Birria Tacos (2024)

Birria is a mainstay of Mexican cuisine, a stew that originated in the state of Jalisco traditionally made from goat, beef, or lamb. For this birria tacos recipe, the meat marinates in adobo sauce, then cooks slowly in adobo broth until it's fork-tender. The shredded meat makes a fantastic taco filling, especially when topped with onion, cilantro, and a squirt of lime. Store-bought tortillas will do, but nothing beats homemade if you have the time (and the tortilla press) to make them.

Ingredients

• 1 (2-pound) boneless chuck roast (about 2 1/4-inches thick)

• 2 pounds English-cut beef short ribs (about 3 ribs)

• 2 tablespoons plus 1/4 teaspoonkosher salt, divided, plus more to taste

• Adobo

• 8 cups water

• 1 cup finely chopped white onion, rinsed

• 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

• Canola oil, for greasing

  See Also

  Tortilla Bowl, How to Make Tortilla Bowls

• 32 (6-inch) fresh corn tortillas or 16 packaged corn tortillas

• Lime wedges, for serving

1. 

   Gather the ingredients.

2. 

   Sprinkle chuck roast and short ribs all over with 2 tablespoons salt. Combine roast, ribs, and adobo in a large nonreactive bowl; toss to coat. Cover and chill at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.

3. 

   Preheat oven to 300°F. Transfer adobo mixture to a large (9 1/2-quart) Dutch oven; add 8 cups water. Bring to a simmer, uncovered, over medium, stirring occasionally.

4. 

   Cover with lid and place in preheated oven. Bake until meat is fork-tender, about 4 hours.

5. 

   Remove chuck roast and short ribs from braising broth and transfer to a large bowl; cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.

6. 

   Return broth in Dutch oven to heat over medium and cook, uncovered, skimming off fat as needed, until reduced to about 8 cups, 15 to 20 minutes. Season broth with salt to taste.

7. 

   Shred meat; discard bones.

8. 

   Toss meat with 1 1/2 cups of the broth.

9. 

   Stir together onion, cilantro, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl; set aside.

10. 

    Heat a large nonstick electric griddle to 400°F or a large (12-inch) cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Using a paper towel dipped in canola oil, lightly grease griddle. If using fresh tortillas, stack two tortillas, and use tongs to dip them together into adobo broth. (If using packaged tortillas, dip one tortilla per taco.)

11. 

    Place stacked tortillas on griddle; top with 1/4 cup meat. Repeat with as many tortilla stacks as will comfortably fit on griddle. Cook until bottom tortilla is lightly browned and crispy, 1 to 2 minutes.

12. 

    Fold tacos in half, gently pressing with a spatula. Transfer to a serving plate. Repeat process with oil, adobo broth, remaining tortillas, and remaining meat.

13. 

    Serve tacos hot with onion-cilantro mixture, lime wedges, and remaining adobo broth for dipping or sipping.