Birria
- Yield 8
- Prep 20 minutes
- Cook 40 minutes
Birria is a soup recipe on Avoteb. The yield on the card is 8. The amounts and the method are both on this page.
Ingredients
Yield: 8 servings
- 3 dried ancho chiles
- 3 dried guajillo chiles
- 1 to 3 dried chiles de árbol (optional, see note below)
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil (or olive oil)
- 1 small white onion, peeled and diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 large roma tomatoes, roughly chopped*
- 4 cups beef stock, divided
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch of ground cloves
- 3 to 3 1/2 pound beef chuck roast, roughly cut into 3-inch chunks
- fine sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil (or olive oil)
- 2 bay leaves
- warm corn tortillas, for serving
- recommended toppings: chopped fresh cilantro, chopped white or red onion, diced or sliced avocado, lime wedges and/or sliced jalapeños
Method
Core and toast the chiles. Slice the stems off of the dried chiles, then remove and discard the seeds inside. Press the "Sauté" button on the Instant Pot. Tip in the chiles and cook for 1 to 2 minutes per side, flipping once, until the chiles are fragrant and lightly toasted. Move them to a blender (or food processor) and keep nearby.
Sauté the veggies. Tip in the oil and onion to the hot Instant Pot. Sauté the onion for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Tip in the garlic and tomatoes and sauté for 3 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Then turn off the Instant Pot, and move the entire mixture to the blender.
Puree the marinade. Tip in 2 cups of the beef stock, the apple cider vinegar, cumin, oregano, ginger, cinnamon and cloves to the blender. Lid and carefully* blend for 1 minute, until the mixture is completely smooth. Keep nearby.
Sear the meat (skippable). (You can skip this step if you'd like to save time.) Briefly rinse out and dry off the Instant Pot insert. Salt the beef with a few generous pinches of salt and black pepper. Press the "Sauté" button on the Instant Pot and add in 1 tablespoon of the oil. Tip in half of the beef and briefly sear it in the oil, turning the chunks occasionally so that they can sear on all sides. Move the first batch of beef to a clean plate, then sear the remaining beef likewise in the
Pressure cook. Tip in all of the seared beef to the Instant Pot, along with the blended marinade, bay leaves and remaining 2 cups of beef stock, and give the mixture a quick toss. Lid and set the lid to "Sealing." Pressure cook on "Manual" for 45 minutes, followed by a quick release.
Shred the beef (skippable). Carefully remove the lid once all of the pressure has released. Lift and discard the bay leaves. Then you can either choose to just leave the beef in larger chunks for serving. Or you can use two forks to shred the beef into bite-sized pieces, and then toss the shredded beef in the marinade so that it is evenly coated.
Salt Taste and season the birria with additional salt and pepper, if needed.
Plate Plate the birria in bowls (the beef along with its broth) garnished with lots of your favorite toppings, with a side of warm tortillas, and enjoy!
