Birria Tacos
Ingredients
- 3 dried guajillo peppers
- 1 lb sirloin
- 2 lb tri-tip roast
- salt & pepper
- 7 oz chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 16 oz tomatoes
- 4 garlic clove
- 2 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp fennel seed
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 yellow onion (chopped)
- 4 bay leaves
- 5 whole cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 cups chicken stock
- Tortillas (your choice)
- 2 cups shredded monteray jack or cheddar cheese
- Cilantro (for garnish)
- Cotija (for garnish)
Directions
Original Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the guajillo peppers to rehydrate
- Cub sirloin and tri-tip and season with salt and pepper
- In a food processor or blender, combine chipotle peppers with adobo sauce, apple cider vinegar, tomatoes, garlic, oregano, smoked paprika, ground cumin, onion powder, fennel seeds and rehydrated guajillo peppers. Process until smooth
- Add meat and marinade to a large bowl and cover to marinate for at least 10 hours
- Once ready to cook, melt butter in a large pan over medium heat and sauté onion until translucent (you can do this on the stovetop, or in your slow cooker or instant pot)
- Add meats, marinade, bay leaves, cloves and cinnamon stick as well as just enough chicken stock to completely cover meat
- On the Stovetop, simmer over low heat for 4 to 6 hours
- For a Slow Cooker, cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or let it go during your work day
- If you're going the Instant Pot route, you'll only need about 45 minutes on high
- Remove the meat and shred
- Strain the leftover stew through fine-mesh colander
- Heat oil over medium heat in a skillet. Use more oil if needed to ensure the entire bottom of the skillet is generously covered
- Dip tortillas in strained stew, back with shredded cheese and meat and fry on each side once pan is hot
- Garnish with cilantro and cotija
Towards the tail end of 2020, Birria tacos became one of the most popular food items. They’re all over social media and in local restaurants and bars (event if they didn’t specialize in Mexican food). This comes to no surprise. Not only are these tacos to die for in terms of flavor but they are incredibly photogenic! Of all my recipes, I believe this one has the most ingredients, but every single one of them has a roll to play to reach that savory, bold flavor in the stew.
Every time we go out for tacos and Birria is on the menu – I order it. At home, these tacos serve as breakfast, lunch and dinner. They can be eaten back-to-back and never get old. I prefer flour tortillas over corn, but not the Mission-style where I feel more like I’m eating a dense pita. In Spokane, we have access to freshly made tortillas from De Leon’s Foods and they’re perfect in every way. I highly recommend finding someplace local that makes tortillas, or if you’re ever in Spokane, buy enough to stock your freezer. Another place to check is the deli department in your grocery store for raw, fresh tortillas. At the rate we go through tortillas, it would be a full-time job trying to make them from scratch so this is a great compromise for me.
Any time we make tacos at home, it usually involves a lot of chips and salsa! We want the full meal experience! That also means including a cocktail. Because there are a lot of steps in this dish, there isn’t always time to step aside to make drinks. That’s why we lean on a dive bar style margarita. Tequila, homemade sour mix, maybe a splash of triple sec and a Tajin and salt-rimmed glass!