Mexican

Birria

Name: Birria
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 3 h 15 min
Total time: 3 h 45 min
Yield: 1 serving
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 220 g beef chuck or bone-in short rib; 2 dried guajillo chillies; 1 dried ancho chilli; 1 chile de árbol; 50 g white onion; 2 garlic cloves; 1 plum tomato; 0.5 tsp cumin seeds; 0.5 tsp dried Mexican oregano; 4 black peppercorns; 2 whole cloves; 1 cinnamon stick; 1 bay leaf; 1 tbsp cider vinegar; 1 tsp fine salt; 1 tsp lard or vegetable oil; 350 ml water; 1 tbsp coriander; 20 g white onion; 0.5 lime; 2 corn tortillas

Slow-braised beef in a deep red adobo of toasted guajillo and ancho chillies, spiced with cumin, clove and Mexican oregano. The meat is shredded back into its own brick-coloured consommé and eaten with warm corn tortillas, chopped onion, coriander and lime.

Lunch & dinner 25g+ protein 8g+ fibre

225 min30 prep · 195 cookMedium644 kcalper serving

Method

Wipe 2 guajillo chillies, 1 ancho chilli and 1 chile de árbol clean, tear off the stems and shake out the seeds. Toast them on a dry comal or heavy frying pan over medium heat for 30 seconds a side, pressing them flat, until they smell sweet and smoky but show no black patches — burnt chilli turns the whole adobo bitter. Cover with just-boiled water and leave to soak for 20 minutes, weighed down with a saucer.
In the same dry pan, char 50 g of white onion, 2 unpeeled garlic cloves and 1 tomato over medium-high heat for about 8 minutes, turning, until blistered and blackened in places and softened through. Peel the garlic. Push the vegetables aside and toast 0.5 tsp of cumin seeds, 4 black peppercorns, 2 cloves and the 2 cm cinnamon stick for 30 seconds until fragrant.
Drain the chillies, keeping the soaking liquid. Blend them with the charred onion, garlic and tomato, the toasted spices, 0.5 tsp of Mexican oregano, 1 tbsp of cider vinegar, 1 tsp of salt and about 100 ml of the soaking water until completely smooth, 2 minutes in a jug blender. Push the adobo through a fine sieve, scraping the underside, and discard the skins left behind.