You may have seen these delicious tacos on Instagram or Tik Tok. Beef braised in a chili stew then folded into a corn tortilla with melty cheese and cooked on a flat top until crispy. Well, like many of you I was in need of trying this amazing creation for myself. Using a few ingredients from the local mega-mart and the local Hispanic grocery store, I set off to make it this weekend. Doing research online I was rewarded with numerous recipes none of which were exactly alike so I decided to take the best of what was out there and make my own concoction. I think the family liked it because there wasn’t much talking at the table beyond a couple of grunts and groans.
BIRRA TACOS
Course: DinnerCuisine: MexicanDifficulty: Intermediate8
servings40
minutes1
hour40
minutesThis recipe can be served in a couple of ways. In taco form with a side of broth or as a stew with the shredded meat. Either way is delicious served with diced red onions, cilantro, and avocado on the side. This recipe calls for a mix of bone-in short ribs and chuck. The short ribs are there to add collagen to the stew. This isn’t necessary and you could use all chuck but the local grocery store had some in stock and they looked perfect. For this recipe, I picked up some sticks of cinnamon (Canela) from an ethnic grocery store. You could use cinnamon sticks you find in your local grocery store, but they will have a slightly different flavor profile. You will have leftovers from this
Ingredients
- For the stew:
4 pounds chuck roast, cut into 1 1/2″ to 2″ cubes, large pieces of fat and gristle removed
2 pounds bone-in short rib
6-7 guajillo chiles
4 ancho chiles
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 teaspoon whole cumin
4-5 cloves of garlic minced
1 1/2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
1 stick Canela or cinnamon
5 bay leaves
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
7-8 cups of water
- For the tacos
16 soft corn tortillas
1 cup Mexican cheese (like Chihuahua or Oaxaca cheese), or Monterey Jack
1 medium red onion, diced
Small bunch of cilantro, chopped
1 avocado, diced
Directions
- For the stew
- In a medium frying pan or cast iron pan, toast the cumin seeds and chiles over medium heat until fragrant. Set aside the cumin seeds and place the toasted chiles in a medium bowl to cover with hot water to hydrate for approximately 20-30 minutes. Once the chiles have hydrated, remove the seeds by opening them with kitchen shears. Cut them into small strips with scissors. Put in the reserved toasted cumin and about 1 cup of the drained soaking liquid into a blender and process until smooth.
- In your largest dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat and then sauté onions and garlic with a pinch of salt for about 4 minutes or until the onions become translucent, making sure not to burn the garlic.
- Season the meat with salt and pepper and then add to the pot along with the chile mixture, Mexican oregano, cinnamon, bay leaves, and paprika. Add water to cover the meat and bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer covered. Simmer for approximately 3 hours until the meat is tender stirring occasionally. After about an hour using a fine mesh strainer, remove as much of the foam that has collected on the surface.
- Remove the meat from the stew to a large bowl and shred with a fork. Discard the bay leaves and cinnamon. Do not skim off the fat from the stew you still need it.
- For the tacos
- Using tongs, dip the corn tortilla in the stew and place in a large frying pan or griddle. Put the shredded meat on one half of the tortilla and top with cheese, onion, cilantro, and then fold over. Press down with a spatula. Cook on both sides for 2-3 minutes until crispy. Repeat until all tacos are cooked.
- Serve with a bowl of broth topped with red onions, cilantro, and avocados.
Notes
- Equipment: Blender, large dutch oven
