Step One: Puree the onion in a food processor. Sieve its juice into a large mixing bowl. We just need the juice
Step Two: Put the ground beef, döner kebab seasoning, salt, yogurt and milk in the same bowl. Combine them well using your hand. Give it a log shape
Step Three: Transfer it on a baking paper and wrap it tightly. Let it rest in the fridge for 2 hours. Then transfer it to the freezer and let it sit there for 8 hours or overnight
Step Four: Remove it from the freezer and let it sit on the counter for 5 minutes. Hold the döner log with a piece of baking paper and carefully make large thin slices using a sharp knife
Step Five: Heat one teaspoon butter in a non stick pan over high heat. Line sliced döner pieces in a single layer and cook both sides until nicely brown
Step Six: Cook döner in batches and never overload the pan
Notes: Drizzle this tzatziki sauce on top for extra flavor!
1 ½ poundslamb shoulder, excess fat trimmed and diced into 1-inch cubes (see Recipe Notes)
2 medium carrots, finely diced
1 stalk celery, finely diced
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine(such as Chianti)
1 cup low-sodium beef stock
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1 sprig fresh rosemary
8–10 sprigs fresh thyme
kosher saltand ground black pepper, to season
16–24 ounces pasta (pappardelle, bucatini, rigatoni, etc.) or gnocchi
1/4 – 1/3 cup grated parmesan(roughly 1 tablespoon per serving)
¼ – 1/3 cup heavy cream(roughly 1 tablespoon per serving)
for serving, as desired: additional grated parmesan, finely chopped fresh herbs, etc.
Instructions
Step One: Brown the lamb shoulder – Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to an instapot using the Saute mode. Use paper towel to pat the lamb as dry as possible, then season generously with 1 teaspoon each kosher salt & ground black pepper. Add the seasoned lamb to the instapot and cook until deeply browned on all sides, about 2-3 minutes per side. Work in batches as needed to avoid overcrowding the pot, which prevents browning. Transfer the lamb to a plate and set aside
Step Two: Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pot & reduce the heat to medium. Once the oil is hot & shimmers, add in the onion, carrots, and celery, seasoning with 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are softened & deeply browned, 15-20 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, stirring to coat the veggies, and cook for 1-2 minutes more, caramelizing the tomato paste
Step Three: Slowly pour the red wine into the instapot, using a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits that have formed at the bottom of the pot – that’s where all the flavor is! Let the red wine reduce by about half (this goes by quickly!), then pour in the beef stock, crushed tomatoes, and herbs. I like to use kitchen twine to tie them into a little bundle for easy removal. Return the lamb to the instapot
Step Four: Cover & seal the pressure cooker. Cook on manual high pressure for 45 minutes. Allow the pressure cooker to naturally release pressure for 15 minutes before carefully flicking the valve to its “venting” position to vent out any residual pressure When it’s ready, the lamb should shred very easily – it’ll be tender enough that you should be able to shred it right in the ragu by using the back of a wooden spoon. Remove & discard the spent bay leaves & herbs. Shred the lamb & stir to combine. At this point, you can cool & store for later use (see Recipe Notes for storage & freezing instructions), or proceed with prepping lamb ragu pappardelle or gnocchi (below).
Notes: My preferred cut of lamb for this braised lamb ragu is lamb shoulder, though lamb shanks will work very well, too. Because of the long cooking time involved, avoid lean cuts like lamb chops.
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
