| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 14 hr 55 min |
| Active: | 45 min |
| Yield: | 5 quarts |
Ingredients
- 4 to 6 pasilla chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 4 to 6 guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 4 ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 3 Morita chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 1 tablespoon marjoram
- 1 tablespoon Mexican dried oregano, toasted (see Cook’s Note)
- 1/2 tablespoon roasted cumin powder
- 1/2 tablespoon whole peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 4 cloves
- 1 stick Mexican cinnamon
- 2 cups oil
- 8 cloves garlic
- 4 ripe tomatoes
- 1 white onion
- 1/2 cup vinegar
- 3 to 4 pounds beef chuck, cut into large chunks
- 16 ounces beer or water
- 2 bay leaves
- Tortillas, cheese, chopped onion and cilantro, for serving
Instructions
- Add all the chiles and the marjoram, oregano, cumin, peppercorns, thyme, cloves and cinnamon to the oil in a pot and cook over medium-high heat until all the ingredients are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- In a large sauté pan, add the oil from the chiles to cover the garlic, tomatoes and onion, and simmer until very translucent and tender. Blend the chiles and spices, tomatoes, garlic, onions and vinegar in a blender and puree until smooth to make an adobe. Add water as necessary. Rub the adobe on the meat. Put in a resealable plastic bag and refrigerate overnight.
- Put the meat in a large pot. Add the beer or water. Add the bay leaves, then cover tightly with foil and cook on medium heat for up to 4 hours.
- Once the birria is cooked, let rest and skim off the grease. Break down the meat; do not shred. Use grease to coat tortillas and sear on a flat top or pan. Add cheese and meat, top with chopped onions and cilantro, fold in half and turn.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 36 servings |
| Calories | 188 |
| Total Fat | 15 g |
| Saturated Fat | 2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 4 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 1 g |
| Protein | 10 g |
| Cholesterol | 28 mg |
| Sodium | 39 mg |
Reviews
Unlike the other two reviewers I actually made this recipe instead of “knowing Leticia and giving reviews”. The main problem with this recipe was in step #1 where the chiles, marjoram, oregan, cumin, peppercorns, thyme, cloves and cinnamon were cooked in oil over medimum high heat for 10-15 minutes until tender. EVERYTHING BURNED AT THAT TEMPERTURE! I even took the pot off the stove five times to let it cool a bit and help with all the smoke in my kitchen. I had throw everything away as it was so crispy and burnt, I couldn’t use any of it. I had to start over with all those ingredients (it’s a good thing I had extra chiles). I soaked the chiles in 2 cups of hot water for 10 minutes and added the other ingredients to step #2. I used the chile water when I was cooking the meat. My suggestion would be to warm up the oil and let the chiles sit in it for 10 minutes off the heat just long enough to make them tender. I also added 1 teaspoon of salt to the recipe. The meat came out okay but do not follow the recipe as written.
Our son gets birria wherever we go…and the bar he measures them against are these birria tacos by Letecia! These are not just next level, they are on an unmatchable level.
First off, I have to admit I may be a little bias about these tocos because I’ve known Chef Leticia 44 years. These tacos are absolutely incredible! The birria alone is amazing then you build a taco with a hand pressed corn tortilla, onion, cheese, cilantro and if that wasn’t good enough you dip it into the consume saturating every bite with amazing flavor and moist birria! Mmmmmmm!! Do it. Just do it.