Beef Birria

This beef birria is Chef John's recipe for a full-flavored meat stew featuring short ribs and chuck simmered with guajillo chiles and various spices.

• Preparation Time: 30 mins
• Cooking Time: 3 hr 40 mins
• Total Time: 4 hr 10 mins
• Calories: 375 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 bay leaves
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled
• 4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 1 (1 inch) piece fresh ginger, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons finely diced white onion
• 1 medium lime, sliced
• 3 (8 ounce) beef short ribs
• 1 (2 1/2 pound) beef chuck
• 3 large tomatoes, cored and chopped
• 0.25 cup white vinegar
• 0.25 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 0.25 teaspoon ground cloves
• 7 dried guajillo chilies

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Cut beef chuck in half; cut each half into 3- to 4-inch pieces. Cut each beef short rib through the middle, all the way down to the bone.

Step 2

Place beef chuck and short ribs into a soup pot; season with kosher salt, oregano, black pepper, cumin, cinnamon, and cloves. Toss thoroughly until meat is evenly coated with spices, 2 to 3 minutes. Cover and keep in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours to overnight.

Step 3

Prep guajillo chiles by snipping off stems with scissors; slice open and scrape or shake out seeds onto a plate to discard.

Step 4

Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add guajillo chiles and toss in hot oil, about 30 seconds. Add onion, garlic, and ginger; toss to combine. Add tomatoes and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for 30 minutes.

Step 5

Turn off heat and use an immersion blender to purée mixture as smooth as possible, or use a countertop blender, working in batches as needed.

Step 6

Remove the soup pot with meat from the refrigerator. Strain puréed chili mixture into the pot using a large mesh strainer. Add chicken broth, vinegar, bay leaves, and honey to the pot.

Step 7

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until meat is fall-apart tender, 3 to 4 hours. Skim fat off of the top and reserve for future birria queso tacos.

Step 8

To serve, place a few chunks of beef into a soup bowl and spoon some cooking liquid on the top. Sprinkle with some white onion and cilantro; squeeze lime juice over the top.