Description
Sizzling Mexican birria enchiladas bring fiery flavor and rich tradition to dinner tables across North America. Melted cheese, tender braised meat, and zesty salsa verde create an irresistible comfort meal you’ll crave again and again.
Ingredients
Scale
Protein:
- 3 lbs (1.36 kg) beef chuck roast, cut into large chunks
- 7 cloves garlic
Chiles and Spices:
- 12 dried guajillo chiles, rinsed, stemmed, and seeded
- 5 dried ancho chiles, rinsed, stemmed, and seeded
- 5 dried chiles de arbol, rinsed, stemmed, and seeded
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 1 2-inch Mexican cinnamon stick
- 3 bay leaves
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Other Ingredients:
- ½ tablespoons (7.5 ml) olive oil
- 2 medium tomatoes
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 2 cups (473 ml) beef broth
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) distilled white vinegar
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) apple cider vinegar
- 16 tortillas (flour or corn)
- 2 cups (336 g) cooked white or Mexican rice
- 3 cups (340 g) Oaxaca or Chihuahua cheese, shredded
- Optional garnishes: chopped cilantro, Cotija cheese, lime wedges, pickled or raw onion
Instructions
- Craft the Birria Base: Transform beef chunks into a flavor-packed foundation by generously coating with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a robust pot, searing meat until golden brown. Carefully remove beef, then introduce guajillo, ancho, and chiles de arbol into the same vessel. Add tomatoes, onion, aromatic spices like cinnamon and bay leaves, creating a complex liquid landscape. Submerge ingredients with water, bringing to a vigorous boil before gently simmering.
- Create Sauce Essence: Transfer softened chiles and companions to a blender. Incorporate cooking liquid, beef broth, vinegars, garlic, and a symphony of spices including cumin, oregano, cloves, and coriander. Pulse until achieving a silky, vibrant consistency. Return beef to the pot, enveloping it with this luscious sauce.
- Slow Infuse Meat: Allow beef to simmer languidly for approximately three hours, transforming into tender, easily shredded morsels. The prolonged cooking develops deep, rich flavors that define authentic birria.
- Prepare Enchilada Foundation: Warm tortillas in a thin layer of oil, rendering them pliable and receptive to the upcoming flavor journey. Dip each tortilla into reserved birria sauce, ensuring complete coverage.
- Assemble Culinary Parcels: Layer shredded beef and rice into each tortilla. Roll compactly, positioning seam-side down in a waiting baking dish. Cascade remaining birria sauce generously over the enchiladas.
- Final Transformation: Sprinkle a generous blanket of cheese across the surface. Slide into a preheated 350F oven, allowing cheese to melt and edges to crisp for 15-20 minutes.
- Present with Flourish: Garnish with fresh cilantro, crumbled Cotija, zesty lime wedges, and pickled or raw onion, elevating the dish’s visual and flavor complexity.
Notes
- Beef Selection: Choose chuck roast or beef short ribs for maximum tenderness and rich flavor that shreds beautifully after slow cooking.
- Spice Customization: Adjust chile pepper quantities to control heat level, making the dish mild or fiery based on personal preference.
- Make-Ahead Magic: Prepare birria meat a day in advance to enhance flavor development and simplify final enchilada assembly.
- Gluten-Free Adaptation: Use corn tortillas and verify broth ingredients to ensure the recipe remains completely gluten-free for sensitive diners.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Snacks
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 520
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 450 mg
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 90 mg