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Beef Birria Tacos
Beef Birria Tacos are corn tortillas filled with seasoned braised beef, Cotija cheese, and other toppings.
Ingredients
Ingredients
2 pounds beef shank*
4 pounds beef chuck
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Marinade
4 dried Guajillo chiles**
2 dried California chiles
4 plum tomatoes
1 7-ounce can chipotle in adobo (I used only half a can to keep it mild)
2 tablespoons garlic, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons Mexican Oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
Braising liquid
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup white onion, diced
1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 1/2 quarts beef stock or broth
For serving
20 6-inch corn tortillas (you could also use flour tortillas)
2 cups Cotija cheese, crumbled
1 small bunch cilantro leaves
2-3 fresh jalapenos, sliced thin
1/2 cup finely diced white onion
2-3 fresh limes cut into wedges
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Leave shank whole and cut the chuck into large pieces. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place in a two-gallon bag or container. If you do not have a two-gallon bag, you could split between two one-gallon bags.
- Line a small sheet tray with foil.
- Heat one cup of water in a small sauce pan.
- Remove and discard stem and seeds from peppers then lay out dry on the sheet tray.
- Cut tomatoes in half the long way and lay cut side up on same sheet tray.
- Place in the oven for ten minutes then remove the peppers and flip the tomatoes and cook the tomatoes for ten more minutes.
- As soon as the peppers come out of the oven, place in the hot water and cover the sauce pan with a lid and let steep for 15 minutes.
- After the peppers steep, place the peppers with their liquid, the charred tomatoes, the chipotle in adobo, garlic, oregano, cumin and vinegar into a blender and puree. Cool to room temperature.
- As soon as the mixture cools, pour over the beef and refrigerate overnight.
- Five hours before serving, heat oven to 325 degrees F.
- In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, heat oil and add onions, cinnamon stick, bay leaves and garlic and cook for three minutes.
- Add stock, the marinated beef and everything from the marinade bag into the Dutch oven and bring up to hot on the stove top.
- Cover and place in the oven for four hours, untouched.
- After four hours remove the beef and shred and discard any marrow bones, cinnamon stick and bay leaves. (Do not discard the liquid)
- Skim the fat from the liquid and save both the fat and the liquid.
- While the beef is cooking, prepare all of the serving ingredients.
- If your corn tortillas are dry, wrap in a wet paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds to a minute.
- To serve, heat a large flat grill pan over medium heat and brush on some of the fat you skimmed off of the cooking liquid.
- Then dip corn tortillas in the liquid then place onto the pan.
- Top each with about 2-ounces of shredded beef, the Cotija cheese, cilantro leaves, diced onions and a few jalapeno slices and cook to brown. Fold in half and serve with lime wedges and little bowls of the cooking liquid for each guest.
- Dip folded taco into the liquid before eating.
- Assuming a portion is two tacos, this recipe should yield approximately 20 tacos and serves 10.
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Notes
*If beef shank is not available, buy blade steak and marrow bones or short ribs and marrow bones.
**If you can’t find Guajillo peppers, use either Ancho or Pasilla.
Find it online: https://www.afamilyfeast.com/beef-birria-tacos/
