Tacos de birria with beef and dipping broth Recipe
Birria is slowly braised beef in an aromatic, lightly spicy sauce, often served in Mexico for Sunday lunches and family celebrations. In the taco version, the meat goes into a tortilla that’s briefly pan-fried, and the whole thing is dipped into the hot broth from the pot – a bit like combining a sandwich with broth. This dish has a deep, warming flavour and a beautiful red colour from the chilies, but you can easily adjust the heat level to your household.
Tacos de birria are one of those Mexican dishes that combine slowly braised beef, intense broth and a crispy tortilla soaked in a red chili sauce. The signature element is dipping the hot tacos into the broth straight from the pot – a bit like eating a sandwich and broth at the same time, only in a much more aromatic, spice-forward version. The deep flavour comes from dried chilies, cinnamon and cloves, but you can easily adjust the heat level to suit everyone at home.
Chef's tips
The key to good birria is really tender beef – don’t cut the braising time short; the meat should fall apart with a light press of a fork. Make sure the sauce doesn’t boil too vigorously, it should just gently “blip”; otherwise it can reduce too much and catch on the bottom. When dipping the tortillas in the hot sauce, use tongs and work quickly, because if they soak too long they’ll start to tear and will be hard to transfer to the pan.
How to serve
Tacos de birria are perfect for relaxed weekend get-togethers – I often serve them when we’re watching a match or doing a series marathon, with everyone dipping their own tacos into a bowl of hot broth. Cold beer (like a pale lager or IPA) or homemade lime-and-mint agua fresca goes great alongside and helps balance the heat. Put extra lime wedges, finely chopped onion and cilantro on the table so everyone can “build” their ideal version to taste.
Ingredients
- beef - 1.2 kg
- onion - 2 piece
- garlic - 6 clove
- dried chili pepper - 4 piece
- dried chili pepper - 2 piece
- canned tomatoes - 400 g
- bay leaf - 3 piece
- cinnamon stick - 0.5 piece
- cloves - 3 piece
- vinegar - 30 ml
- stock - 1 l
- corn tortilla - 18 piece
- cheese - 200 g
- cilantro - 1 bunch
- lime - 2 piece
- vegetable oil - 3 tablespoon
- salt
- black pepper
Preparation
- Clean the dried chili peppers by removing the stems and seeds, cover with hot water and set aside for 20 minutes until softened.
- Cut the beef into large pieces (about 5–6 cm), season with salt and pepper.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and sear the beef pieces in batches for 3–4 minutes on each side until lightly browned. Transfer the meat to a plate.
- In the same pot, add 1 onion sliced into thin wedges and 3 cloves of garlic sliced, and fry for 4–5 minutes, stirring, until softened and lightly browned.
- Drain the soaked chilies (reserve the soaking water) and place them in a blender with the canned tomatoes, vinegar, sautéed onion and garlic, 1 cup of the chili soaking water, the cinnamon stick and cloves. Blend into a smooth sauce.
- Return the meat to the pot, pour in the blended sauce, add the bay leaves and stock. Stir, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 2–2.5 hours, until the meat is very tender and easily falls apart when pressed with a fork.
- Remove the meat to a board, let it cool slightly and shred into strands with two forks. Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper. Pour some of the sauce into a small bowl – this will be the broth for dipping the tacos.
- Grate the cheese, finely dice the second onion, roughly chop the cilantro and cut the limes into wedges.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Dip each tortilla on both sides in the hot sauce from the pot (be careful not to burn yourself), place it in the pan, put a portion of meat and cheese on one half of the tortilla, fold in half and fry for 2–3 minutes on each side, until the tortilla is lightly crispy and the cheese has melted.
- Serve the tacos immediately, sprinkled with onion and cilantro, with lime wedges and a small bowl of hot broth for dipping.
Storage
Store leftover meat and sauce in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze for longer. Reheat gently over low heat, adding a splash of water if needed to loosen the sauce. Fry fresh tortillas just before serving so they stay crisp.
