Birria (Recipe 80 of 150)

I have seen birria made so many times on the Food Network that I think I could make it by heart. Each recipe I've seen is slightly different, but tastes about the same. Basically, beef stew with Mexican flavors. 

This recipe was originally created using a Instant Pot. I don't have one of those (and don't want one) and so I did this in the slow cooker. Same results, just took 8 hours longer. 

But y'all...this was bomdiggity. The key really is making the sauce from scratch with the chiles. The flavor you get out of chiles is so amazing sometimes. 

This one is definitely a keeper. You can use the leftovers for tacos the next day. Or quesadillas. Or just eat the leftovers like I did. 

Birria (Mexican Beef Stew)

Recipe from Gimme Some Oven

Serves 8

ADOBO SAUCE INGREDIENTS:

• 3 dried ancho chiles
• 3 dried guajillo chiles
• 1 to 3 dried chiles de árbol (optional, see note below)
• 1 T avocado oil (or olive oil)
• 1 small white onion, peeled and diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 large roma tomatoes, roughly chopped*
• 4 c beef stock, divided
• 1/4 c apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• pinch of ground cloves

BEEF STEW INGREDIENTS:

• 3 to 3 1/2 pound beef chuck roast, roughly cut into 3-inch chunks
• fine sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
• 2 T avocado oil (or olive oil)
• 2 bay leaves
• warm corn tortillas, for serving
• recommended toppings: chopped fresh cilantro, chopped white or red onion, diced or sliced avocado, lime wedges and/or sliced jalapeños

Core and toast the chiles. Slice the stems off of the dried chiles, then remove and discard the seeds inside.  Steep the chiles in a pot of hot water. Bring the water to a boil and then let them sit for about 10 minutes. Transfer the chiles only to a blender. No need to save the liquid. 

Heat a skillet to med-high, add 1 T vegetable oil. Sauté the onions for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the garlic and tomatoes and sauté for 3 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Then transfer the entire mixture to the blender.

Add 2 cups of the beef stock, the apple cider vinegar, cumin, oregano, ginger, cinnamon and cloves to the blender. Cover and carefully blend for 1 minute, until the mixture is completely smooth.

Strain the mixture through a colander to remove all the "bits". This will make a smoother, silky sauce. You don't have to do this step, but the texture of the mixture will be gritty.

Season the beef with a few generous pinches of salt and black pepper. Put 1 T of oil in the pan you used for the veggies; add half of the beef and briefly sear it in the oil, turning the chunks occasionally so that they can sear on all sides. Transfer the first batch of beef to the crock pot, then sear the remaining beef likewise in the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. 

Add the beef and the blended sauce into a slow cooker. Add bay leaves and remaining 2 c of beef stock. (Jenn Note: I didn't end up using the 2 remaining cups of broth. There was plenty of liquid from the chili mixture.)

Cover and set to low and cook for 8 hours. 

Remove and discard the bay leaves. Then you can either leave the beef in larger chunks for serving or shred the beef for taco. 

Serve. Serve the birria in bowls (the beef along with its broth) garnished with lots of your favorite toppings, with a side of warm tortillas, and enjoy!