilantro. The next way to serve birria is as a filling. To do this you will want to separate the beef from the consommé and shred it. Place it in a bowl with a little of the sauce to keep the beef from drying out. Use the extra sauce/consomme as a dip for birria tacos or quesabirria tacos. Serve the shredded birria with softened corn tortillas and top with cheese and your other favorite toppings. You can also use as a filling for any of your other favorite Mexican-inspired dishes like taquitos, burritos, enchiladas, tacos, and more!
Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker Birria
Don’t have a lot of time but still want to make birria? Instant Pot to the rescue! You don’t want to blend the sauce before cooking it in the Instant Pot because you run the risk of getting the burn notice. It’s better to blend the sauce afterwards. Here are the step-by-step instructions to make birria in the Instant Pot:
Soak and prepare the chiles according to the recipe belowPut Instant Pot on “Saute” setting, add oil and sear beef on all sides.Remove chiles from soaking water and place in a mixing bowl. Discard soaking water.Add 2 cups broth to the Instant Pot and then 2 cups water to the mixing bowl with the chiles.In the mixing bowl, add onionstomatoes, garlic, vinegar, cumin, oregano, cinnamon, and salt and pepper. Stir well to combine and pour over the beef in the Instant Pot. Seal the Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for 45 minutes or until beef shreds easily. Remove beef from the Instant Pot and set aside. Place remaining ingredients from the Instant Pot in a blender and blend until smooth. Place the beef back in the Instant Pot (if serving as a filling, shred beef before returning to pot) and pour sauce over the top, stirring to combine. Add more broth for a thinner sauce. Keep warm until ready to serve.
CrockPot Beef Birria
For Crock Pot (or slow cooker) beef birria, follow steps 1-5 in the Instant Pot instructions above. For step 2, searing is an optional step. If you want to still sear the beef, simply sear it in a large skillet before adding to the CrockPot. Slow on high heat for 4-5 hours or low heat for 6-8 hours. After the beef is cooked through and shreds easily, continue with step 7 in the Instant Pot instructions above.
What to Serve with Beef Birria
If you are looking for inspiration or ideas on what to serve as a side dish with your beef birria, here are a few ideas:
Restaurant Style Mexican Rice
Black Beans
Restaurant Style Refried Beans
Elote in a Cup: Mexican Street Corn
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