Born in Jalisco, birria is a chile-rich braise traditionally made with goat, now most often beef. The viral version is quesabirria — tortillas dipped in the rust-red, beefy fat, griddled with cheese and meat, then dunked into a cup of consommé. Pure comfort.
Ingredients
- 3 lb beef chuck and/or short rib
- 4 guajillo + 2 ancho + 2 chiles de árbol, soaked
- 4 cloves garlic + ½ onion + 2 roma tomatoes
- 2 tbsp vinegar
- 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp oregano, 2 cloves, 1 bay leaf, 1 cinnamon stick
- Salt to taste
- To serve: corn tortillas, Oaxaca or mozzarella, onion, cilantro, lime
Method
- Soak the dried chiles in hot water until soft. Blend with garlic, onion, tomato, vinegar and spices into a smooth adobo.
- Season the beef with salt, coat in the adobo, and place in a pot. Add water or stock to nearly cover and tuck in the bay leaf and cinnamon.
- Cover and braise low for 2.5–3 hours (or pressure cook ~50 min) until the beef shreds easily.
- Shred the beef. The fragrant red fat that rises is your consommé — skim some for dipping and griddling.
- For quesabirria: dip a tortilla in the consommé, lay it on a hot griddle, add cheese and beef, fold, and crisp both sides. Serve with onion, cilantro, lime and a cup of consommé to dunk.
🧀 The dip is everything
Don't skip dipping the tortilla in the red fat before griddling — that's what gives quesabirria its color, crunch and flavor.