Birria Tacos

Makes about 12 tacos

3 hrs 15 min

Crispy cheese-stuffed corn tortillas dipped in a rich, spiced beef consommé, with shredded slow-cooked chuck stained red by dried Mexican chillies.

prepDeseed dried chillies, trim stems, cut into 1–1.5 cm pieces
60 g dried ancho chillies, deseeded & chopped	Simmer chillies 10 min, drain & reserve 1/2 cup water	Blitz chillies, water & adobo ingredients until smooth paste	Add adobo paste to pot, cook 2 min stirring	Add stock, vinegar, bay leaves, spices & salt; slow cook 2.5 hrs covered	Remove beef, shred; skim red Birria Oil from consommé into bowl	Simmer reserved consommé 30 sec, toss in beef until moist	Coat tortilla in red oil 10 sec to soften; repeat for 3 tortillas	Top each tortilla with cheese, beef, onion & cilantro; fold	Pan-fry tacos medium-high 90 sec per side until crisp	Serve tacos with consommé for dipping, lime & salsa
50 g dried guajillo chillies, deseeded & chopped
15 g dried chile de árbol, deseeded & chopped
120 ml reserved chilli simmering water
5 cloves garlic
1/2 large or 1 small onion, roughly chopped
1 fresh tomato, roughly chopped
1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp salt (for paste)
45 ml neutral oil	Sear beef in oil 5 min per batch until browned all over
1.5 kg beef chuck, cut into tennis-ball size pieces
950 ml low-sodium beef stock
15 ml apple cider vinegar
2 bay leaves, 1 cinnamon stick, 8–10 whole cloves
1/2 tsp salt (for braising)
240 ml Birria Consommé (reserved from braising liquid, for saucing beef)
12 corn tortillas, 14.5 cm wide
150 g Colby or Monterey Jack cheese, grated
80 g diced white onion
10 g fresh cilantro, chopped
Lime wedges & salsa (optional)

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