Authentic Mexican Birria Food

MEXICAN BIRRIA

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Toast all of the chiles on a hot griddle or in a skillet over medium heat until browned, but not burned.
• Remove the seeds and veins and discard; place the chiles in a bowl, cover them with very hot water, and let sit for 15 to 20 minutes.
• When the chiles have rehydrated, drain them.
• Place the chilies and vinegar in a blender and process to make a paste.
• In a small bowl, mix together all of the rub ingredients. Rub the meat well with this mixture.
• Coat the meat with half of the chile paste.
• Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let the meat marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
• Preheat the oven to 350 F. Pour the 1 cup of water into a Dutch oven or deep casserole dish. Add the coarsely chopped onion, bay leaves, chopped garlic, and the remaining chile paste.
• Place the meat on a rack or steamer basket that sits just above the liquid mixture.
• Place the lid on the pot, making sure that it covers tightly, and bake for 4 hours.
• Remove the meat from the Dutch oven to a cutting board. Cut or break into pieces a little larger than bite size. Distribute the meat among 6 to 8 bowls. Add a bit of the broth to each serving, more if serving as a stew, less if for tacos.
• Serve as a soupy stew or as a taco filling with warm corn tortillas, garnished with the chopped cilantro and onion.

MEXICAN STEW: BIRRIA

Steps:

• On hot griddle toast the ancho and gaujillo chile and submerge in hot water. Let chiles sit for 20 minutes. Remove from water and puree in blender with a cup of warm water. Set aside.
• In a deep Dutch oven, add the beef and ribs, water, onion, and garlic cloves. Bring to boil and cook for 1 hour. At this point add the bay leaves, thyme, chile puree, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper simmer for 30 minutes. To make sauce, puree the garlic, vinegar, and chile powder in a blender.
• Serve the stew in a big bowl with a sprinkle of onion and cilantro and a squeeze of lime on top. Serve with corn tortillas and some of the sauce on the side, as well.