Birria Tacos

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg beef chuck or short rib, in large chunks
• 5 dried ancho chillies
• 2 dried chipotle chillies
• 3 tomatoes
• 2 onions, one halved and one finely chopped
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 cloves
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 3 tbsp cider vinegar
• 1 litre beef stock
• 18 corn tortillas
• 250 g mozzarella or Oaxaca cheese, grated
• a big handful of coriander
• 3 limes, in wedges

Method

1. Char and soak the chillies

   Toast the dried chillies in a dry pan for 30 seconds a side, then soak in boiling water for 20 minutes. Char the halved onion, tomatoes and garlic in the same pan until blackened in patches, then blend everything with the vinegar into a smooth adobo.

   20 min

2. Brown the beef

   Season and sear the chunks hard on all sides. Four hours of braising will not create the crust you skip here.

   15 min

3. Braise low and long

   Add the adobo, stock, cinnamon, cloves, bay, cumin and oregano. Bring to a bare simmer, cover, and cook at 150°C for 3 to 3.5 hours until the beef shreds under a fork.

   3 h 30 min

4. Separate the consommé

   Lift the meat out and shred it. Skim the red fat off the top of the braising liquid into a shallow bowl and keep it — that fat is what you dip the tortillas in, and it is the entire point of birria tacos.

5. Dip, fill, fry

   Dip each tortilla in the reserved red fat, lay it in a hot dry pan, add cheese and meat to one half, fold over, and fry until crisp and stained deep red on both sides.

   4 min

6. Serve with consommé

   Serve with a cup of the strained braising broth for dipping, plus onion, coriander and lime. The dipping is not optional — a birria taco eaten dry is only half the dish.