Description
Savory birria brings Mexican culinary magic to your table with tender, spice-infused meat that melts in your mouth. Rich braising techniques and complex chili-based marinades promise a deeply satisfying dining experience you’ll crave again and again.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Protein:
- 4 pounds beef chuck roast, cut into 3-inch chunks
Instructions
- Prepare dried chilies by removing stems and seeds, then rinse thoroughly to eliminate any debris.
- Submerge guajillo, ancho, and arbol chilies in water, simmering for 15 minutes until they become soft and pliable.
- Simultaneously, arrange tomatoes, onion, and garlic on a baking sheet, exposing them to high broiler heat for 4-6 minutes to develop a light char and enhance their flavor profile.
- Transfer softened chilies and reserved cooking liquid to a high-powered blender, combining with roasted vegetables, broth, vinegar, and aromatic spices like cumin, oregano, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger.
- Pulse the blender for 1-2 minutes, creating a smooth, uniform sauce with intense depth and complexity.
- Position beef chunks in the slow cooker, gently coating them with the prepared birria sauce and tucking bay leaves throughout the mixture.
- Allow the meat to cook slowly, either on low setting for 8-9 hours or high setting for 4-5 hours, ensuring the beef becomes exceptionally tender and easily shreddable.
- Once cooking is complete, discard bay leaves and transfer meat to a cutting board, using two forks to shred the beef into succulent, delicate strands.
- Return shredded meat to the slow cooker, stirring to reintegrate with the rich consommé and allow further flavor absorption.
- Present the birria directly from the slow cooker or in individual serving bowls, garnishing with fresh chopped onion, cilantro, and a vibrant lime juice squeeze.
Notes
- Perfectly deseeding chilies requires a gentle touch, ensuring no seeds remain to disrupt the smooth sauce texture.
- Roasting vegetables under the broiler caramelizes their natural sugars, adding deeper, richer flavor profiles to the birria sauce.
- Slow cooking transforms tough beef chunks into meltingly tender meat, with the long cooking process allowing spices to fully infuse and develop complex taste layers.
- For dietary modifications, swap beef with goat meat for traditional preparation or use jackfruit for a vegetarian version that maintains similar texture and absorbs the rich spice blend.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 9 hours (on Low) or 5 hours (on High)
- Category: Dinner, Snacks
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 0 g
- Sodium: 80 mg
- Fat: 30 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 18 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 0 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 36 g
- Cholesterol: 120 mg