Birria Tacos

Method

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1. Toast the chillies in a dry pan over medium heat for 20 to 30 seconds a side, until they smell fragrant and darken slightly. Do not let them smoke.

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2. Cover them with boiling water and soak 20 minutes.

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3. Char the onion, garlic and tomatoes in the same dry pan for 8 minutes until blackened in patches.

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4. Blend the drained chillies with the charred vegetables, vinegar, cumin, oregano and 250 ml of the stock until completely smooth. Pass through a sieve.

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5. Season the beef generously and sear it hard in a heavy casserole, in batches, until deeply browned.

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6. Return all the beef, pour over the chilli purée and the remaining stock, and add the cinnamon, cloves, bay and salt.

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7. Cover and braise at 160°C / 320°F for 3 to 3½ hours until the beef shreds under a fork.

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8. Lift the meat out and shred it. Skim the bright red fat from the surface of the broth into a shallow bowl — this is what the tortillas are dipped in. Season the remaining consommé.

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9. Dip a tortilla in the reserved fat, lay it on a hot griddle, scatter with cheese and shredded beef, fold, and fry 90 seconds a side until crisp and lacquered.

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10. Serve with onion, coriander, lime and a cup of hot consommé for dipping.

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Chef’s Tips

• Twenty seconds is the entire toasting window for the chillies. Bitter birria always traces back to this step.
• Make the braise a day ahead. The fat sets on top and is far easier to lift off, and the flavour is better.
• Goat is the traditional meat in Jalisco; beef is the modern norm and what most taquerías now use.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• A pinch of dried chilli flakes works in place of fresh chilli — start with about a third of the quantity the chillies in the list implies, since dried chilli is more concentrated, and add more to taste.
• Lemon is the everyday swap for limes in this kind of dish — the acidity plays the same role even though the flavour is not identical.
• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the usual stand-in when you are out of fresh garlic — it will not caramelise the same way, but it carries the flavour.

Pairing Suggestions

• A cup of the consommé, always
• Salsa verde and pickled red onion
• A cold Mexican lager or a michelada

Storage & Reheating

The braise keeps 4 days refrigerated and freezes 3 months. Griddle the tacos fresh each time — reheated ones lose the crust.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.