Birria Tacos

Ok, so my sister has been asking me for Birria Tacos for ages. And honestly I was feeling really guilty this time around that I hadn’t made them for her. Now I had to make them for her, it was the right thing to do. I am so glad I did! They tasted amazing! To the point where my fussy, no spice eating kid was asking for seconds and thirds!!!! That is a success in my opinion!!!! What I loved most about this recipe was that the kids could make their own tacos with whatever they wanted and can dip the tacos in the consumé! I served the Birria Tacos with Mexican rice, guacamole and corn salsa. 

Preparation Time 30 minutes 

Cook Time 6 hours 

Serves 6 

Ingredients 

Meat 

1 kg boneless chuck 

1/2 kg bone in short ribs/ oxtail 

1 teaspoon oil 

Sauce 

7 ancho chills - ends trimmed and deseeded

7 guajillo chillies- ends trimmed and deseeded

1 onion- peeled and halved 

6 garlic cloves- peeled 

4-5 roma tomatoes 

1 tablespoons black peppercorns 

1 teaspoon dried oregano 

 Teaspoon cumin seeds 

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 

1/2 cinnamon stick

3 bay leaves 

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar 

3 cups beef stock- divided 

Tacos 

1/2 cup chopped coriander 

1/4 white onion- chopped 

Juice of 1 lime 

Salt 

Corn tortillas 

200 grams oaxacon cheese/ mozzarella cheese- shredded 

To Serve 

Mexican Rice 

Corn Salsa 

Guacamole 

Instructions 

1. To sear the meat: bring the meat to room temperature about 30 minutes before cooking. Sprinkle both sides with salt and rub it all in. Set a large pot over a medium heat and add the oil to it. Once the oil is smoking, add the meat and sear the meat on all sides until well browned. You need a deep sear. Make sure you sear the meat off in batches. Transfer the meat to a bowl and set it aside. 

2. Make the consumé: in the same pot, place the dry chillies, onion, garlic, tomatoes, spices and bay leaves. Then add enough water to cover everything. Place the pot over a medium heat and cook it for 15 minutes. Strain the mixture. Set the liquid aside and then blend the chillies, tomatoes and spices until smooth. Add the apple cider vinegar and 1 cup beef stock. Blend until smooth. Add salt to taste. 

3. Braise the meat: preheat the oven to 300F. Add the meat to the pot, pour the sauce over the meat. Add the remaining broth to the jug of sauce and swirl it around to get every last bit. Pour it over the meat and then place it over a medium heat. Simmer the mixture for 5 minutes. Then cover and bake at 300F for 4-5 hours until the meat is tender and falls off the bone. 

4. To assemble the tacos: mix the coriander, onion, lime and salt together. Remove the meat from the sauce and take it off the bone. Shred it all with forks. Ladle the broth as needed. Add a handful of coriander to the meat. 

5. Place a non stick pan over a medium heat. Dip a tortilla in the broth. Place it on the pan. Add some shredded meat, onion, coriander and cheese. Fold it over and cook on both sides for 1 minute until the cheese is melted and the taco is crispy. 

6. Transfer to a plate with a bowl of the consumé.