Get in on the Trend: Birria Tacos

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If you haven’t heard of birria tacos yet, are you living under a rock? If you visit any taco shop in Southern California, you’re sure to see birria tacos on the menu. They started popping up in Los Angeles around 2018 and have now become a full-blown trend. Even So Cal-based chains El Pollo Loco and Baja Fresh have added birria to their menus. Read on to find out more about this delicious trend.

History of Birria

The origins of birria trace back to the area of modern-day Jalisco, Mexico, with goats brought by the Conquistadors. The Spaniards wouldn’t eat the meat of goats, thinking it was inferior quality and taste. But the natives began preparing a stew using the goat meat with their indigenous flavors and spices, transforming and elevating the goat meat into something tasty and serving it with corn tortillas. Thus, birria was born!

The birria we enjoy in the U.S. today was refined in Tijuana in the early 1900s using beef instead of goat meat and adding the consommé dip. Migrants brought this flavor-packed dish across the border into Los Angeles, where it spread as far as New York City!

 Birria Today

Birria is no ordinary taco. Aside from the seasoned meat and consommé dip, the corn tortilla holding the meat together is fried to make it crispy.

Our very own Chef Jerry made birria tacos for a recent event. Here’s how he did it:

  • Sear top sirloin (or your preferred cut of beef) in a braising pan. We like the classic braising pan from Groen.

  • Deglaze the braising pan with some red wine.

  • Add tomatoes, onions, chilis (Jerry used ancho, guajillo and chile de árbol) and sauté them.

  • Add more red wine, plus spices and herbs: dried oregano, thyme, marjoram, paprika, cumin, coriander, fresh cilantro and bay leaves. Stew these together until the veggies are tender.

  • Transfer the stew into a blender to breakdown everything into a sauce. We like the Hamilton Beach HBF1100S because it has a steam release vent that allows you to expertly blend hot foods and liquids.

  • Add the seared meat to the braising pan. Strain the pureed sauce into the braising pan to remove any remaining solids. This will become the base for the consommé.

  • Cook the meat in the braising pan with the strained sauce until it’s fork tender.

  • To make the consommé, mix the sauce in the braising pan with beef stock.

  • Add the birria meat to a corn tortilla and pan fry each side until crispy.

  • Garnish with onion, cilantro and lime.   

  • Dip the birria taco in the consommé and take a bite. Enjoy!

 

What do you think? Would you consider adding birria to your menu? Let us know in the comments below.