Created on 8/8/2023
Ingredients:
- 3 pounds beef (chuck roast, beef shank, short ribs, oxtail), lamb, or goat meat
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 dried ancho chilis (very mild, smoky, 1000 – 2000 SHU)
- 3 dried guajillo chilis (sweet, smoky, not very spicy, 2500–5000 SHU)
- 1 new Mexican dried chiles (mild, sweet 800 – 1400 SHU)
- Optional: 1 dried chile de árbol (quite spicy, 15000 – 30000 SHU)
- 1 onion, sliced
- 6 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ cinnamon stick or ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano or oregano
- 1½ teaspoon cumin seeds, ground
- 1 teaspoon coriander, ground
- 2 teaspoons tomato paste
- 2 cups unsalted chicken stock or high-quality unsalted beef stock
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- Optional: 1 tablespoon regular soy sauce
- Optional: 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- Salt & ground black pepper
Garnish:
- 8 – 12 corn tortillas
- Good melting cheese (i.e. Oaxaca cheese or mozzarella cheese), freshly grated
- White onion, diced
- Cilantro, finely chopped
- Lime slices
Instructions:
Step One: Prepare Dried Chiles – Remove stems and seeds from dried chiles, then cut chiles into smaller pieces. Toast Dried Chiles in Instant Pot – Put all dried chiles in Instant Pot. Press “Saute” button to “Sauté More” to heat up the Instant Pot. Stir occasionally. Once you smell the chiles’ aroma (~4 to 5 mins), remove and set aside the toasted chiles
Step Two: Brown Meat in Instant Pot – Wait until the Instant Pot says “HOT”. Pat dry your meat. Season one side of beef with salt & black pepper. Add 1 tbsp vegetable oil in inner pot, and ensure to coat the oil all over the whole bottom of the pot. Carefully place the seasoned side of beef in Instant Pot. Season the other side of beef with more salt & black pepper. Brown one side for 5 minutes before flipping the meat, then brown the other side for another 5 minutes. Set aside the browned meat
Step Three: Saute Onions and Garlic – Add another 1 tbsp vegetable oil to Instant Pot. Add in sliced onions, then saute for 3 minutes. Add in garlic cloves, 2 bay leaves, ½ cinnamon stick, 2 tsp dried Mexican oregano, 1½ tsp ground cumin seeds, 1 tsp ground coriander, and 2 tsp tomato paste, then saute for another minute
Step Four: Deglaze Instant Pot – Pour in 1 cup unsalted chicken stock, then deglaze by scrubbing all the flavorful brown bits off the bottom with a wooden spoon. Give it a quick mix
Step Five: Pressure Cook Birria – Add in 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp (15ml) regular soy sauce, 1 tbsp fish sauce, and another cup of unsalted chicken stock, then give it a quick mix. Add in toasted dried chiles (make sure all chiles are submerged in the cooking liquid). Layer browned beef on top. With Venting Knob in Venting Position, close the lid, then turn Venting Knob to Sealing Position. Cook the Beef Shank & Chuck Roast Pieces on High Pressure for 1 hour then Natural Release for 15 minutes
Step Six: Blend and Shred Beef – Transfer beef to a large mixing bowl. Find and discard the bay leaves & cinnamon stick. Keep all the chiles in Instant Pot. Blend the birria sauce with an immersion hand blender. With two forks, shred the beef, then transfer the shredded beef back to the Instant Pot
Step Seven: Season Birria: Taste and adjust the seasoning by adding more salt (for reference: we added roughly 4 – 6 large pinches of salt)
Heat up a skillet over medium heat. Dip corn tortillas in the birria sauce. Make sure the birria sauce is fully covering both sides of corn tortillas because the tortillas will break if they’re too dry. If you’re using a cast-iron skillet, grease pan with oil to prevent tortillas from sticking. You can use a bit of oil for a non-stick pan. It’s important your skillet is hot enough before you start to pan-fry the tortillas. Place corn tortilla on the heated skillet. Layer a handful of grated melting cheese on corn tortilla, then let the cheese melt. Once the cheese has melted and the corn tortilla is a bit crisped, layer some birria meat on the cheese. Fold corn tortilla in half. Serve these birria tacos immediately with dipping sauce and lime slices
Notes: Make extras for the freezer!