Birria is a flavourful, slow-cooked stew that results in extremely tender meat in a rich sauce. The sauce. which is spiced but not hot, is used as a dipping sauce (commonly called a consommé).
Beef short rib birria
Makes 6-7 cups
Ingredients
10 dried chipotle chillies (ancho chillies work well, too)
2L boiling water
Olive oil blend, for frying
2kg beef short rib
1kg beef chuck or beef stewing meat
Salt and milled pepper
4 red peppers, roasted and seeds removed
2 onions, chopped
4-6 cloves garlic, grated
1 cinnamon stick
4 fresh bay leaves
2 Tbsp smoked paprika
4 tsp ground coriander
4 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground cloves
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp tomato paste
4 tomatoes
- Preheat oven to 180°C.
- Place chillies in a large bowl and cover with water. Set aside for 15 minutes to steep.
- Heat oil in a large oven-safe pot, using a cast iron pot if possible. Season and brown meat, working in batches. Set aside, returning all meat to pot.
- Combine the remaining ingredients in a jug blender.Add hydrated chillies and soaking water to the jug blender, cover and blend until smooth. (A stick blender works well, too.)
- Add sauce to pot, then add remaining boiling water to ensure meat is covered. Close with a lid. (If your lid isn’t tight fitting, cover with foil.)
- Roast for about 3½ – 4 hours until meat falls off the bone.
- Remove meat, cool until it can easily be handled, and shred meat finely.
- Reduce sauce left inpotif needed, to create a dipping sauce.
- Toss some sauce (about2-3 cups) until meat is thoroughly coated in sauce but not drenched.
- Strain and reserve the remaining sauce for dipping.
Recipe & styling: Liezl Vermeulen
Photography: Zhann Solomons
