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Mexican

Birria de res

Non-vegetarian

Beef slow-braised in a deep red adobo of guajillo and ancho chiles, vinegar and warm spices until it shreds, served with its rich broth (consomé), onion, cilantro and lime.

Birria de res is a Mexican stew from Mexico, ready in about 4 hours and made with beef chuck and dried whole chillies. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
Bowl of birria beef stew in red chilli broth with onion and coriander
Photo: Janeefun / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
30 min
Cook
3 h 30 min
Total
4 h
Serves
6
Level
Intermediate
Calories
563

Optionally marinate the beef in the adobo overnight for deeper flavour.

Ingredients

6 servings

To serve

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Season the beef with 1.5 tsp of the salt.

    • 2 min

  2. Step 2

    Toast the chiles briefly in a dry pan, then simmer with the tomatoes (opens in a new tab), halved onion (opens in a new tab) and garlic (opens in a new tab) in 500 ml of the water for 10 minutes.

    A sauce simmering in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Nanda Mends on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Blend with the cooking liquid, vinegar, cumin (opens in a new tab), oregano (opens in a new tab), pepper (opens in a new tab) and cloves (opens in a new tab) until very smooth, then strain.

  4. Step 4

    Put the beef in a heavy pot, pour over the adobo and the remaining water, add the cinnamon (opens in a new tab), bay and the rest of the salt. Cover and braise at a gentle simmer (or in a 160 °C oven) until the beef shreds easily, about 3 hours.

  5. Step 5

    Lift out and shred the beef. Skim the red fat from the broth (save it) and season the consomé.

    • 10 min

  6. Step 6

    Serve the beef in bowls of consomé or in tortillas (opens in a new tab) — dip each tortilla in the saved fat and crisp it on a hot pan with meat inside. Top with onion (opens in a new tab), cilantro (opens in a new tab) and lime (opens in a new tab), with consomé for dipping.

    • 15 min
    • medium-high heat
    A finished dish being plated
    How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Jalisco, Mexico · Well documentedTraditionally made with goat; beef birria is now hugely popular, especially in Tijuana-style tacos.Also popular in United StatesMore food from Mexico
Dish
Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner · Stews & braises · Main courses · Soups
Cooking method
Braised, Slow-cooked, Blended
Taste
rich, spicy (chilli heat), earthy, aromatic / warmly spiced, tangy
Diet
No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · High-protein · Low-fat
With the listed swaps: Beef-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Freezer-friendly · Festive & celebration · Batch cooking · One-pot
Cook more with
Beef chuck · Dried whole chillies · Tomato · Onion · Garlic · White vinegar
Techniques
Simmering · Braising · Wet grinding · Emulsification

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

563 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 707 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 42%
  • Carbohydrate 35%
  • Fat 23%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy563 kcal80 kcal
Protein61.6 g8.7 g
Carbohydrate50.9 g7.2 g
Net carbohydrate41.1 g5.8 g
Sugars3.8 g0.5 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre9.8 g1.4 g
Fat14.7 g2.1 g
Saturated fat5.2 g0.7 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol160 mg23 mg
Sodium1223 mg173 mg
Salt equivalent3.1 g0.4 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
1563 mg
Calcium
171 mg
Iron
8.4 mg
Magnesium
141 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
154 µg
Vitamin C
17 mg
Vitamin D
0.3 µg
Vitamin B12
5.7 µg
Folate (DFE)
37 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Add strands of melting cheese to the tortillas while crisping for quesabirria tacos.

Food safety

  • If marinating overnight, keep the beef in the fridge.
  • Cool the consomé quickly in shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours; bring back to a boil before serving.

Storage

  • Refrigerate meat in its broth up to 4 days; freeze up to 3 months.

Reheating

  • Reheat gently until simmering.

Variations

  • Birria de chivo: The Jalisco original with goat, often cooked in a sealed pot or underground oven.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

  • Beef chuck, chuck or shank in large pieces1.5 kg · 1500 g
  • Tomato2 piece · 240 g
Used in steps 1, 2

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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