Stew · Jalisco, chile adobo

Birria

Birria is a Mexican stew from Jalisco of meat — originally goat, now often beef — marinated in a paste of dried chiles and spices and braised for hours until tender. The fat and juices it renders become a brick-red consomé, served alongside or used to dip the tortillas for tacos.

Last reviewed 25 Oct 20264 sources

Chile adobo, then a slow braise

Birria is meat marinated in an adobo — dried chiles soaked and blended with vinegar, garlic, onion and spices such as cumin, clove, cinnamon, oregano and bay — then cooked slowly, covered, until it can be pulled apart with a spoon. The fat and juices that render out become a brick-red broth that is served alongside or poured over the meat.

In Jalisco the classic meat is goat (birria de chivo), and lamb or mutton is also used. Birria de res, made with beef, is the norm in Tijuana and other northern cities and in the United States. For beef, cooks choose cuts with collagen and some fat: cheek, shank, chuck, short ribs and oxtail, which give body to the consomé.

From Jalisco goats to Tijuana tacos

Birria is associated with Jalisco, and especially with the towns around Guadalajara such as Cocula and Tlaquepaque. Goats brought by the Spanish multiplied in the region; their meat was strong-tasting and tough, and long marinating in chiles and vinegar followed by slow cooking made it palatable. The traditional method was to cook the meat in a sealed clay pot or a pit, close to the technique of barbacoa.

The name is often explained by the Spanish word birria, meaning something worthless or a mess — a reference to the low value given to goat meat — but this etymology is popular rather than documented.

In the late 20th century, stands in Tijuana made beef birria in the Jalisco manner and served it as tacos, dipping the tortillas in the fat skimmed from the consomé before griddling them. In the 2010s that style spread to Los Angeles taco trucks and then across the United States and beyond, carried by social media images of red, crisp tacos dipped in cups of broth. Quesabirria, with melted cheese, became the best-known form.

Ingredients

Method

1. Cut the beef into large pieces, season with salt, and brown them in batches in a heavy pot. Set aside.
2. Toast the dried chiles briefly in a dry pan, 15–20 seconds per side, without burning them. Soak in hot water for 15 minutes.
3. Toast the cumin, cloves and cinnamon. Blend the drained chiles with the tomatoes, half the onion, garlic, vinegar, spices, oregano and 250 ml / 1 cup of the soaking water until very smooth; strain.
4. Coat the meat with the adobo and, if time allows, marinate it in the refrigerator for 4 to 12 hours.
5. Return the meat and adobo to the pot with the bay leaves and enough water or stock to almost cover. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook gently on the stove or in an oven at 160 °C / 325 °F for 3 to 4 hours, until the meat falls apart. A pressure cooker takes about 1 hour.
6. Lift out the meat, discard the bones and shred it. Skim the red fat from the surface of the broth into a bowl; season the broth (the consomé) with salt.
7. For tacos: dip each tortilla in the reserved fat, lay it on a hot griddle, add meat (and cheese for quesabirria), fold and cook until crisp on both sides.

Goat, beef and quesabirria

Goat or lamb (Jalisco). The original, often cooked in a clay pot or an oven sealed with dough; Guadalajara's birrierías also serve birria tatemada, finished in a hot oven to brown the surface.

Birria de res (Tijuana). Beef, with a thinner, more abundant consomé suited to dipping tacos.

Quesabirria. A taco or quesadilla with melted cheese — usually Oaxaca or mozzarella — fried in the fat from the consomé.

Other forms. Birria ramen, birria pizza and birria burritos appeared in the United States during the 2020s. In Jalisco, birria de pollo (chicken) and birria de puerco (pork) are less common local versions.

Onion, cilantro, lime, a cup of consomé

In a bowl, birria is served with its consomé and topped with chopped onion, cilantro, lime and a spoon of hot salsa, with warm corn tortillas on the side. As tacos, it comes with a small cup of consomé for dipping and drinking. In Jalisco it is a popular morning meal, especially on weekends and after celebrations.

Common mistakes: burning the chiles when toasting (the broth turns bitter), not straining the adobo (gritty skins), using only lean meat (dry meat, thin broth) and boiling hard instead of simmering, which makes the meat stringy.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

4

1. McGee, Harold. On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, rev. ed. New York: Scribner, 2004.
2. Kennedy, Diana. The Essential Cuisines of Mexico. New York: Clarkson Potter, 2000.
3. Bayless, Rick; Bayless, Deann Groen. Authentic Mexican: Regional Cooking from the Heart of Mexico. New York: William Morrow, 1987.
4. Presilla, Maricel E. Gran Cocina Latina: The Food of Latin America. New York: W. W. Norton, 2012.

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