Birria by Teresa Barajas

People tend to underestimate how widespread the love for birria is. The way this traditional Mexican favorite took off across the U.S. only could have happened thanks to social media.

Of course, birria is a traditional favorite, but its long cooking time has made it a staple for weekends or special occasions. That changed late in the last decade, when people started posting pictures of their birria tacos being dipped into birria stew. These beautiful, mouthwatering images made birria a must have. Soon, birria was a super popular street food.

Sometimes all it takes for Hispanic food to become a huge part of American culture is a close look. It helps that it’s delicious, too. Thanks to Teresa Barajas for this recipe.

Featuring:
Rumba Meats® Beef Cross-Cut Hind Shank

20 min Prep Time
2.5 hrs Cook Time
6 Servings

Ingredients

Rumba Meats® Beef Cross-Cut Hind Shank (2 packages, about 2 pounds)
Rumba® Beef Marrow Bones (1 package, about 1 pound)
3 medium tomatoes, cut into quarters
4 dried pasilla chiles
4 dried guajillo chiles
4 cloves garlic
¼ cup vinegar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ piece fresh ginger root
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorn
1 teaspoon whole allspice
2 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
1 cup water
Salt to taste

Toppings

Chopped onion
Diced cilantro
Chopped limes
Tortillas for serving

Instructions

Remove seeds and stems from chiles. Soak chiles in a small pot with boiling water. Soak for approximately 10 minutes. Once chiles are soft, drain and add to the blender. Then add tomatoes, garlic, vinegar, cumin, oregano, ginger, pepper, allspice, cloves, and salt. Blend until smooth. Add water to help with blending.
Add meat to a dutch oven or your favorite pot. Pour the sauce over the meat, making sure it is covered completely. Add cinnamon stick and two bay leaves to the pot.
Cook covered on medium heat for 2.5 hours until tender. Remove cinnamon stick and bay leaves before serving.
Serve hot broth in bowls with warm tortillas, garnish with chopped onions, diced cilantro and chopped limes.