Birria De Res Con Consommé (113 of 150)

Birria...so yummy. I've made Birria a couple of times and each time I'm reminded at how yummy it is. 

I'll admit though, while I'm posting this as a new recipe, I've gotta say I made significant changes to it because my planning for the ingredients wasn't like it should have been. 

First, the spices. I'm not inclined to buy the "seeds" and then grind them myself. I used already ground seasoning for cumin, coriander and pepper.

Second, I thought I had ancho chilis, but apparently used them and didn't restock them. So I swapped those for pasilla. I prefer pasilla anyhow, so it was ok. 

Finally, I did the slow cooker  and I completely missed adding the vinegar. Oh well. At the end of the day, it was still delicious and I'd make it again. Though I doubt I'd need a recipe at this point. I've made birria enough now that it's like making beef stew for me...I know what goes into it and "ingredients" and amounts are really guidelines.

Birria De Res Con Consommé

Recipe from Closet Cooking

Serves 6

• 2 dried guajillo chilies
• 2 dried ancho chilies
• 2 dried chipotle chilies
• 1 c water, just boiled
• 1 T cumin seeds
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 4 cloves
• 1/4 stick cinnamon
• 1 T oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 (14 ounce) can tomato puree
• 2 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/4 c cider vinegar
• 1 T oil
• 3 pounds beef chuck roast, cut into 1 inch cubes
• salt and pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 c beef broth (or chicken broth)
• 12 small corn tortillas
• 2 c Monterey jack cheese, shredded
• 2 c beef from Birria de Res Con Consome, drained from broth and shredded, warm
• 2 c broth from Birria de Res Con Consome, warm

Lightly toast the chilies in a heavy bottomed skillet for 30 seconds per side before soaking in the just boiled water until tender, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, lightly toast the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, black peppercorns, cloves and cinnamon, in a pan over medium heat until fragrant, before grinding in a spice grinder.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and the spices from step 2 and cook until fragrant, about a minute.

Add the tomato puree, oregano, paprika, allspice and vinegar, bring to a boil and turn off the heat.

Remove the stems and seeds from the soaked chilies and puree them, along with the soaking water and the sauce from the pan, in a food processor until smooth.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, season the beef with salt and pepper and brown on all sides.

Add the pureed chilli sauce to the pan with the beef along with the bay leaves and broth, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the beef is falling apart tender, about 2 hours.

Slow Cooker: Implement steps 1-7, transfer to a slow cooker and cook on low for 6-10 hours or high for 2-4 hours.

Option: Skim any fat off of the top after cooking. If you place the pot in the fridge overnight, the fat will solidify on the top and you can more easily remove it!

Option: Use more or less broth depending on how thick or thin you desire the broth to be.

Option: Season with salt, honey and vinegar to taste, balancing out the spicy, salty, sweet and sour.

Working in batches, place the tortillas into a heavy bottom skillet, over medium heat, sprinkle on some cheese followed by beef.

When the cheese has melted gently fold in half and continue to cook until both sides are crispy golden brown!

Enjoy with warm broth from Birria de Res Con Consome on the side for dipping the tacos into!