Classic Beef Birria (Print Version)

# Ingredients:

→ Meat and Seasonings

01 - 4 to 5 pounds chuck roast, chopped into big pieces around 4 inches.
02 - 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil.
03 - ½ tablespoon black pepper.
04 - ½ tablespoon kosher salt.

→ Chiles and Aromatics

05 - 5 ancho chiles, cleaned, tops removed, and seeds taken out (weighing about 2 oz).
06 - 5 árbol chiles, washed and de-stemmed (weighs about 0.1 oz).
07 - 12 rinsed guajillo chiles, with the stems and seeds removed (approximately 2.5 oz).
08 - Half a medium yellow onion.
09 - A couple of large Roma tomatoes.
10 - 5 peeled garlic cloves.

→ Spices and Liquids

11 - 3 bay leaves.
12 - 2 cups of beef stock.
13 - ¼ cup of plain white vinegar.
14 - 1 whole Mexican cinnamon stick, around 4 inches long.
15 - ½ teaspoon of ground-up cloves.
16 - 1 teaspoon of dried Mexican oregano.
17 - 1 teaspoon of cumin powder.
18 - ½ teaspoon of whole black peppercorns.

# Instructions:

01 - Sprinkle salt and pepper all over the meat generously. Heat up some olive oil in a large pan or Dutch oven over medium-high. Cook the meat in two batches, browning every side. Once that's done, turn off the heat, put all the browned meat back into the pot, and set it aside.
02 - Toss the guajillo, ancho, and árbol chiles, along with the tomatoes, onion, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, and the peppercorns, into a medium pot. Pour enough water to cover, then crank up the heat till it boils. Lower the heat, cover the pot, and let everything cook gently for 10 minutes.
03 - Scoop the softened chiles along with the cooked goodies into a big blender. Pour in 1 cup of the water you cooked the chiles in, then add the beef broth, vinegar, garlic, cumin, oregano, and ground cloves. Blend everything on high till it's smooth as can be, then push the mixture through a fine strainer to remove solids before adding it to the meat in the pot.
04 - Mix the meat and chili sauce together and bring it all to a boil on high heat. Then lower the heat to a simmer, pop on a lid, and let it cook for 3 to 3½ hours until the meat is super tender and falls apart easily.
05 - Take the meat out of the pot and shred it using two forks. Toss it back into the sauce (consomé) and dish it up! Serve as a stew topped with chopped onions and a sprinkle of cilantro, or enjoy as tacos inside warm corn tortillas with melted Oaxaca cheese.

# Notes:

01 - If you don’t have Mexican cinnamon (Ceylon), feel free to swap it for a regular cinnamon stick (take it out before blending) or use 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon.
02 - You can use regular oregano instead of Mexican oregano.
03 - For a medium kick, only use 3 árbol chiles. Want it mild? Leave them out completely.
04 - This also works in an Instant Pot! Pressure cook everything on high for an hour, then let it naturally release pressure for 10 minutes.
05 - For easy slow cooking, let it go for 7-8 hours on low or 5 hours on high.

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