Birria Enchiladas

Birria Enchiladas

Birria Enchiladas

I had previously made birria tacos and made way more than I needed. So I froze down the leftovers for later use, which led me to now: behold the birria enchilada. The leftover meat was put into a corn tortillas with chunks of mozzarella, then bathed in the birria broth. I topped it off with more cheese and baked it for 20 minutes until the cheese was bubbly. Easily the best enchiladas I’ve ever eaten.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Beef, Latin American, main course, Mexican
Servings: 12 enchiladas
Author: Alex Gorgos

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs birria meat
  • 2 cups birria broth
  • 12 corn tortillas pan fried for 1 minute to make pliable
  • 8 oz block mozzarella cheese cut into 12 equal wedges
  • 4 oz monterey jack cheese shredded

Garnish

  • white onion finely chopped
  • avocado sliced

Instructions

  • Place 2 heaping tbsp of birria meat across the center of a corn tortilla. Top with a chunk of mozzarella cheese.
    Mexican, main course, beef
  • Tightly roll up the enchilada. This recipe yields 12 enchiladas.
    Mexican, main course, beef
  • Place all of the enchiladas seam side down in a 9×13 glass baking dish.
    Mexican, main course, beef
  • Pour the birria broth over the enchiladas.
    Mexican, main course, beef
  • Top with more cheese.
    Mexican, main course, beef
  • Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.
    Mexican, main course, beef
Mexican, main course, beef
Garnish with chopped onion and slices of avocado.

Birria Tacos

Over the last 6 months, there has been a huge trend in the Mexican culinary world. All of a sudden, every Mexican restaurant is carrying birria tacos. So what is a birria taco? Birria originated from the Mexican state of Jalisco; also home of pozole and menudo. It all started with caldo de birria, a meat stew in a pepper broth. Traditionally goat and lamb are used, but beef can be substituted. I used a combination of all 3 meats. Corn tortillas are dipped in the birria broth, then assembled with the meat, onions, and cilantro. The tacos are folded over and grilled on a griddle until they are crispy. The tacos are served with a side of the birria broth to dip the taco in; just like a French dip sandwich.
I chose to use an Instant Pot to make the birria. It only took 90 minutes to prepare. You can make this in a Dutch oven or a crockpot if you don’t have a pressure cooker. It will take anywhere from 4-6 hours to get the meat tender enough to shred. Either process will get you the same results.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time2 hours
Marinating Time1 day
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Beef, goat, lamb, Latin American, main course, Mexican
Servings: 24 tacos
Author: Alex Gorgos

Equipment

  • food processor
  • instant pot

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 lbs beef chuck cubed
  • 1 beef shank
  • 1 1/2 lbs bone in goat shoulder cubed
  • 1 lamb shank
  • 3 dried ancho chilies
  • 6 dried guajillo chilies
  • 3 roma tomatoes
  • 1/2 medium white onion sliced
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • 4 whole cloves
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
  • 1 tsp Mexican oregano
  • 1/2 tsp marjoram
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1/2 cup vinegar
  • salt to taste
  • 2 cups water
  • corn tortillas softened

Garnish

  • white onion finely chopped
  • cilantro chopped

Instructions

  • Dry toast the dried peppers in a sauté pan over medium heat for 5 minutes.
    Mexican, main course, beef
  • Place the peppers in a bowl of hot water for 20 minutes.
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  • Dry toast the cumin seeds, cloves, and cinnamon stick for 2 minutes. Remove from the pan.
    Mexican, main course, beef
  • Dry toast the tomatoes, onions, and garlic for 10 minutes.
    Mexican, main course, beef
  • Place the rehydrated roast peppers, tomatoes, onion, garlic, whole spices(except the cinnamon stick), oregano, marjoram, vinegar, and salt in a blender.
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  • Purée until smooth.
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  • Arrange all of the meat in a glass baking dish.
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  • Pour the sauce from the blender over the meat. Cover with foil and marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
    Mexican, main course, beef
  • Place all of the meat and sauce in the Instant Pot along with 2 cups of water. Toss in the cinnamon stick. Turn the function to pressure cook on high for 90 minutes. Put on the cover and push start.
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  • Remove all of the meat and bones from the Instant Pot.
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  • Keep all of the birria juice warm.
    Mexican, main course, beef
  • Pick out all of the bones from the meat. Place the meat in a large sauté pan over medium high heat.
    Mexican, main course, beef
  • Cook down the meat until the majority of the liquid has evaporated.
    Mexican, main course, beef

Birria Taco Assembly

  • Dip the softened corn tortillas in the birria juice.
    Mexican, main course, beef
  • Top the tortillas with the meat, onion, and cilantro.
    Mexican, main course, beef
  • Place the tacos on a griddle over medium high heat. Fold the tacos over.
    Mexican, main course, beef
  • Grill the tacos for 3-4 minutes a side until the tortillas are crispy.
    Mexican, main course, beef