Birria Tacos
Food trends come and go, but as far as I’m concerned, this one is here to stay! These tacos are so so so good! I mean, seriously, Nick and I both went nuts for them! They’re a little spicy, cheesy, oh so flavorful, and the beef is so tender it melts in your mouth! Be sure to save the sauce and dip into it with each bite!
Don’t be intimidated by the length of the recipe like I was. I soon learned that it really isn’t too much work and the Instant Pot basically does it all. The outcome is SO worth it - trust me!
INGREDIENTS
3 pounds beef (chuck roast, beef shank, short ribs, oxtail), lamb, or goat meat
2 Tbsp (30ml) vegetable oil
3 dried ancho chilies
3 dried guajillo chilies
1 New Mexican dried chiles
Optional: dried chile de árbol
1 onion , sliced
6 garlic cloves , chopped
2 bay leaves
½ cinnamon stick or ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
2 tsp dried Mexican oregano or oregano
1½ tsp cumin seeds , ground
1 tsp coriander , ground
2 tsp tomato paste
2 cups unsalted chicken stock or high-quality unsalted beef stock
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
Optional: 1 Tbsp regular soy sauce
Salt & ground black pepper
For the garnish:
8 - 12 corn tortillas
Good melting cheese (i.e. Oaxaca cheese or mozzarella cheese) , freshly grated
White onion , diced
Cilantro , finely chopped
Lime slices
DIRECTIONS
Remove stems and seeds from dried chiles, then cut chiles into smaller pieces.
Toast Dried Chiles in Instant Pot: Put all dried chiles in Instant Pot. Press “Saute” button to “Sauté More” to heat up the Instant Pot. Stir occasionally. Once you smell the chiles' aroma (~4 to 5 mins), remove and set aside the toasted chiles.
Brown Meat in Instant Pot: Wait until the Instant Pot says "HOT". Pat dry your meat. Season one side of beef with salt & black pepper. Add 1 tbsp (15ml) vegetable oil in inner pot, and ensure to coat the oil all over the whole bottom of the pot. Carefully place the seasoned side of beef in Instant Pot. Season the other side of beef with more salt & black pepper. Brown one side for 5 minutes before flipping the meat, then brown the other side for another 5 minutes. Set aside the browned meat.
Saute Onions and Garlic: Add another 1 tbsp (15ml) vegetable oil to Instant Pot. Add in sliced onions, then saute for 3 minutes. Add in garlic cloves, 2 bay leaves, ½ (2.4g) cinnamon stick, 2 tsp (2g) dried Mexican oregano, 1½ tsp (3g) ground cumin seeds, 1 tsp (1.8g) ground coriander, and 2 tsp (10g) tomato paste, then saute for another minute.
Deglaze Instant Pot: Pour in 1 cup (250ml) unsalted chicken stock, then deglaze by scrubbing all the flavorful brown bits off the bottom with a wooden spoon. Give it a quick mix.
Pressure Cook Birria: Add in 2 tbsp (30ml) apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp (15ml) regular soy sauce, 1 tbsp (15ml) fish sauce, and another cup (250ml) of unsalted chicken stock, then give it a quick mix. Add in toasted dried chiles (make sure all chiles are submerged in the cooking liquid). Layer browned beef on top.
With Venting Knob in Venting Position, close the lid, then turn Venting Knob to Sealing Position.
Pressure Cooking Methods:
a) Beef Shank & Chuck Roast Pieces (1.5" - 2" thick): Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 40 minutes, then Natural Release for 15 minutes.
b) Beef Short Ribs (1.5" - 2" thick): Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 42 minutes, then Natural Release for 15 minutes.
c) 3lbs Bone-in Lamb Shoulder (3.25" thick): Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 2 hours, then Natural Release for 15 minutes.
Remove the lid carefully.
Blend and Shred Beef: Transfer beef to a large mixing bowl. Find and discard the bay leaves & cinnamon stick. Keep all the chiles in Instant Pot.
Blend the birria sauce with an immersion hand blender.
With two forks, shred the beef, then transfer the shredded beef back to the Instant Pot.
Season Birria: Taste and adjust the seasoning by adding more salt (for reference: we added roughly 4 - 6 large pinches of salt).
Garnish & Serve Birria: This birria is epic tasty with freshly grated melting cheese. Place some of the flavorful birria sauce in a ramekin. Garnish with diced white onion and finely chopped cilantro.
Optional - Make Birria Tacos: Heat up a skillet over medium heat. Dip corn tortillas in the birria sauce.
*Pro Tip 1: Make sure the birria sauce is fully covering both sides of corn tortillas because the tortillas will break if they're too dry.
*Pro Tip 2: If you're using a cast-iron skillet, grease pan with oil to prevent tortillas from sticking. You can use a bit of oil for a non-stick pan.
*Pro Tip 3: It's important your skillet is hot enough before you start to pan fry the tortillas.
Place corn tortilla on the heated skillet. Layer a handful of grated melting cheese on corn tortilla, then let the cheese melt. Once the cheese has melted and the corn tortilla is a bit crisped, layer some birria meat on the cheese. Fold corn tortilla in half.
Serve these deliciously epic birria tacos immediately with dipping sauce and lime slices.