DUTCH OVEN BIRRIA
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Although this recipe has a lot of ingredients, it’s still a simple recipe to make. Basically, everything goes in the
DUTCH OVEN BIRRIA
Beef Birria is a great recipe to feed a crowd. However, if you don’t have a crowd to feed, it’s a great recipe. You can make so many different meals with it. Recently, my strategy has been “cook once eat twice (or more),” especially when the boys are home because they want to eat every 3 hours! Birria fits perfectly into that scheme. For example, I made eight pounds of
WHAT IS BIRRIA?
Originating in Jalisco, Mexico, Birria is a meat stew or soup. Originally, it was made with goat meat. Less commonly, they used beef, lamb, mutton, or chicken to make birria. The meat is first marinated in a sauce of vinegar, chiles, garlic, and spices. Finally, it’s slow-cooked in broth until tender.
You can eat birria like chili or soup or you can use birria meat in any dish you want. A birria taco recipe went viral on TikTok in 2020 so that’s why you’re seeing an onslaught of birria recipes now.
Also try carne asada.
IS BIRRIA SPICY?
Birria doesn’t have to be spicy unless you want it to be. My recipe below has a bold flavor that isn’t hot. Of course, you can add hot peppers or hot sauce if you want more fire. That’s the beauty of cooking, you can tailor any recipe to your taste.
INGREDIENTS FOR DUTCH OVEN BIRRIA
The full recipe with ingredient amounts and instructions is at the bottom of this post. You can save a tree and save the recipe to your personal and private recipe box right here on Call Me PMc. This way you’ll never misplace it as well as help the planet. 😉
- Guajillo peppers. You can find Guajillo peppers in most grocery stores now. They’re dry chile peppers and look like this. If you don’t want the trouble of rehydrating them you can use a jar of chipotle peppers instead.
- water.
- salt.
- ground black pepper.
- beef chuck roast. See notes below for substitutions.
- vegetable oil.
- fire roasted tomatoes. You can roast 4 Roma tomatoes or buy fire-roasted diced tomatoes like this.
- chipotle chilies. Chipotle peppers have a strong earthy flavor. You can add more for more flavor if desired.
- bay leaves. Bay leaves don’t soften so you’ll want to pick them out before serving.
- cinnamon stick. Your beef birria won’t taste like cinnamon. It just adds a nice back note.
- Mexican oregano or regular oregano if you can’t find Mexican oregano.
- cumin.
- chili powder.
- ground cloves.
- apple cider vinegar.
- beef bouillon.
- beef broth.
WHAT CUTS OF MEAT CAN I USE FOR BIRRIA?
I used beef chuck roast. However, you can use beef shank, bottom round roast, top round roast, short ribs, or sirloin roast.
You can also go authentic and use goat meat.
CAN I MAKE BEEF BIRRIA IN A SLOW COOKER?
Yes, of course. This is a great recipe for your slow cooker. You can even omit searing the beef and pile everything in the slow cooker. It depends on how much beef you’re cooking but for 3 pounds cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours.
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- Cajun Burgers
- Molasses Glazed Pork Tenderloin
- Country Club Sandwich
- Shrimp Crawfish and Scallop Jambalaya
- Corn Tortillas
- Individual Pizzas (kid favorite)
I hope you’ll try
DUTCH OVEN BIRRIA
Ingredients
- 6 large dried Guajillo peppers
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 2 teaspoons black pepper or to taste
- 3 pound beef chuck roast
- 3 to 4 tablespoons oil
- 14.5 ounce tomatoes fire roasted, diced
- ⅓ cup chipotle peppers in adobo sauce diced
- 2 medium bay leaves remove before serving
- 1 medium cinnamon sticks remove before serving
- 2 teaspoons fresh oregano
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons beef bouillon
- 1 cup beef broth If you want to eat this as stew, add 2 cups
For Tacos
- 4-inch corn tortilla
- white onion diced
- fresh cilantro chopped
- cheddar cheese shredded. Or Mexican blend or Cotija
- lime
Instructions
- Cut the stems off the chiles. Toss them into a pan and cover them with 1 cup of water. Bring the water to a boil. Once boiling, turn off the heat, and cover the pan. Allow the chiles to sit for 20 minutes to rehydrate. (They can sit longer than 20 minutes because they don't need to be hot when you add them to the blender.) Add the peppers and water to a high-powered blender and process until smooth. Optional, you can strain the peppers if needed to remove any larger pieces of skin.
- Meanwhile, trim the roast of any connective tissue and cut it into large 4-inch chunks. Salt and pepper the beef. Heat your Dutch oven to medium-high and sear the beef on all sides.
- Once the beef is seared add the remaining ingredients to the pot: the dried pepper mixture, roasted tomatoes, chipotle peppers, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, oregano, cumin, chili powder, cloves, vinegar, beef bouillon, and beef broth.
- Stir to combine. Cover the Dutch oven and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours or until tender. Stir once each hour.
- I like to cook the birria a day ahead of when I plan to serve it. At this point I refrigerate the birria until I'm ready to serve. When I'm ready to serve it I skim the fat off the top, shred it using two forks, and reserve it – If you're making tacos with the birria, you can use the reserved fat to cook the tacos. After you skim the fat off, heat the beef.
For Tacos
- You can use beef birria over rice, in tacos, quesadillas, or nachos. It's very versatile. You can top any of these with pico, avocado, salsa verde, sour cream, and cheese.
- Shred your meat. To warm the tortillas. (This makes them pliable and soft.) wrap them up in damp paper towels and microwave for 30 seconds. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the reserved fat to a skillet. Heat on medium-high. Fill a tortilla with birria meat, onions, cilantro, and cheese. Fry the taco for 2-3 minutes per side. Serve hot.
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are important to you, I recommend calculating them yourself.
Wow, this Dutch oven birria recipe looks incredible! I’m definitely trying it out this weekend. Can’t wait to enjoy the flavors of birria in my own kitchen. Thanks for sharing! 😋
I tried 2 other recipes for birria tacos, but this is the best one so far! The only changes I made, based on past experience or limited pantry, were as follows:
1. I did not blend the peppers with the water they were rehydrate in. In the last recipe I tried, this caused bitterness in the sauce. Instead, I blended the peppers in beef broth.
2. I used allspice in place of ground cloves (1:1 replacement ratio).
3. I didn’t bother searing the meat. That might stem from pure laziness.
It turned out fantastic!! So glad I found this recipe. It’ll be my go-to.
I’m so happy you like it. My boys have enjoyed it, they’re my gauge on all things protein.