Birria Tacos
Taco Tuesday anyone?
The Ultimate Tacos
That cheese pull tho
Sometime during the summer after my sophomore year in college, a few friends and I went to this food truck that sold tacos. At the time, I’ve never heard of a Birria taco, so I was just expecting your regular-degular taco - boy was I wrong. They served the tacos in aluminum foil but there was a container on the side too and I wondered “maybe this is salsa?” I open it and it’s this brown liquid that if you told me was gold, I would’ve believed you. My friend told me to dip the tacos in them and my life changed forever after that point.
Okay - my life didn’t change that drastically, but best believe I knew what a Birria tacos was after that. I had a few more birria tacos during my time in Austin, but it always felt like something was missing. I decided to try making them myself in college and that was a great decision. I used oxtail + beef chuck roast and that was an amazing combination. In this recipe I keep it pretty simple but please try different cuts of beef or even goat (since that’s originally how it’s made - possible food video in the future?)
If you can dip you food in something, it’s going to elevate the complexities of the flavors 10 times out of 10. Why do you think Italian Beef is a contender for the top dish in Chicago? French fries, chicken nuggets, dipped ice cream, you name it - anything dipped taste better!
Let’s get into some of the highlights of this recipe. Cooking is about making something that taste good to you, so what you see here may not be to your liking and that’s okay. If you are able to make your own recipe from someone else’s then you are a pretty good cook already.
Electric Griddle: For some unknown reason, my last griddle disappeared. Thankfully, this recipe gave me an excuse to buy one. Using a griddle is great because you can easily adjust the heat and, depending on the size, make 3 to 6 tacos at a time. Talk about efficient and delicious.
Oaxaca Cheese: Now, you can use mozzarella but you’re not going to get that same flavor. I personally used a mix at some point because I ran out, but you can replace that butteriness you get from Oaxaca.
Cinnamon: The cinnamon stick is a game changer. It’s super fragrant and adds a subtle sweetness that binds all the flavors together. Don’t skip out on this PLEASE.
Ready to cook?
The Recipe
Prep your ingredients:
Main Ingredients
1.5 lbs beef chuck roast, cut into chunks
1.5 lbs beef short ribs, boneless preferred
2 white onions, quartered
2 tomatoes, quartered
5 cloves garlic, peeled
3 dried Guajillo chilies
3 dried ancho chilies
2 tbsp avocado oil
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 cinnamon stick
4 cups beef broth
2 lbs of Oaxaca or mozzarella cheese, shredded
Corn tortillas
Toppings
Fresh cilantro, chopped
Diced onions
Lime wedges
How to cook:
Making the Beef
If you desire, rinse the beef then pat dry with paper towels. Take the chuck roast then cut it into large chunks, all roughly the same size. Season the roast chunks and short ribs generously with salt on every side.
Remove the seeds and stems from your dried chilies. Then chop the onions and tomatoes into quarter pieces, then peel the garlic and remove the butts.
In a large pot of medium-high heat, add your avocado oil. When you see a little smoke after giving the pot a swirl, add your beef. Sear the beef on both sides or all sides if your heart desires.
Remove your beef after you’ve obtained a nice crust. Add your chilies to bloom them (feel like this only applies to spices) then after 1-2 minutes add your veggies. Sauté until the fond at the bottom of the pan gives the onions a brown color.
Add your beef stock to the pot then boil covered for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the veggies and add them to a blender (if you have an immersion blender, then that works even better). Blend them with the cooking liquid until you get a milkshake-like consistency.
Add the puree you blended back to the cooking liquid in the pot. Season the liquid with Mexican oregano, cumin, and a whole cinnamon stick. Add your beef then cook on medium-low for 3-4 hours, keeping the pot at a simmer/low boil. Add additional broth if your beef starts to look a little dry.
Test the beef to see if you can cut it with a spoon (I’m so serious) and if you can, remove the beef and it to a separate bowl. Shred the beef using a couple of forks, while adding some of the cooking liquid, until minimal chunks remain. Cover and set aside.
The Consommé
Strain the broth into a separate pot or a large bowl. If you strain it into a large bowl, then clean the excess bits from the pot out and use it for the next step
Over medium heat, start to reduce your broth to make the consommé. While it is reducing, skim the fat that comes to the top of the broth (it should be a darker color), and pour it into a separate bowl. This will be used for your tortillas so do not get rid of it.
Reduce the broth for 10 minutes or until desired consistency is reached.
Taco Time
Heat a separate skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Dip your tortilla in the fat + liquid mixture you set aside then add it to the skillet.
While the tortilla is frying, add a layer of cheese on top. Just as it starts to melt, as your shredded beef, with a little broth on top of it.
Fold the tortilla in half and cook both sides until golden brown and crispy (not burnt).
Serve the birria tacos with the reduced broth (consommé). Add some chopped cilantro, diced onions, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice to the consommé and on the tacos themselves. Enjoy!
