Birria
Ingredients
- Marinade:
- 1 dried ancho chili
- water (to cover)
- 67 mL cider vinegar (1/4 cup)
- 2 cloves chopped garlic
- 1/2 cinnamon stick (broken)
- 1/4 t cumin seeds
- 1/4 t black peppercorns
- 1/3 t dried oregano
- 17 g dark chocolate
- 1/4 t sea salt
- 1 T olive oil
- 200 g beef shin
- Stew:
- 167 mL water
- 250 mL beef stock
- 133 g chopped tomatoes
- 200 g potatoes (floury, skinned and cut into large pieces)
- Birria Salsa;
- 7 g chipotle paste
- 33 mL cider vinegar
- 1/4 t dried oregano
- 1 cloves garlic
- 1/8 t black peppercorns
- 1/8 t sea salt
- To serve:
- 1/6 shredded white cabbage
- 4 thinly sliced radishes
- 2 T finely chopped red onion
- finely chopped cilantro
- 1 lime (quartered)
Method
1. For the marinade remove the stems of the ancho chilli, then place it into a small saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until soft.
2. Place the remaining marinade ingredients into a food processor except the olive oil and blend to a purée. Add the chillies and their water and the olive oil and pulse until smooth, then transfer to a large bowl.
3. Place the beef shin into the bowl of marinade and rub well to coat. Cover with cling film and place into the fridge to marinate overnight.
4. For the stew: Place the water in a pot, then add the stock and tomatoes.
5. Remove the beef from the marinade, discard the marinade, and place the beef into the pot and cover with a tight fitting lid. Bring to a simmer and cook over a low heat for 3-4 hours, or until the meat is tender.
6. An hour before the beef is done, add the potatoes to cook through.
7. For the birria salsa: blend all of the ingredients in a food processor.
8. To serve, spoon the stew into serving bowls and serve with the salad ingredients sprinkled on top of each bowl, topped with the salsa.
Notes
SJ Note 12 Sept 2011: I thought the taste was certainly different, but overall only mediocre. Chris didn't like the taste at all and had something else to eat. This isn't worth the effort to make, in my view. It is very filling. It definitely needs the lime juice and the salsa to taste good. Decided I'm not a fan of shin beef, however; the fat and connective tissues didn't melt into the stew, and instead I was left at the table removing said from the meat still clinging to them. If you decide to make this, check the source link - I did make some alterations in my version, which is what I've recorded here. I would suggest that you use waxy potatoes (like new potatoes) instead of floury, so they won't turn to mush in the stew.