Ancho chile- and spice-marinated goat flesh is slowly simmered until tender. Refried beans and corn tortillas are always served with this classic cuisine known as birria, which is typically eaten on special occasions.
| Prep Time: | 35 mins |
| Cook Time: | 4 hrs 20 mins |
| Additional Time: | 8 hrs 10 mins |
| Total Time: | 13 hrs 5 mins |
| Servings: | 16 |
| Yield: | 16 servings |
Ingredients
- 3 ancho chile peppers
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 15 whole black peppercorns
- 1 (1 inch) piece fresh ginger root
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 3 whole cloves
- 1 pinch dried marjoram
- 1 pinch ground cumin
- 1 pinch dried thyme
- 4 ½ pounds goat leg
- 2 pounds plum tomatoes
- 2 cups water
- 3 whole black peppercorns
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 whole cloves
- 1 pinch dried marjoram
- 1 pinch dried thyme
- 1 pinch ground cumin
- salt to taste
- 30 chiles de arbol
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- 10 whole black peppercorns
- 1 clove garlic, peeled
- 2 white onions, minced
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil; add ancho chile peppers and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let chiles soak in the hot water until soft, about 10 minutes; drain.
- Blend softened chiles, 1 cup vinegar, 15 peppercorns, ginger, 2 garlic cloves, 3 cloves, 1 pinch marjoram, 1 pinch cumin, and 1 pinch thyme in a blender until marinade is smooth. Strain marinade into a bowl.
- Place goat in a bowl and pour in marinade, coating goat completely. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Transfer goat and marinade to a baking dish; cover with a lid or aluminum foil.
- Bake in the preheated oven until goat is very tender, about 3 1/2 hours. Remove lid or foil and cook until goat is browned, about 15 minutes. Pour meat juices into a container and reserve. Cover the goat to keep warm.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add tomatoes and boil until soft, 5 to 10 minutes. Drain and let tomatoes cool until easily handled.
- Peel tomatoes and place in blender with reserved goat juices, 2 cups water, 3 peppercorns, 2 garlic cloves, 2 cloves, 1 pinch marjoram, 1 pinch thyme, and 1 pinch cumin. Blend until meat sauce is smooth.
- Pour meat sauce into a small saucepan and season with salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer over low heat.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil; add chiles de arbol and boil until soft, about 5 minutes. Drain.
- Blend softened chiles with 1/4 cup vinegar, 10 peppercorns, 1 garlic clove, and salt until hot sauce is smooth. Strain into a glass.
- Cut goat into bite-sized pieces and serve with a generous amount of meat sauce and hot sauce on the side. Sprinkle onion over goat.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 341 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 38 g |
| Cholesterol | 60 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Protein | 31 g |
| Saturated Fat | 1 g |
| Sodium | 105 mg |
| Sugars | 3 g |
| Fat | 3 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Great recipe. Oven baking smells were yummy!!
Such a delicious meal!!! Made a few changes 1. Combined the type of chilies I used- guajillo ancho, California 2. Used beef instead of goat 3. Fried the peppers in a little oil prior to boiling 4. Cooked on stove top instead of oven 5. Used the same water to boil chilies and tomatoes 6 for the salsa I also boiled the chilis de árbol in the left over water that I had used to boil everything else Family loved it!!! Especially if I use the grease that the meat let’s out I dip my tortillas in that and I make some quesadillas!! So good!!!
It was great but I felt like I overcooked it!! I set the time for about 3 in half hours I checked it at 3 hrs and it looked like it was dry!! I thought I lost it. But then I did the meat sauce and threw the chivo in there and boom it was bomb. I would suggest to throw the meat in the sauce and let it simmer and the juices are amazing.
Easy to follow recipe, that delivered the most delicious birria. It was my first time making it and it tasted exactly like what my family has made over the years. They couldn’t tell me how they make it because they simply do it by memory without measurements, so this worked great.