Birria: Tacos and Soup
Birria is a delicious stew of simple meat and complex flavor that makes you wonder how you lived without it. The tacos then take the stew to another level by using the meat for the taco and the braising liquid for dipping each and every crispy, cheesey, meaty bite. As a soup, the cheesey tortilla chip garnish brings all of the same pleasure to every spoonful.
Birria: Tacos and Soup
Category
Main Course
Servings/Yield
8
Author
Helen Park
Birria is a delicious stew of simple meat and complex flavor that makes you wonder how you lived without it. The tacos then take the stew to another level by using the meat for the taco and the braising liquid for dipping each and every crispy, cheesey, meaty bite. As a soup, the cheesey tortilla chip garnish brings all of the same pleasure to every spoonful.
Ingredients
8 pounds beef brisket or chuck roast, (weight after trimming)
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2 Tbsp ground black pepper
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2 Tbsp fine sea salt
Oil for searing meat
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¼ cup ancho
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2 Tbsp Izak blend
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1 T ground cumin
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1 tsp thyme
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2 tsp oregano
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4 bay leaves
15 oz can diced tomato (or 2 cups of homemade)
1 cup onion, small dice
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1 stick cinnamon
¼ cup cider vinegar
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1 Tbsp garlic slices
1 ½ pounds corn tortillas
1 pound queso Oaxaca (wa-ha·ka), shredded (see Recipe Notes below on sourcing)
1 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
1 cup onion, small dice
2 limes cut into wedges
2 cups broken tortilla chips
1 pounds queso Oaxaca (wa-ha·ka), shredded (see Recipe Notes below on sourcing)
1 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
1 cup onion, small dice
2 limes cut into wedges
2 cups Mexican crema or sour cream (see Recipe Notes below)
Seasoning
For tacos
For soup
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Heat a heavy bottom skillet over high heat with 1/4” of oil. Season the beef by rubbing all over with oil, black pepper, and salt. If your beef needs to be cut in half to fit the pan for searing, season the halves the same way.
When the oil is hot, lay the beef carefully into the hot oil and sear all of the sides well.
Prepare a large stock pot with the seasonings.
When the beef is seared, add it to the pot with the seasonings. Deglaze the searing pan and add that extra flavor and seasonings to the stock pot as well.
Cover the ingredients in the pot with water to cover by 2 inches and give it a good stir.
Bring the pot to boil on the stove, cover loosely with a lid or foil, and transfer the pot to the preheated oven.
Cook the beef and broth at a simmer for 2 hours or until completely tender. Make sure the pot is simmering – the temperature may need to be adjusted, and add water as needed to keep the beef submerged.
When the meat is tender, remove the pot from the oven.
Skim off the red oil from the top of the liquid and reserve.
For the tacos:
Carefully remove the meat from the broth and place them on a tray to rest for 15 minutes. Taste the braising liquid and season generously with salt to taste.
When ready, cut the meat into 1” chunks, allowing it to shred as you chop. Set aside, covered to prevent drying.
Into a nonstick pan on medium heat, spread a small spoonful of the red oil that was skimmed from the pot. Lay a tortilla into the oil and slide the tortilla around a bit to spread the oil onto the tortilla.
As the tortilla becomes warm and pliable, flip it, adding more red oil to pan, and slide the tortilla around to coat the bottom side again.
While the second side of the tortilla heats through, layer on a heaping spoonful of chopped meat and shredded cheese onto half of the inside. Some of the cheese can overlap the edge of the tortilla as it will get deliciously crispy as it cooks.
Close the tortilla and continue cooking, flipping the taco as needed, until the filling is hot and melted and the outside is lightly crispy with caramelized edges.
Repeat the process for the remaining tocos. (I like to have at least 2 pans going at the same time as there is a bit of waiting for the tacos).
Serve with fresh cilantro, onion, and lime wedges.
For the soup
Carefully remove the meat from the broth and place them on a tray to rest for 15 minutes. Taste the braising liquid and season generously with salt to taste.
When ready, cut the meat into 1” chunks, allowing it to shred as you chop. Set aside, covered to prevent drying.
Into a large nonstick pan, melt ¼ cup of the red oil and sprinkle half of the chips and cheese around the pan.
Leave the chips to crisp and the cheese to caramelize on the edges a little, then give it a few gentle folds to crisp up more chips and cheese. Repeat with the remaining chips and cheese.
Serve immediately over bowsl of the braising liquid and more fresh onion, cilantro, lime wedges, and a drizzle of crema.
Recipe Note
Recipe Notes
Make your own homemade canned tomatoes here.
Queso Oaxaca is similar to mozzarella in flavor. A good one from a Mexican market is usually very white and comes as a ball of string cheese. As you unravel the rope of cheese, it can be shredded and cut. The texture is stringy, chewy, and milky in a very fresh and delicious way. When heated it stays gooey, melts very well, and keeps it’s fresh mozzarella like milky flavor. If Queso Oaxaca isn’t found locally, there are internet options like this one. Good shredded mozzarella works well as a substitute.
Crema is the Mexican version of French crème fraiche. It is lightly sour and closer to thick cream than sour cream. If crema is not available, sour cream thinned with a little water is a good substitute.
The recipe works well to make over two days. You can braise the first day and cool/store the meat in it’s cooking liquid if you have the space. The meat will be even better from sitting in its juices overnight. Then you can remove fat and chop meat all after cooling and then proceed with the steps above.
For those spices that typically aren’t eaten whole (black pepper, allspice, star anise etc.) it is convenient to keep a little bit ground and ready – just do small batches to keep things fresh. This is the grinder Lior recommends and uses for small needs. It’s a little quieter, utilizes good technology to help with even grinding, and has a removable container for easy cleaning and storage.
Questions? Contact helen@laboiteny.com
