Beef Birria with Quesadilla Dip (Printable Version)
# What You’ll Need:
→ For the Birria
01 -
7–8 cups steaming water
02 -
4 lbs chuck roast, chopped into 4 big pieces
03 -
2 lbs bone-in short ribs or bone-in back ribs
04 -
1 big white onion, outer skins taken off, cut through middle
05 -
1 whole garlic bulb, top cut off (skin on)
06 -
1 carrot, broken into 4 chunks
07 -
5 dried bay leaves
08 -
8 guajillo chiles, tops and seeds taken out
09 -
3 tbsp chicken bouillon
10 -
1–2 tsp chili powder
11 -
1 tsp Mexican oregano
12 -
1 tsp ground cumin
13 -
1 tsp salt
→ For Quesabirria Tacos
14 -
14–16 corn tortillas (white)
15 -
2 cups quesadilla cheese (or any cheese that melts well)
# Steps to Follow:
01 -
Put the short ribs, chuck roast, garlic, onion, bay leaves, carrots, and guajillo chiles in a big 7-quart pot. Pour steaming water over everything.
02 -
Mix chicken bouillon, salt, cumin, and oregano into the pot. Turn heat to medium-high until it starts bubbling.
03 -
Once it's been cooking for 30 minutes, use a spoon to scrape off any foam or gunk floating on top.
04 -
Take out the soft guajillo chiles and throw them in a blender. Blend till smooth. You might need to add a splash of broth (up to ¼ cup) to help it blend. If your blender isn't super strong, you can strain out the skins.
05 -
Dump the blended chile mix back into the pot and stir it around good.
06 -
Sprinkle in chili powder to make the broth more red and tasty.
07 -
Put the lid on and let it simmer about 3 hours. Stir it every 40 minutes or so. It's ready when the meat falls apart easily when you poke it with a fork. Taste and add more salt if you want.
08 -
Fish out all the meat, throw away the bones, and shred it up with forks. Keep the meat warm and save the red broth (consomé) for dipping.
09 -
Get a skillet hot on medium. Dunk each tortilla quickly in the consomé, then put it in the pan. Scatter cheese on one half, pile on some shredded meat, and fold the tortilla over. Cook till it's crunchy outside and the cheese gets all melty, about 2–3 minutes each side. Serve with little bowls of warm consomé for dunking.