Beef Birria Recipe

Birria is a classic dish from the State of Jalisco, and as a matter of fact, two of the most popular dishes on the blog are also from Jalisco: Pozole and Menudo. Birria is usually made with goat’s meat or even with lamb or a combination of several types of meat. The use of a combination of meats is common in restaurants or local Birria eateries known as “Birrierias”. Beef Birria is more like a homemade version since beef is more accessible everywhere.

This is a partnership with RUMBA MEATS, Recipe and opinions are 100% mine.

Beef Birria

I like to make this with a combination of oxtail and beef shank from RUMBA MEATS; the bone-in meat renders a very flavorful Birria broth. You can also use Beef cheek and oxtail (the cheek has a lot of meat). You can make your own combination, too, just make sure you add a cut of meat with some bone in it.

There are so many different recipes for birria, but all of them use a combination of dried peppers and herbs. Some cooks will add beer or Pulque instead of vinegar. Some also add a little piece of ginger. The way this dish is usually served is in a bowl (similar to a soup) and garnished with chopped onion and cilantro or oregano. The meat is also served with tacos.

How to make Beef Birria Recipe

JUMP TO FULL INSTRUCTIONS

Notes:

• Some cooks also like to add a ¼ of and an inch of ginger root.
• You can also cook this dish in a slow cooker if you do not want to make the oven version.
• You can even make it in an Instant Pot or pressure cooker (cooking times will vary depending on the cooking method).

• Season the meat with salt and pepper, then place in a large baking dish.
• Clean and devein the peppers. Slightly toast them over a medium heat. Soak peppers in a cup of hot water.  Roast the onion and garlic and place in your blender.

• Toast the whole cloves, cumin seeds, and black peppercorns. Place them in your blender along with the roasted tomatoes, herbs, onion, cinnamon and the vinegar.
• Once peppers are soft, drain, add to the blender and puree until you have a smooth sauce. Season the sauce with salt.
• Pour the sauce over the meat, making sure it is covered all over with the salsa.  Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 350º F. Bake the meat for about 4 hours.

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4.52 from 37 votes

Beef Birria Recipe

Birria is usually made with goat’s meat or even with lamb or a combination of several types of meat. Cooking time using the Instant Pot or Pressure cooker. The use of a combination of meats is common in restaurants or local Birria eateries known as “Birrierias”. Beef Birria is more like a homemade version since beef is more accessible everywhere.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time50 mins

Total Time1 hr

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: 8

Calories: 474

Author: Mely Martínez – Mexico in my Kitchen

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. Beef Oxtail from RUMBA MEATS
• 2 lbs. Beef Cheek*
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 Ancho Peppers
• 6 Guajillo Peppers
• 2 Large roasted tomatoes
• 4 Whole cloves
• ½ Teaspoon cumin seeds
• ½ Teaspoon black peppercorns
• 4 Garlic Cloves
• 1 Teaspoon Mexican oregano
• ½ Teaspoon Marjoram
• ½ Medium-size white onion sliced
• 1- in of stick of Mexican cinnamon
• ½ Cup white vinegar
• Salt to taste

GARNISH

• 2/3 Cup chopped Cilantro or 1/4 Cup of dried oregano
• 2/3 Cup chopped white onion
• Lime wedges

Instructions

• Season the meat with salt and pepper, then place in a large baking dish.
• Clean and devein the peppers. Slightly toast them over a medium heat, making sure you do not burn them (burned peppers make the dish taste bitter). Soak peppers in a cup of hot water for 20 minutes. Roast the onion and garlic and place in your blender.
• Toast the whole cloves, cumin seeds, and black peppercorns (this is a quick step that only takes a few seconds). Place them in your blender along with the roasted tomatoes, herbs, onion, cinnamon and the vinegar.
• Once peppers are soft, drain, add to the blender and puree until you have a smooth sauce. Add a few tablespoons of water only if your blender is having a hard time processing it. Season the sauce with salt.
• Pour the sauce over the meat, making sure it is covered all over with the salsa. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight or for at least 4 hours to allow all the meat to absorb the flavors.
• Preheat the oven to 350º F. Bake the meat for about 4 hours or until it is fork tender.

Serve the warm meat with its broth in bowls and garnish with chopped onion and cilantro. Serve with warm tortillas and a hot salsa.

Notes

• Some cooks also like to add a ¼ of and an inch of ginger root.

• You can also cook this dish in a slow cooker if you do not want to make the oven version. It will take 6-8 hours in the slow cooker. 

• COOKING TIMES: Baking time 4 hours. You can even make it in an Instant Pot or stovetop pressure cooker. For the Instant Pot, cook for 45 minutes, and add the sauce to the meat. Cook for 5 more minutes in the manual setting. Check meat tenderness, if it is easy to shred then you are set to go. But, if the meat is still a little hard to shred, extend the cooking time to 10-15 minutes more.  If using a Slow Cooker, cook for 6 hours in the low setting. The one hour time given above is using the instant pot or pressure cooker.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bowl | Calories: 474kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 57g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 265mg | Sodium: 930mg | Potassium: 715mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 4520IU | Vitamin C: 12.8mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 10.7mg