An easy recipe for an incredibly delicious dish. These tacos are to die for - what's not to love in slow cooked melt-in-the-mouth beef, melted cheese and fresh corn tortillas. This is a traditional recipe, but do feel to replace the corn tortillas with flour ones if preferred. Recipe below...
INGREDIENTS:
Serves 4 -6
Birria:
Serves 4-6
2 dried ancho chillies
2 dries guajillo chillies
1 chipotle pepper
1 large onion (roughly chopped)
2 red tomatoes (roughly chopped)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp marjoram
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp pepper
4 peppercorns
1 clove
4 garlic cloves
2 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
750g of beef (chuck roast or short rib, or a mixture).
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
4 cup water
Corn Tortillas:
Makes 12
2 cups masa harina
1/2 tsp salt
1.5 cups warm water
Other:
300g Oaxaca cheese (mozzarella is a good alternative)
Freshly chopped coriander
Finely diced onion
Pickled red onion
Lime wedges
METHOD:
Corn Tortillas:
1. In a bowl, mix together the masa harina, salt and warm water. If it feels too sticky add some more masa harina. Vice versa, if it feels to dry add some more water.
2. Tip out onto a clean work surface and knead for a few minutes until completely combined. Divide the dough into 12 balls.
3. To flatten, place the ball in-between two pieces of parchment paper. Roll with out into a circle of 1/8 inch thickness. Alternatively, use a tortilla press if you have one (this is a lot easier).
Birria:
1. Deseed the dried chillis and place into a bowl. Cover with boiling water and leave to soak for at least 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, fry the onions in a pan until starting to go golden. Add the the rest of the ingredients, expect for the beef, vinegar and water. Cook for 15 minutes over a medium heat. Take off the heat, remove the bay leaves and cinnamon stickand and tip into a blender. Add the dried chillis and all of the water they soaked in. Blend until smooth.
3. In large casserole dish / dutch oven, add some oil and sear the meat until browned on all sides. Tip the contents of the blender over the meat, Add the water and vinegar, mix, then cover and cook in an oven of 140 degrees celcius for roughly 4-5 hours. By this time the meat should be falling apart and tender. +Check every hour to ensure the meat is not drying up - if it is, add some more water.
4. Once cooked, remove the beef from the pan and shred with two forks. Save the liquid in the pan - this is the delicious consommé we will serve with the tacos.
5. Add some oil to a pan over a medium-high heat. Dip a tortilla into the consommé and place into the pan. On one side of the tortilla, add some shredded cheese, a handful of the shredded beef and a drizzle of the consommé. Fold the tortilla in half to make your tacos. Fry on both sides until slightly crisp.
To Serve:
Tip the rest of the consommé into a bowl and top with some of the onion and coriander - this is a beautiful dip for the tacos. Plate up your tacos, top with some more finely diced onions, fresh coriander, pickled red onions and a squeeze of lime. Best served with a cold beer. Enjoy!