---
title: "Birria"
slug: "birria"
date: "2026-02-10"
lastUpdated: "2026-02-10"
category: "meat"
tags: ["meat"]
cookTime: 210
prepTime: 20
servings: 10
author: "jake"
description: "A rich and flavorful Mexican stew that can be enjoyed as a comforting dish or in delicious tacos."
featured: false
display: true
displayPhoto: ""
---

# Birria

A rich and flavorful Mexican stew that can be enjoyed as a comforting dish or in delicious tacos.

## Photos

![Image Coming Soon](./assets/not-found.svg)

## Ingredients

### Meat Prep
- 4 to 5 pounds pork, cut into large chunks (Can substitute beef or lamb)
- ½ tablespoon kosher salt
- ½ tablespoon black pepper
- 1 ½ tablespoon olive oil
### Boiled Ingredients
- 12 guajillo chiles, rinsed, stemmed, and seeded
- 5 ancho chiles, rinsed, stemmed, and seeded
- 5 árbol chiles, rinsed and stemmed
- 2 large Roma tomatoes
- ½ medium yellow onion
- 1 4-inch Mexican cinnamon stick
- 3 bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
### Sauce Ingredients
- 2 cups beef broth
- ¼ cup distilled white vinegar
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves

## Instructions

1. Season the meat with **salt** and **pepper**. Heat **olive oil** in a large pot over medium-high heat and sear the meat on all sides until browned.
2. In a separate pot, combine **guajillo**, **ancho**, and **árbol chiles**, **tomatoes**, **onion**, **cinnamon stick**, **bay leaves**, and **peppercorns**. Cover with water and boil for 10 minutes.
3. Transfer the softened ingredients to a blender, add 1 cup of the cooking water, **beef broth**, **vinegar**, **garlic**, **cumin**, **oregano**, and **cloves**. Blend until smooth.
4. Strain the blended sauce into the pot with the seared meat. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 3-3.5 hours until the meat is tender.
5. Shred the meat and store in a new container. Add consumé to the meat as needed to keep moist. Save the remaining consumé for another batch or for making tacos.
Straining after blending is important for a smooth texture in the consumé. However, leaving it lightly chunky is not a bad thing.

## Notes

### Ingredient Sourcing
- My local produce store carries bags of dried chilies - whole dried are the best. 
        Purchasing online is a decent alternative for high quality chilies.
      </p>
      <p>
        Also, finding a decently fatty chuck roast is key for a quality consumé.

### For the best Consumé
- Straining after blending is important for a smooth texture in the consumé. However, leaving it lightly chunky is not a bad thing.

## References

- [Authentic Birria Recipe](https://www.isabeleats.com/authentic-birria/)
