Birria is my favourite red meat dish of all time and have been looking for ways to make a great version of it at home. I have made it using the Rick Bayless recipe and had great results, but it made me wonder a few things. It only asks for guajillo chiles and uses no tomatoes or onions.
I’ve watched a few Birria videos and they all seem to be using different chiles and sometimes include tomatoes/onions, but sometimes they don’t.
Have you had good results with your Birria when using a variety of chiles, and if so, which ones did you use? Also, is it worth it to use onions and tomatoes?
[Rick’s Birria Recipe](https://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/red-chile-lamb-or-goat-tacos/)
by flatfeed611
8 Comments
His ingredient list actually seems pretty true to how I was taught, give or take a few things. Cooking method may vary, but I’d say this is fairly spot on. Onion can add some depth, so no fault there. Also the garlic amount seems a bit much, but that’s personal preference.
Use a pressure cooker or instapot. Add extra marrow cut bones for the gelatin. Use beef shank if you’re doing beef.
I’ve had a few that have a small bit of cinnamon, and probably a very small amount of allspice. It gives it a warmth that can be nice.
I have heard that gelatin helps with a fatty or umami mouth taste. If you use beef shank, i think that’s enough. But for my tastes, the chilis, onion, and garlic, that’s enough. I mean its supposed to be a cheap dish. Chuck is pretty cheap and quite fatty. If you want more heat add a few arbol.
I started with just guajillos and eventually messed around with some different things and my current recipe has settled on a mix of guajillo, pasilla, pulla, and árbol. I also make a sachet with canela, coriander seed, black peppercorn, bay leaf, and a star anise and leave that in for the entire braising period to boost the aromatic profile.
I concur with the other comments about needing some kind of bone in the mix — I’ve made it with oxtail, though with that being oddly expensive anymore, my go to is usually short rib to supplement the main meat payload of chuck roast. I’ve left the short rib out on a few occasions and found the fat profile lacking to the point where I don’t have enough to properly fry off a full batch of quesatacos.
You had me at cinnamon. Spice up my life, Birria!
Sous vide it. Best I’ve had.
I used guajillo, ancho and arbol. But that’s like my holy Trinity. Use those 3 a lot