Description
Authentic Birria is a traditional Mexican stew made with tender beef slow-cooked in a rich, flavorful chili sauce. This recipe combines dried guajillo, ancho, and chipotle chilies blended with aromatic spices, garlic, and tomato to create a deeply satisfying dish perfect for serving with warm corn tortillas, fresh cilantro, diced onions, and lime wedges.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat and Seasoning
- 3 pounds beef chuck roast (or short ribs, or a mix)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Chili Sauce
- 4 dried guajillo chilies, stemmed and seeded
- 2 dried ancho chilies, stemmed and seeded
- 2 dried chipotle chilies
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 medium tomato, chopped
To Serve
- Warm corn tortillas
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Diced white onion
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Prepare the Chilies: In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the guajillo, ancho, and chipotle chilies for about 30 seconds on each side until fragrant. Then transfer them to a bowl and cover with hot water to soak for 10 minutes until softened.
- Blend the Sauce: Drain the softened chilies and place them in a blender along with beef broth, chopped onion, minced garlic, dried oregano, ground cumin, ground cinnamon, apple cider vinegar, salt, black pepper, and chopped tomato. Blend the mixture until smooth and strain if you prefer a smoother sauce.
- Sear the Meat: Season the beef with salt and black pepper. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and sear the beef on all sides until nicely browned, about 3-4 minutes per side, to develop flavor.
- Simmer the Birria: Pour the blended chili sauce over the seared beef in the pot, adding extra beef broth if necessary to fully submerge the meat. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook on low heat for 3-4 hours until the beef is tender enough to fall apart.
- Shred & Serve: Remove the beef from the pot and shred it using two forks. Return the shredded meat to the sauce and continue simmering for another 10 minutes to allow the flavors to meld together.
- Enjoy: Serve the birria hot as a stew accompanied by warm corn tortillas. Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro, diced white onion, and lime wedges for an authentic flavor experience.
Notes
- Adjust salt and pepper in the sauce according to taste preferences.
- Straining the chili sauce is optional but recommended for a silky texture.
- You can use beef short ribs instead of chuck roast for richer flavor.
- Leftover birria tastes even better the next day after flavors deepen.
- Consider serving birria tacos by dipping tortillas in the sauce before frying.
