Birria – beef braised in a spiced chilli broth
Beef and short ribs marinated in a guajillo and ancho chilli adobo with spices and vinegar, then braised slowly until falling apart. Served in its rich broth (consomé) with onion, coriander, lime and tortillas, or in tacos and quesabirria. In Jalisco the traditional meat is goat.
- 4 h 50Time
- 50 minHands-on
- 4Portions
- ≈ $92per portion
- 830kcal per portion
Ingredients for 4 portions
- 800 gBeef chuck, in large chunks
- 500 gBeef short ribs, in pieces
- 8Guajillo chiles
- 3Ancho chiles
- 2Tomatoes
- ½Yellow onion
- 6 clovesGarlic
- 4 tbspVinegar, ideally cider vinegar
- 1 tspCumin
- 4Cloves
- 3 mlCinnamon
- 3 mlBlack pepper
- 1 tspMexican oregano
- 3 mlThyme
- 3Bay leaves
- to tasteSalt
- ≈ 1.5 lWater
On the side
- 1Yellow onion, finely chopped
- 15 gCoriander, chopped
- 3Limes, in wedges
- 12Corn tortillas
Method
- Remove the stems and seeds from the dried chillies. Toast them for a few seconds per side in a hot, dry frying pan without letting them burn.
- Soak the chillies in hot water for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cut the beef into large chunks and season all over with salt.
- Drain the chillies and blend until smooth with the tomatoes, onion, garlic, vinegar, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, pepper, oregano, thyme and about 250 ml of the soaking water. Sieve the adobo.
- Put the beef in a large, heavy pot and turn it in the adobo until every piece is coated.
- Cover and leave the beef to marinate for at least 1 hour, or overnight in the fridge.
- Pour in the water, add the bay leaves and bring to the boil.
- Lower the heat, cover and simmer for about 3 hours, until the meat falls apart. (In a pressure cooker it takes about 1 hour.)
- Meanwhile, finely chop the onion and coriander and cut the limes into wedges.
- Lift out the meat, remove the bones and pull it into large shreds. Skim the fat off the broth and season it with salt.
- Warm the tortillas in a dry frying pan and wrap them in a tea towel.
- Serve the meat in deep bowls with plenty of hot broth. Let everyone sprinkle over onion and coriander, squeeze over lime and eat it with the tortillas.
The cost is estimated from average prices in Mexico (PROFECO, Quién es Quién en los Precios (datos abiertos), 2026-07).
