Beef birria tacos with salsa roja

Prepare: 30 mins to 1 hour
Cook: over 2 hours
Serve: Serves 4
Dietary: Egg-free Gluten-free Nut-free

What these slow-cooked beef birria tacos lack in speediness, they more than make up for in incredible flavour!

By Leyli Homayoonfar

From Saturday Kitchen

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Ingredients

For the adobo (marinade)

2 cloves
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
½ cinnamon stick
2 tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp Mexican oregano
2 tbsp neutral oil
½ onion, roughly chopped
4–5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 dried bay leaves
2 dried árbol chillies, stems removed
2 pasilla chillies, stems removed
2 dried guajillo chillies, stems and seeds removed
40g/1½oz tinned chipotle chillies
200g/7oz tin plum tomatoes
1 tsp caster sugar
50ml/2fl oz apple cider vinegar

For the beef

250g/9oz ox cheek, trimmed and cut into large pieces
250g/9oz beef chuck, cut into large pieces
1 tbsp neutral oil
½ banana leaf (optional)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the salsa roja

2 medium plum tomatoes, halved
½ small white onion, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 guajillo chilli, soaked in hot water
1 tsp chipotle in adobo
1 tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp soft light brown sugar (or to taste)
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp neutral oil
squeeze lime juice (optional)
½ tsp fine sea salt (or to taste)

To serve

300g/10½oz grated mozzarella cheese
8 corn tortillas
½ white onion, finely chopped
handful fresh coriander, chopped
lime wedges
pickled red onion

Method

To make the adobo, toast the cloves, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and cinnamon stick in a dry pan for 2–3 minutes until fragrant.
Transfer to a spice grinder or pestle and mortar and grind to a fine powder. Mix in the smoked paprika and oregano, and set aside.
Heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan, add the onion and garlic, and cook until lightly golden.
Add the ground spice blend, bay leaves and whole dried chillies, and fry for 1–2 minutes.
Stir in the chipotle chillies, plum tomatoes, sugar and vinegar.
Simmer gently for 5 minutes, then transfer to a blender and blend to a smooth paste.
To make the beef, preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7. Toss the ox cheek and beef chuck pieces in the oil, season with salt and pepper, and spread in a roasting tray.
Roast uncovered for 15–20 minutes, turning halfway, until well browned. This builds the deep caramelisation you’d get from a BBQ.
Reduce the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Coat the browned beef in the adobo marinade. Add 400ml/14fl oz water to the tray, or enough to reach about halfway up the meat.
Cover tightly with foil and bake for 3–3½ hours, checking once or twice and topping up with a splash of water if needed. The beef is ready when fork-tender and falling apart.
When the beef is ready, remove the foil and pour off the braising liquor (consommé). Skim off the fat and reserve both the fat and the liquid separately. Shred the beef with two forks, mixing the ox cheek and beef chuck together.
To make the sala roja, heat a dry frying pan on high. Add the tomatoes (cut side down), onion, and garlic and char for 3–4 minutes until blackened in spots.
Transfer to a blender with the soaked guajillo chilli, chipotle, smoked paprika, cumin, sugar, vinegar, oil, salt and 15ml/¾fl oz water. Blend for about 30 seconds until smooth. Finish with a squeeze of lime (if using).
To assemble, heat a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Scatter a small handful of grated mozzarella (about the size of a tortilla) directly onto the pan.
Dip each tortilla lightly with a little of the reserved beef fat on one side. Immediately press a tortilla, fat-side up, onto the melting cheese.
Once the cheese starts to crisp and brown, flip the tortilla over to fry for a further minute. Add a spoonful of the shredded birria beef onto one half of the tortilla. Top with salsa roja, onion, and fresh coriander.
Fold the tortilla over the filling and press lightly with a spatula. Flip once to crisp the other side – the edges should be golden and slightly sticky from the cheese and fat. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
Serve the tacos hot with small bowls of the reserved consommé for dipping. Garnish with extra coriander, lime wedges and pickled red onions.