The Best Beef Birria Recipe - Mexican Birria de Res
Servings: 4
Calories: 241kcal
This outstanding beef birria recipe is a wonderfully satisfying and hearty recipe that you will want to make again and again. It is no wonder that birria with its deep rich flavors is a long-standing Mexican favorite and is now a global favorite.
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Equipment
- Dutch Oven 6 quart or larger
- Countertop Blender
Ingredients
- 1-¼ ounce dried guajillo chiles 5 large chiles
- ½ ounce ancho chiles 1 chile
- 1 14-ounce can diced fire-roasted tomatoes with juice or 1 ½ cups diced tomatoes
- 1 white onion, finely chopped divided
- ¾ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 3 cloves garlic peeled
- ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
- ½ teaspoon dried Mexican oregano see Chef's Tips
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves or ½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
- Kosher salt
- 4 cups water approximately
- 2-½ pounds beef loin tri-tip roast cut into large chunks
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ bunch fresh cilantro coarsely chopped
- 1 lime cut into wedges
- Corn tortillas, warmed
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan over high heat, add the guajillo and ancho chiles. Add enough water to cover the chiles and heat until boiling. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 to 15 minutes or until the chiles are soft. Remove from the heat and let cool. Using gloves, remove the stems and seeds.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chiles to a blender. Add 1 cup of the chiles’ cooking liquid, tomatoes with juice, ½ of the diced onion, the vinegar, garlic, peppercorns, oregano, thyme, cumin and 1-½ teaspoons kosher salt. Cover and blend, 1 minute or until smooth.
- Pour the adobo sauce in to a 1-gallon zip-top bag. Add the beef and bay leaf and seal the bag, tossing gently to coat the beef with sauce. Refrigerate for 4 hours and up to 1 day.
- Transfer the beef and adobo sauce into the Dutch oven. Stir in 4 cups of water. Over high heat, cook, stirring occasionally, until boiling. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook 3 to 4 hours or until the meat shreds easily with a fork. Discard bay leaf. Season to taste with salt.
- Ladle the beef and broth into individual serving bowls. Top with the remaining onion and the cilantro. Serve with the lime wedges and warm tortillas.
Notes
For Variations and Substitutions view those section of the original post for many ideas.
Wear kitchen gloves when handling chili peppers and avoid touching your face or eyes.
Before blending the ingredients make sure the liquid has cooled. Hot liquid can explode in a blender.
A tri-tip weighs between 1-½ to 2-½ pounds. Select one that is on the larger size. Because tri tip is fairly lean you will not have much waste. You should have enough beef birria to serve 4 to 6 people or 4 with leftovers.
Nutrition
Calories: 241kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 74mg | Sodium: 86mg | Potassium: 681mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 3376IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 3mg