birria tacos

Not sure if you’ve ignored the internet over the past few months, but if you’ve been paying any attention at all to any of the food trends currently playing out all over social media, then you’ve certainly come across birria.

In case you haven’t, let me enlightlen you. Birria are these amazing tacos, made from meat that braises for hours on the stove top until it’s tender and falling apart. Then, you put the meat in tortillas with cheese, dip the whole thing back in the braising liquid, pan fry them until the tortillas are crispy and the cheese is melty. Then you serve them with cilantro, green onions, salsa verde, and a healty portion of the braising liquid, for even more dipping.

In a single word, it’s taco “perfection.”

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp avocado oil

2 lbs boneless chuck roast

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp white pepper

1/2 tsp dried mexican oregano

1 large white onion, cut in half, half, and half again

2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

3 tomatoes, quartered

1 chipotle in adobo

1 cinamon stick

4 cups chicken stock

1 bay leaf

avocado oil to coat cast iron skillet

2 cups shredded white cheddar cheese

12 - 15 street taco sized tortillas

cilantro leaves and sliced green onions to top

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine salt, paprika, coriander, cumin, pepper and oregano. Rub seasoning mix all over meat, and let come to room temp, about 30 minutes before browning.

Using a large dutch oven, bring 4 Tbsp avocado oil to medium high heat.

Brown meat on all sides. Remove meat to a lipped tray, in order to preserve any juices.

Add tomatoes, garlic, and onions to pan, sauté until the start to caramelize, stirring consistently.

Add chicken stock to pot, along with chipotle, cinnamon stick and bay leaf. Bring liquid to a boil.

Reduce heat to a simmer, and add meat and any juices to the pan.

Cover and let simmer 4 - 5 hours, until fork tender. Remove meat from pan. Shred.

Remove cinnamon stick and bay leaf.

Using an immersion blender, blend until liquified.

Heat enough avocado oil to cover the bottom of a cast iron on medium high heat.

Build tacos by filling with a handful of cheese and several forkfuls of meat. Fold tacos in half and dip in sauce - it can be helpful to hold tacos together with a toothpick, but it’s not a necessity.

Pan fry tacos in cast iron skillet until crispy and cheese is melty. Work in batches.

Serve tacos with leftover braising liquid, salsa verde, cilantro and sliced green onions.