| By: Christopher Esqueda-Orozco|
Birria is a common Mexican dish that can be made at home using Lamb or Beef. It originally comes from Jalisco, Mexico but is served all over Mexico and is a staple in many Mexican families in and out of Mexico. This dish is served hot and takes a long time to fully prepare as a result of the marinade, so make sure you plan out when to make this dish in order to leave it overnight. This dish is used in many special celebrations, such as birthdays and weddings, due to the long preparation time required. This savory dish will fill you up and leave you wanting more because of its deep and strong flavor.
Ingredients
Yield: 60-70 servings
Prep time & Cooking time: Half a day (12 hours), plus overnight marinading
Chili:
2 heads of Garlic
Large pinch of spices (Add to personal taste)
Oregano, Cumin, Black pepper, Cloves, Ginger, Nutmeg, Vinegar, and Salt
20oz Chicken bullion
2 Onions
2 whole bags Guajillo Chile
4 pounds Tomatoes
Other:
50 pounds of meat (Mixture of beef and Lamb)
10-15 Bay leaves
3 Beer cans (36 oz)
1 gallon orange juice
8 oz apple cider Vinegar (Any Vinegar Works)
2 whole tablets of Chocolate Abuelita
Cooking Instructions
Keep in mind that the ingredient portions and exact amounts can be found above. First thing that needs to be done is the meat must be washed and placed into a pot that will allow for enough room to marinate. In our case we used 50 pounds of meat for a large amount of people, but this amount can be reduced to your liking. You may change the portion to your need by cutting the recipe to serve as many or as little people as necessary.
Once in the pot, the meat is covered in Vinegar, Beer, and Orange Juice overnight in order to marinate. The next morning all of the liquids are drained from the pot, only leaving the meat inside.
Next, fill the pot with water and add bay leaves. At this step you can begin cooking the meat while the chili is being prepared.
The Chili is going to consist of all the ingredients shown on the ingredients list and blended with some water. (2 heads of Garlic, Oregano, Cumin, Black pepper, Cloves, Ginger, Nutmeg, Vinegar, Salt, 20oz Chicken bouillon, 2 Onions, 2 whole bags Guajillo Chile, 4 pounds Tomatoes)
Add chili to pot where the water, meat and bay leaves are already being heated up.
Add 2 whole tablets of Chocolate Abuelita,
Leave the pot for 2-3 hours or until meat is fully cooked.
Enjoy!!
Notes
These instructions are going to be from my mother and grandmother. Other variations can be found online for different amounts of time and different ingredients.
Ingredients can be purchased at any Mexican market depending on your location. It does not have to be a supply chain; any small Mexican grocery store should have all ingredients.
There are multiple ways that Birria can be enjoyed, depending on personal preference. You can use it as the main food on a dish with sides, and/or make it into tacos or quesadillas.
In order to fully enjoy Birria, other toppings can be added such as chopped onions, cilantro, lettuce, salsa, and lemon.
When cooking at home remember to be patient and do not take recipes as an exact science. In the words of my mother “We do not measure anything; we just throw it in there” (Translated from Spanish).
Reheating is not very difficult. There are no special instructions, as it could just be boiled again the next day, or it can be put into the microwave.
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