How To Make Birria

Birria is predominantly thought of as a Mexican dish, but in learning how to make birria you must also learn something of its history to help maintain authenticity. The rustic dish was originally developed in Arabic countries, brought to Spain and from there, made its way to Mexico. The term birria in Spanish means garbage, rubbish, or a mess. It is believed that the dish was so named due to its origins and popularity with working class communities. It can be served in a stew or dry. The following recipe shows how to make birria dry, as a steamed meat.

• 3 to 4lbs of lamb, mutton, goat, or beef. (If you want to know how to make birria traditionally, use lamb, goat, or a mix of the two.)
• ½ cup vinegar
• 3-4 diced garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp. powdered cocoa
• 2 ½ tsp. oregano
• Salt (to taste)
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. ground coriander

1. Mix all ingredients (except meat) in a blender. Refrigerate overnight. Learning how to make birria does call for some patience. If you simply cannot wait, you can chill the marinade for 2-3 hours.
2. Toss meat in 2/3 of the marinade and place in the top of a double boiler. Steam at a low boil for 2 to 3 hours. Be sure to keep an eye on the water level in the bottom of the boiler.
3. Remove meat from boiler. Place in a lasagna or roasting pan. Cover with remaining marinade.
4. Broil at 350 degrees for 5 minutes. Turn over the meat and broil for another 3-5 minutes until brown.
5. Serve over rice with warm corn or flour tortillas. Recipe yields approximately 8 servings.

Once you learn how to make birria, you can use the dry version in tacos, burritos, or on tostados. This savory, tender stew meat is perfectly flavored for virtually any dish! It’s not hard to convert the meat to stew recipes, once you become an expert at how to make birria dry.