Birria Tacos

Mexican food is my second favorite food in the world… Only second to Asian food. lol… But then again, I love all kinds of food, so it is hard to narrow it down to just one food culture. They are all amazingly delicious in their own way.

In the delicious world of Mexican food, I love tacos… all of them. It is a cultural experience in a hand-held little piece of deliciousness. I know that Mexico has much more to offer in the culinary world besides just tacos, however, I gravitate toward them every single time.

Now, these birria tacos are my take on their wonderful birria. These tacos are a labor of love and full of wonderful spices and a slight kick of heat, which is always optional in any dish, but what is Mexican food without some heat right? Although these tacos seem way too much to deal with it’s really simple to make and easy to put together. The hardest part is waiting for them to cook so you can eat them. So let me share with you my take on these tasty little tacos.

INGREDIENTS:

For the meat-
2-3 Lbs. Chuck roast – cubed 2in x 4in pieces
1 1/2 Tbso. Salt (kosher)
3/4 Tbsp. Pepper
1 Tsp. Cumin
1 1/2 Tsp. Smoked Paprika ( regular will work too)
2 Tsp. Garlic Powder

For the sauce-
8 Dried Ancho Chilis – seeded and stemmed
6 Dried Guajillo Chillis – seeded and stemmed
4 Dried Cascabel Chilis – seeded and stemmed
3 Dried Chilis De Arbol – seeded and stemmed
1 Lg. Onion – quartered
4 Lg. Tomatoes – halved
1 Tsp. Pepper
1/2 Tsp. Cloves
1 Tsp. Dried Thyme
1 Tsp. Oregano
2 Bay Leaves
1 1/2 Tsp. Cumin
1 Tsp. Cinnamon
1 Tsp. Corriander
1 Tsp. Salt
2 Tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar ( white vinegar will work here also)
3 C. Beef Broth
6 Cloves Garlic – peeled
Corn Tortillas
Oaxaca Cheese ( can use mozzarella and muenster blend- grated)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cube the beef and season both sides with salt, pepper, cumin, smoked paprika, and garlic powder. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes.
2. In the meantime, bring a pot of water to a boil and stem and deseed the dried peppers. Add the chili peppers, onion, tomatoes, garlic cloves, and bay leaves to the boiling water. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes. Drain and set aside. Preheat your oven to 350*.
3. To a large Dutch oven over medium-low heat, add a little bit of olive oil and sear the beef in batches. About 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove the first batch and sear off the second batch. Add all of the beef back to the Dutch oven. Remove from heat.
4. Add the chili pepper mixture to a blender along with pepper, cloves, thyme, oregano, cumin, cinnamon, coriander, apple cider vinegar, and salt. Add 1 cup of beef broth and blend until the mixture is completely smooth. At this point, you can pour this through a fine strainer to remove any bits if you like. I however skip this step. ( You can remove the bay leaves if you like as well. I do)
5. Add the mixture to the pot with the beef as well as the remaining beef broth.
6. Cover with a lid and bake at 350* for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until the beef is tender.
7. Remove the beef from the pot and shred it with two forks. Set aside. You can add a bit of the sauce to the beef if you think it looks “not saucy enough”. lol.
8. Place a large skillet over medium-low heat and add a little oil to the skillet. Dip the corn tortillas into the sauce and place on the heated skillet. Add as much cheese to the tortilla as you like as well as the shredded beef. Carefully flip one side over onto itself to make a taco. Let the one side cook for 4 to 5 minutes and then flip and allow the other side to cook for 4 to 5 minutes.
9. Remove to a serving platter and finish up the remaining tacos.
10. Serve as desired with extra sauce on the side for dipping.

• If you can not find Oaxaca cheese, you can order it online or substitute it for mozzarella and meunster cheese.
• You can make your own corn tortillas or use store-bought. That choice is yours.
• If you have any leftover sauce, freeze it. I do. I will pull it out when I want to make any Mexican dish that calls for “red” sauce. It will last about 6 months in the freezer.
• If you do not have a Dutch oven sear the beef in a skillet and place it in an oven-safe pot or a casserole dish that has high sides. Cover with a lid or use foil.
• If you can not find these dried chilis at your local store you can order them online. I do.
• This dish is typically made with lamb but beef is more widely found at local grocery stores. Both work really well in this dish.