Birria is a flavorful meat that is stewed in a Chile based consommé. Its very tender, full of layers of different flavors and is sure to become your next favorite thing.
Traditionally, Birria is made during times of celebrations, but we have it quite regularly because every day we wake up is a celebration.
A lot of people have reached out to me throughout the years of me posting my Birria tacos online asking about the difficulty level of making them and I’m here to tell you guys that they are not hard to make at all. A bit time consuming, yes, considering the Birria meat needs to be cooked slowly over the course of 4 hours, although most of that time is completely hands off. If I were to estimate how much time is actually spent being present and physically doing something, I would say its no more than 20-30 minutes in total.
So don’t be discouraged by the amount of time it takes to make Birria, but rather take solace in knowing that it will be 100% worth it in the end because the flavor of this homemade Birria is unlike any other Birria I have tried elsewhere.

I know what you’re probably asking right now.. “What is consommé?”
Consommé is a soup made with a concentrated well seasoned stock.
Basically, a big soup pot of YUM!

INGREDIENTS :

• 2.5-3 LB Beef Shoulder
• 2 TB Oil
• 1 onion
• 6 garlic cloves
• 3 guajillo peppers
• 1 ancho chili
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1 TB Oregano
• 1 tsp Cumin
• 14 oz Crushed Tomatoes
• 1 Chipotle Pepper (optional, but recommended)
• 3 cups Beef Broth
• 3 cups Water
• Juice of 1 Lime
• 3 dry Bay Leaves
• Tortillas (corn or flour)
• 1 diced White Onion
• 1 bushel sliced Cilantro
• Melting Cheese (Chihuahua, Mozzarella, Oaxaca)

You can also make large Birria Quesadillas!

STEPS :

1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven or stock pot that you will be using to cook the birria in the consommé. Salt and pepper each piece of the beef shoulder on all sides. Pan sear on medium-high until browned on each side. Remove from the pan and set aside.
2. Slice your onions and toss them into the hot oil in your Dutch oven. Pan sear for 1-2 minutes. Roughly slice your garlic and add that to the same Dutch oven. Pan sear for 30-60 seconds while continuously stirring to avoid burning the garlic.
3. De-seed your dry guajillo peppers and your dry ancho chile pepper. Put your de-seeded peppers into the Dutch oven with the onion and garlic. Add your bay leaves, cumin and oregano and stir. Cook for 30-60 seconds to allow your spices to open up.
4. Pour in your beef stock (or use your beef powder to make stock. I love using the Orrington Farms Beef Powder and I will link it below!) and add your water. Toss in your chipotle pepper, and your crushed tomatoes. Squeeze in your lime juice and toss your limes. (Cooking the limes will give your consommé a slight bitterness that not everyone will enjoy.) Give everything a good stir and add your meat back into the Dutch oven. Cook for 1 hour on a low rolling boil.
5. After cooking for 1 hour, remove the meat from the consommé and set aside. Remove the bay leaves and throw them away. Use an immersion blender to blend all the contents in your Dutch oven. If you do not have an immersion blender, use a regular blender to blend all the solid contents (onion, garlic, peppers) along with 1 cup of consommé and then add the blended contents back to your Dutch oven with the rest of the consommé. Add your meat back into the Dutch oven with your blended consommé and bring to a low rolling boil again and cook for 2-3 more hours.
6. After your cooking time, remove the meat from the consommé and put into a bowl. It should now be tender and break apart very easily. Shred your beef and add a few spoonfuls of consommé to the bowl and mix. Set aside and begin prepping the rest of your ingredients.
7. Dice your white onion and slice your cilantro.
8. Preheat 1 TB oil in a frying pan. Dip your tortilla into the consommé and lay it on the hot oil. Cover with a sprinkle of cheese. Add some shredded beef to one half of the tortilla and top it with some diced white onion and sliced cilantro. Fold the side without meat and onion-cilantro over the other side and pan sear for roughly 1 minute per side or until golden. Flip and pan sear again until golden. Remove from pan and set on a plate. Repeat this step until all your meat is used or until you have enough birria tacos for your needs.
9. Enjoy dipped into a cup of consommé with some fresh lime squeezed on top!

LINKS TO ITEMS I USED DURING THIS RECIPE :

Orrington Farms Beef Broth Powder – https://amzn.to/40VQG4D

Le Creuset 5.5qt Dutch Oven – https://amzn.to/4b613I0

All Clad Pan – https://amzn.to/3EP0qpS

Shallow Dinner Plates – https://amzn.to/3QnLHVr