Mexican Stew Birria Recipes

AUTHENTIC MEXICAN BIRRIA RECIPE

Steps:

• Season the meat with salt, pepper, and cumin
• Cut open the dried chiles with scissors and remove the seeds
• Fry the dried chiles with a small amount of oil in a frying pan for 2-3 minutes, moving constantly so they don't burn. Set aside
• Add the chiles from the previous step to a small pot with boiling water for about 10 minutes, or until softened.
• In the same frying pan where you fried the chiles, add 1 tablespoon of oil and cook the onions and tomatoes until they are browned. Add the garlic, peppercorns, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, and all of the remaining spices except for the ground cumin and ginger. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes, moving it around often.
• Add the chiles (including the water), the ingredients from the previous step, and the ginger, cumin, apple cider vinegar and water to a blender and blend until smooth. It will still be pretty thick, but that is fine. Strain and set aside the resulting sauce for the next step.
• Pour the sauce over the meat in a large bowl and cover. If using the oven or stovetop methods, you will want to marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight. If using the electric pressure cooker option, you can marinate it, but it isn't necessary.
• Follow the cooking instructions according to your preferred method below.
• Add the meat with the marinade to a large stockpot and cook over medium heat, covered, for about three hours, or until the meat falls off the bones and is easy to shred.
• Add the meat with the marinade to a large oven-safe dish and cover with aluminum foil and cook at 350 degrees fahrenheit for 2 hours or until the meat is easy to shred.
• Add the meat with the marinade (or just the meat and the marinade separately if you chose not to marinate it) to the pot of the electric pressure cooker.
• Follow instructions for your electric pressure cooker to bring it to high pressure and cook for 45 minutes. Release pressure naturally for 5 minutes and then use the quick pressure release option to release the rest of the pressure. Remove the lid per instructions and the meat will be tender and ready to shred.
• Remove the meat and shred it. You can then serve it over the soup made from the sauce that the meat cooked in or you can serve it with tortillas as tacos with cilantro, lime, onions, and salsa.

BIRRIA DE BORREGO (MEXICAN LAMB STEW) RECIPE - (4.2/5)

Steps:

• Pre-heat the oven to 392°F. Place lamb onto a roasting tray and brown for 20 minutes. In the mean time bring the stock to the boil and peel / slice onion and garlic. When browned, add lamb to the stock pot, along with garlic and onion and bring back to the boil. Skim any scum that floats to the surface, then simmer rapidly for the next hour / hour and a half, or until the meat and marrow can easily be removed from the bone. Meanwhile, heat a skillet over a medium heat. When hot, add the ancho, chipotle and guajillo chillies whole, and toast for several minutes until they release their aroma. Next remove stalks and seeds, and submerge chillies in the boiled water to soften for 20 minutes. It is advisable to wear gloves when doing this, and to avoid touching your eyes, nose, genitals, etc. as this will burn! Next, reduce chillies & their water to a pulp in the bowl of a food processor, and then strain through a fine sieve, discarding solids. When your broth is done, strain into a clean pan. Discard onion, garlic and bones (you can use a chopstick to poke out any tasty marrow) and shred meat with your fingers before adding back into the stock. Next add your chilli paste and all remaining ingredients, before seasoning well with salt and pepper and simmering for a further hour to allow flavours to develop and meld. Skim fat from the surface. Finally, remove from heat and discard bay leaves and herb stalks. Using a slotted spoon remove and divide meat between bowls, then ladle the liquid over. Garnish with finely chopped onion and coriander, and serve with guacamole, tortillas and if you want to be a real badass - extra hot sauce. I used Mellow Habanero's Smoky Chipotle Sauce, which added great umami to the dish. Not just a rich and delicious stew, you can also fold the soft braised meats up in your tortillas for seriously sublime tacos!

BIRRIA RECIPE

Steps:

• Place Anaheim and guajillo peppers in a saucepan and cover with water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and cool for 5 minutes.
• Pour chiles and water into a blender; add onion, mixed spices, and salt. Blend until sauce is smooth.
• Mix stew meat, sauce, and bay leaves in a large pot; cook over medium-low heat until meat is very tender, 3 to 5 hours.

MEXICAN BIRRIA RECIPE (GOAT OR BEEF STEW)

Steps:

• Heat a large pan to medium heat and add the dried peppers. Dry toast them in the hot pan 1-2 minutes per side, until the skins darken.
• Remove from heat and add the toasted peppers to a large bowl. Cover with hot water and steep 20 minutes, or until softened.
• While the peppers are rehydrating, heat the olive oil in the same pan to medium heat.
• Add the onion and tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes to soften.
• Add the garlic and cook another 1 minute, stirring.
• Add the cooked onion, tomatoes and garlic to a food processor.
• Remove the softened chilies and add to the food processor, but reserve the soaking liquid.
• Add the seasonings to the food processor along with the vinegar and 1 cup beef stock. Process until smooth. It should be fairly thick. You can strain if you'd like for a smoother sauce. See the RECIPE NOTES below.
• Cut the lamb (or beef) into large chunks and add to a large bowl.
• Pour the birria sauce over them and rub it into the meat. Cover and marinate the meat in the refrigerator for 2 hours minimum. Overnight is better.
• When you're ready to cook, add the meat with all of the marinade, the chopped roasted tomatoes and remaining 3 cups beef broth to a large pot. Cover and cook at medium heat for 3 hours, or until the meat is fork tender and easy to shred. Add more beef stock or some of the reserved soaking liquid if needed for a soupier birria.
• Serve the braised birria into bowls as a soup, or shred the meat and serve it up onto tortillas as birria tacos, with the reserved liquid consome from the pot as a side soup/broth.