Recipe
🍽️ DINNER
Birria
Jalisco’s chile-marinated slow braise, served as a rich consomé with tortillas, or griddled into dripping quesabirria tacos.
Mexican (Jalisciense) · medium · serves 6
prep 30 min · cook 180 min
~763 cal · 76g protein · 38g carbs · 31g fat · 4g fiber · 4g sugars · 11g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Birria was born in the highlands of Jalisco, around the town of Cocula, as an ingenious way to tame goat, an animal the Spanish introduced whose meat many found tough and strong. The solution was a deep marinade, or , of dried chiles, garlic, and spices, and then hours of gentle, moist cooking, traditionally steamed or , until the meat turns meltingly tender and richly seasoned.
It is above all celebration food, the dish of weddings, baptisms, holidays, and the morning after, cooked in great quantity and shared. While goat is traditional, versions made with beef have spread far and wide, most famously as the birria tacos now popular across borders.
Half the glory is the consome, the intense, chile-red braising broth, which is skimmed and served alongside in a bowl for dipping the tacos or drinking on its own. Rich, spiced, and deeply savoury, birria is Jalisco's gift to the rest of the world.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally gluten-, dairy-, nut-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 6
2 lbs beef chuck (or goat)
1.5 lbs short rib (or goat)
5 dried guajillo
Hard to find? dried New Mexico or California chiles - the same mild, bright red-fruit register with a little less tang, so be generous with the vinegar
3 ancho
2 chipotle chiles
2 tomatoes
1/4 cup white vinegar
6 cloves garlic
1 onion
1 stick cinnamon
3 cloves
1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp ginger, minced
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried marjoram
1 tsp black peppercorns
3 bay leaves
18 corn tortillas
to taste white onion, to serve
to taste cilantro, to serve
to taste lime, to serve
Instructions
1
Toast the chiles briefly, then soak them until soft.
2
Blend the chiles with the tomatoes, vinegar, garlic, onion, and all the spices into a thick adobo.
3
Coat the meat (or mushrooms and jackfruit) in the adobo and marinate at least 2 hours.
4
Braise, covered, with 4 cups water and bay leaves at 325F (160C) for 3 hours (1 hour for the plant version), until the meat collapses.
5
Shred the meat, then skim the fat off the consome and season the broth.
✎ Chef’s note
Taste and season the consome until it is delicious enough to drink on its own, since that rich broth is half the point of birria.
6
Serve as bowls of birria with consome, onion, cilantro, lime, and tortillas. Or dip tortillas in the fat, fill with meat and cheese, and griddle into quesabirria.
Cocula, Jalisco tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Jalisco. Jalisco is the heartland of tequila and birria, the rich chile-braised goat or beef stew now famous worldwide. Guadalajara's tortas ahogadas and mariachi culture define this proud Mexican region.
🗺️
Mexico. Underneath almost everything is nixtamalization: dried maize simmered and steeped in lime water, then hulled and ground. It softens the kernels into a masa that will hold together as a tortilla, adds calcium, and releases the tryptophan the body turns into niacin, which is why maize-eating Mesoamerica escaped the pellagra that later maize cultures suffered.
🌍
North America. North America's table began with Indigenous foodways, the "three sisters" of corn, beans, and squash, plus chiles, tomatoes, and cacao, then layered on colonial, African, and immigrant influences. From Mexico's UNESCO-recognized cuisine to the Cajun and Creole pots of Louisiana and the fiery jerk of the Caribbean, the region turns ancient staples into something new. Barbecue, tacos, gumbo, and mole all carry stories of migration and adaptation.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Mexico
Cochinita PibilPork marinated blaze-orange in achiote and sour orange, wrapped in banana leaves and roasted until it shreds itself.
EnfrijoladasCorn tortillas bathed in silky black-bean sauce, folded and finished with cheese, crema, and onion.
Pozole VerdeHominy and chicken in a bright green broth of tomatillos, pepitas, and herbs, Guerrero’s Thursday ritual bowl.
Browse all Mexico recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Griddle or flat pan, Blender.
Storing it: Stews and braises keep 3 to 4 days refrigerated and often taste better the next day. Reheat gently, adding a splash of water if it has thickened.
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Frequently asked questions
What is Birria?
Jalisco’s chile-marinated slow braise, served as a rich consomé with tortillas, or griddled into dripping quesabirria tacos.
Where does Birria come from?
Birria is a Mexican (Jalisciense) dish from Jalisco, Mexico.
Can Birria be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Birria recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Birria safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Birria take to make?
About 210 minutes total (30 minutes prep, 180 minutes cooking), serving 6.
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