Birria De Res
A deeply flavoured Mexican beef stew originating from Jalisco, slow-braised with dried chillies, tomato, garlic, warm spices and vinegar until the meat is exceptionally tender. Serve with finely diced onion, fresh coriander and lime, with warm corn tortillas alongside.
⭐ Have you tried this recipe? Click the stars to rate it and leave a quick comment below.
Print Pin RateServings: 6 Servings
Calories: 334kcal
Cost: £10.00
Equipment
- 1 Heavy Casserole/Dutch Oven,
- 1 Deep Frying Pan, for toasting the chillies
- 1 Bowl, to soak chillies
- 1 Blender, for pureeing sauce.
- 1 Chiinois / Fine Sieve
Ingredients
Beef
- 1.8 kg Beef Chuck or Beef Shin, cut into large pieces 4 lb
- 10 g Fine Sea Salt 2 tsp
- 3 g Freshly Ground Black Pepper 1 tsp
- 30 ml Vegetable Oil 1 fl oz
Dried Chilli Adobo
- 6 each Guajillo Chillies, stemmed and seeded
- 3 each Ancho Chillies, stemmed and seeded
- 2 each Pasilla Chillies, stemmed and seeded
- 500 ml Hot Water, for soaking 17½ fl oz
- 250 g Tomatoes, roughly chopped 8¾ oz
- 150 g Onion, roughly chopped 5¼ oz
- 20 g Garlic, roughly chopped ¾ oz
- 30 ml Apple Cider Vinegar 1 fl oz
- 5 g Ground Cumin 2 tsp
- 3 g Dried Mexican Oregano 1 tbsp
- 2 g Ground Cinnamon 1 tsp
- 1 g Ground Cloves ½ tsp
- 2 g Ground Black Pepper ¾ tsp
- 2 each Bay Leaves
- 500 ml Beef Stock 17½ fl oz
- 750 ml Water approximately 1¼ pints
To Serve
- 150 g White Onion, finely diced 5¼ oz
- 30 g Fresh Coriander, roughly chopped 1 oz
- 3 each Limes, cut into wedges
- 12 each Corn Tortillas, warmed
- Fresh Red Chilli or Salsa optional
Instructions
Beef
- Season the beef evenly with salt and black pepper.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy casserole or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Brown the beef thoroughly in batches, colouring all sides well, then remove and reserve.
Chilli Sauce
- Toast the guajillo, ancho and pasilla chillies briefly in a dry frying pan for approximately 20–30 seconds per side until fragrant. Do not allow the chillies to burn.
- Transfer the chillies to a bowl, cover with the hot water and leave to soften for approximately 20 minutes.
- Drain, reserving approximately 250ml of the soaking liquid.
- Place the softened chillies in a blender with the tomatoes, onion, garlic, vinegar, cumin, oregano, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper and reserved chilli soaking liquid and blend until completely smooth.
- Pass the mixture through a fine sieve for a refined broth if desired.
- Return the casserole to medium heat.
- Add the chilli purée and cook for approximately 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until slightly reduced and aromatic.
Finishing
- Return the browned beef to the casserole, adding the bay leaves, beef stock and sufficient water to almost cover the meat.
- Bring gently to the simmer, cover and cook at 160°C conventional / 150°C fan (320°F) for approximately 3–3½ hours, or until the beef is completely tender and pulls apart easily.
- Alternatively, simmer very gently on the stovetop for approximately 3 hours, checking occasionally and adding a little water if required.
- Remove the beef from the broth, and discard the bay leaves.
- Skim excess fat from the surface of the cooking liquid, reserving a small amount if desired for serving or frying tortillas.
- Shred the beef into large, moist pieces and return enough broth to the meat to keep it succulent.
- Adjust the seasoning with salt, black pepper and a small amount of additional vinegar if greater acidity is required.
Nutrition
Calories: 334kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 950mg | Potassium: 1108mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 713IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 101mg | Iron: 6mg
Rate this Recipe
✨ Tried this recipe? We’d love your feedback! 💬 Leave a comment above and ⭐️ give it a star rating — it helps others and makes our kitchen happy too.