Birria Tacos with Consomé
Jalisco-style beef slow-braised in a dried-chile adobo, shredded into crisp red tortillas and dunked in the rich, spiced consomé.
Method
Cut the beef into 5 cm chunks, pat dry with paper towels and season with half the salt and the pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy 20 cm · 1× pot (the number after · is how many batches) over medium-high heat and brown the meat in a single layer for in total, until deep brown on every side. Don't move it for the first 2–3 minutes. Wash your hands and board after handling raw meat.
Add in this stepBeef chuck, in one piece 550 gSalt ¾ tspGround black pepper ¼ tspVegetable oil 1 tbsp
medium-high heatRemove the stems and seeds from the chiles. Toast them in a dry pan over medium heat for , pressing with a spatula, and take them out as soon as they smell fragrant (burnt chiles are bitter). Put the chiles, tomatoes, roughly chopped onion and garlic in a small 16 cm pot with part of the water and simmer over medium heat for , until the chiles are completely soft.
Add in this stepDried guajillo chiles 5Dried ancho chiles 1Dried chiles de árbol (or small dried red chillies, for heat) 1Tomatoes 150 gOnion (medium) ½Garlic cloves 4Water 330 ml
medium heatTip everything, liquid included, into a blender with the vinegar, cumin, oregano, cloves and the rest of the salt and blend until very smooth. Press it through a sieve into the pot with the meat; straining removes the skins and makes a silky consomé.
Add in this stepApple cider vinegar 1½ tbspGround cumin ½ tspDried oregano ¾ tspWhole cloves 2Salt ¾ tsp
Add the rest of the water, the cinnamon and bay leaves and bring to the boil over high heat, skimming off any foam. Lower to low heat, set the lid ajar and braise for , stirring the bottom every 30 minutes and topping up with a little water if the meat sticks out of the liquid. It is ready when a fork pulls the meat apart with no effort.
Add in this stepWater 770 mlCinnamon stick (5 cm piece) ½Bay leaves 1
high heat→low heatLift out the meat, shred it with two forks and moisten it with a ladle of broth. Skim the red fat from the surface into a small bowl and set it aside for frying the tacos. Remove the cinnamon and bay, simmer the consomé over medium heat for more to concentrate it, and adjust with a little salt if needed.
medium heatDip a tortilla briefly into the red fat on both sides and lay it in a 26 cm · 2× pan (the number after · is how many batches) over medium heat. Put meat on one half, fold it over and fry for about 2 minutes per side, in total, until crisp and deep red. The fat can spit, so keep the pan hot but not smoking.
Add in this stepCorn tortillas (15 cm) 6
medium heatLadle the hot consomé into small cups and top with chopped onion and coriander. Fill the tacos with onion and coriander too, serve with lime wedges and dunk each taco into the consomé as you eat.
Add in this stepWhite onion, finely chopped ¼Fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped 3 tbspLimes 1
Cook's tip
Choose a cut with some fat and connective tissue so the meat stays juicy through the long braise. Made a day ahead and chilled, the fat sets on top for easy skimming and the flavour deepens. In a pressure cooker the braise takes about 50 minutes at high pressure.
Cooking it at camp
Do the braise (up to the long simmer) at home, cool it and carry it in a sealed container in the cooler. At camp, bring the consomé to a rolling boil in a pot and fry the tacos in a cast-iron pan or on a griddle over the fire for extra smokiness.