India is seeing an explosion of birria in restaurants, from tacos to burgers. They have become trendy and Insta-worthy, and as I try these in various places, I am reminded of the depth and culture of this dish.
Birria was thought to have originated in Jalisco, Mexico. The Spanish conquistadors brought goats as one of the livestock, and the animals flourished in Mexico. The Spanish also discovered that the meat of the goats they brought was gamey and tough, so they had to find a way to consume them. Hence, they turned to this traditional Mexican recipe loaded with flavour to disguise the intense meatiness and enjoy the dish. Birria is a dish made for special occasions, weddings, and festivals, although you see them commonly in restaurants and stalls because of their popularity. In addition, birria is cooked by wrapping them in leaves, maguey, banana or other. The process is essential in keeping both the moisture and fats from the meats together. Today, many commercial birria restaurants pressure cook the meat for speed and convenience, but the resulting dish lacks the depth of flavour that develops only with time. Finally, the process also involves pit-roasting, which is designed to cook the meat slowly. However, I have had birria in small taquerias that have grilled the meat slowly over hours.
There are multiple styles of birria. The most common is the taco or dried birria. This is slow-cooked and drier meat used in tacos. The second and more complex is the birria soup, slow-cooked meat served with a tomato broth. In both cases, the birria is served with the following accompaniments: Arbol salsa for birria, Refried beans, Escabeche rojo, Mexican pickled vegetables, Oaxaca cheese, tacos (soft to hard), shredded cabbage and Mexican red rice.
Today, birria is made from goat, lamb, beef, and occasional chicken, but please stick with red meats as the dish was originally designed.
This is a lovely dish, but one that needs effort. The base is the deep adobo sauce, bold and pungent in flavour. The meat is marinated in adobo, intensifying the flavours and tenderising the meat. Slow cooking, in this case, roasting, is essential; the meat and the adobo need time to do their magic. I made these from beef ribs; the meat must fall off the bone, the fats from the ribs must melt and cook the adobo into a thick sauce, and the flavours must develop their complexity. This dish is rich and luxurious; it is about complexity and the core of Mexican flavours.
This is an excellent book from the famed restaurant in San Francisco. I love the recipes and flavours in it. The chef has compiled an excellent selection of traditional and contemporary recipes to satisfy your palate and quench your cravings for great Mexican food. I love to cook from this book.
For more recipes from this cookbook, click here.
Ingredients:
For the adobo sauce:
15 ancho chillies
5 guajillo chillies
2 cups water
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
6 whole cloves
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
8 garlic cloves
1 1/2 ginger paste
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano, Mexican preferred
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup dark Mexican beer
Salt, to taste
3 tablespoons oil
For the birria:
2 tablespoons oil
4 lb beef short ribs, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 onion, sliced
1 bay leaf, cut into 4fourpieces
6-8 garlic cloves
Banana leaves
Heat a frying pan and roast the chillies until you see tiny wisps of smoke. Be careful not to burn them. Add the roasted chillies to the water and soak for 30-40 minutes until soft. Remove the stems and seeds, keeping the flesh and the soaking liquids.
In the same frying pan, dry roast the peppercorns, cloves, cumin seeds, bay leaves, and sesame seeds individually until each is toasted and aromatic. Cool completely. Add them to a spice mill and grind to a fine powder.
Add the soaked chillies, spice powder, garlic, ginger, thyme, oregano, vinegar and salt to a small blender and puree to a smooth paste. Add as much strained soaking liquid as needed to make a paste.
Add the oil, adobo paste, and the remaining strained soaking liquid and beer to a pot. Cook on a medium flame for 30 minutes until the sauce is very thick, the paste has fried, and the aroma is beautiful. Set aside to cool. Be careful; the adobo tends to splash, and it will stain your clothes.
To make the birria, heat the oil in a wide frying pan. Add the beef shortribs, about 4-5 pieces at a time, and fry on high heat until browned all over, for about 2 minutes per piece. Set aside and repeat with the uncooked pieces. Cool completely.
Add the adobo sauce to the meat and rub it into the meat well.
Roast the banana leaves lightly on a flame until they turn a shade darker. Remove the central problematic vein, which makes the leaves flexible and easier to work with.
Lay 3 banana leaves on your counter. Layer 3 is more on at a 90° angle. Lay 1/3 of the marinated meat on the leaves and layer it with some garlic, onion, and bay leaf. Fold the leaves to make a tight packet. Tie the package with kitchen twine and hold it together with toothpicks. Repeat with the rest of the meat to give you three tight packages. Ensure the packets are well sealed so there is no place for the steam and spices to escape.
Add the packets to a pot and pour in 1 cup of water. Seal the pot tightly with foil and a tight-fitting lid.
Marinate the meat overnight.
Heat the oven to 375° F.
Place the pot in the oven and roast it for 3 hours undisturbed. Remove the pot and poke a hole through the banana leaves using a wooden skewer. If the skewer goes through the meat quickly, it is well-cooked. If not, add a touch more water to the pot; if needed, seal tightly again and roast for another 60 minutes.
Comentarios