Authentic Mexican Birria

Bowl of birria served with diced onion and cilantro with a lime wedge.

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Authentic Mexican Birria

This authentic Mexican Birria de res features a rich chile broth with chunks of tender, juicy beef. Serve as a stew topped with cilantro and onions or use it to make birria tacos.

Prep Time20

Cook Time4

Total Time3 50

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings:

Author: Serene

Ingredients

3 pounds chuck roast
2 pounds short ribs (bone-in)
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons avocado oil
1 large onion quartered
1 garlic bulb cut the tip off
1 carrot cut in half crosswise, then cut in half (4 large pieces of carrot)
8 guajillo chiles
4 ancho chiles
2 bay leaves
5 cups water
2 cups beef broth
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon
1-2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin

Garnishes

fresh cilantro diced
fresh lime juice
white onion diced

Instructions

Sear the Meat: Chop the chuck roast into 2 inch chunks, pat the roast and the short ribs dry, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then sear in a large dutch oven/pot with the avocado oil over medium high heat. Sear for 2-3 minutes then turn to continue searing all sides of the meat. Work in batches until all the meat is seared. Do not crowd the pot during this step.
Combine Ingredients: In the same large pot add all of the seared meat, onion, garlic, carrots, bay leaves and dried peppers, pour in the beef broth. Cover with water. (This uses my large 7 qt pot and fills it to the top!)
Add Seasonings: Add chicken bouillon, oregano, cumin and salt, stir to combine. Bring to a boil.
Skim: After 30 minutes, skim the top of the pot to remove impurities from the bone cooking out. (will look like little bits of foam on the top)
Blend Peppers: Remove the peppers (should be softened), onion, garlic and carrots and place in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth, add up to 1/4 cup of broth if needed to help get a smooth consistency.
Strain: Strain the peppers if needed to remove bits of skin (if using a high powered blender this step is not necessary).
Combine: Add the blended peppers into the broth and stir to combine.
Simmer: Cover and continue to simmer for about 3 hours or until meat is tender and easily shredding on it’s own. (remove lid and give a stir every 40 minutes or so. Can also taste the broth once the meat is cooked through and adjust seasonings as needed).
Reserve Grease: Skim the grease from the top of the broth
Serving: Remove the meat from the broth and cut into large chunks for serving. Remove any bones.
Serve in bowls as a stew topped with fresh diced cilantro, white onion and a squeeze of lime juice.

Notes

Short Ribs (Bone-in)-This can be substituted for any cut with bones such as oxtails or simply beef bone. We need the bone for the broth. This is what is going to give us that nice thick texture to the broth/consomme.

Chuck Roast: Any large roast will work, chuck roast is a budget friendly cut that provides a lot of meat. Since we’re cooking the meat low and slow the roast has time to break down and become tender. You can substitute with goat or lamb meat if desired.

Guajillo Peppers: (2500-5000 SHU) these are a very common Chile used in Mexican cooking. Adjust the chile used if needed, these are very mild and give color and flavoring to the broth. If you want heat you can add in a Chile de Arbol if desired. These are dried chile peppers that can be found in the spice or Mexican aisles at most markets.

Ancho Peppers: (1000-2000 SHU) Dried chile peppers (dried poblanos) that have a mild heat with sweet notes.

Carrots: Adding the carrots give a bit of sweetness and color to the broth and adds to the flavoring.

Nutrition