They say cooking is an art form. I wholeheartedly agree.
One of my favorite things about cooking is the history behind each dish.
To honor birria and its history, I spent 5 whole days preparing the dish.
Birria is a slow-cooked, tender goat or beef stew that’s typically served in tacos, dipped in a consommé.
Historically, birria was the regional name given in the state of Jalisco and surrounding areas to what is known as barbacoa. This refers to meats cooked or roasted in a pit or earth oven in other regions of Mexico.
Birria-style meals go all the way back to the post-classic period (Aztec/Mesoamerica) from 1300 to 1521.
Traditionally birria was served on bread, tortillas or even directly in hand.
As is usual, there exist many folk stories and myths about the origin of birria.
One such story argues that in 1519, Hernán Cortés and the Conquistadors first landed in Mexico, bringing various old-world domestic animals, including goats. During the conquest of the Aztec Empire, the Conquistadors were faced with an overpopulation of goats, so they decided to give the animals to the natives. While goat meat was supposedly looked down upon by the Conquistadors, as it was tough and had a strong smell, the natives accepted the animals, as marinating the meat in indigenous styles made it palatable and appetizing. The dishes they produced were called "birria", a derogatory term meaning "worthless", by the Spanish, in reference to their having given the natives meat with apparently noxious characteristics.
According to another legend, the dish was invented accidentally during the eruption of a volcano, when a shepherd was forced to abandon his goats in a cave where they were cooked perfectly by the steam. [via WikiPedia]
In 1950, a taquero named Guadalupe Zarata set up a taco stand in Tijuana after moving there from Coatzingo, Puebla. Zarata's stand initially sold asado and pastor tacos. Zárate soon decided to make beef birria because goat meat was more expensive and less fatty. One day, someone told Zarata to add more liquid to the meat. The resulting dish is now known as Tijuana-style beef birria and became a household name among birrierias for being the first person in Tijuana to make birria with consomé.
During the 2010s, the quesabirria (a taco stuffed with birria and cheese, often served with consommé) became popular in North America after first being developed in Tijuana. Another variation using instant ramen originated in Mexico City and later gained popularity in the Los Angeles area.
Primeaux Birria Tacos Recipe
These tacos, also known as quesatacos or quesabirria, can be enjoyed in many ways. I savored them for three different meals: a traditional dinner, breakfast with an egg on top and cannellini beans on the side, and another meal with black refried beans. This recipe yields at least 10 servings, ensuring plenty of deliciousness to go around.
Ingredients
For the Meat Marinade:
2 lb chuck roast
1 & 1/2 cups fresh oregano
2 tablespoons black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup fresh cilantro
1 cup parsley
2 whole cinnamon sticks
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 large white onion, diced
1/2 head elephant garlic, diced
3 cans crushed San Marzano tomatoes
1 & 1/2 cups white vinegar
5 bay leaves
2 tablespoons wildflower honey
1/2 tablespoon salt (to taste)
1 cup water (to cover)
For the Meat Seasoning (Day Two):
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon corn starch
For the Consommé:
7 guajillo chilis, dried and rehydrated
8 cups chicken broth
1 cup water (to cover)
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup olive oil
Reserved marinade
For the Tacos:
8 corn tortillas (or more, depending on your preference)
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack, cheddar, and asadero cheese (or a pre-shredded Mexican cheese blend)
1 white onion, diced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, diced
Butter and consommé fat solids (for tortilla slathering)
Instructions
Day One:
Begin by preparing the chuck roast for marination. In a large bowl, combine the fresh oregano, black pepper, olive oil, fresh cilantro, parsley, cinnamon sticks, cloves, ginger, diced onion, diced garlic, crushed San Marzano tomatoes, white vinegar, bay leaves, honey, salt, and water.
Submerge the chuck roast in this marinade, ensuring it is fully coated. Cover and refrigerate overnight, allowing the flavors to penetrate the meat deeply.
Day Two:
Remove the chuck roast from the marinade, reserving the marinade for later. Pat the meat dry.
Lightly dust the meat with the baking soda, salt, and corn starch, ensuring an even coating.
Heat an Instant Pot to sauté mode, adding butter and olive oil. Brown the chuck roast on all sides, then remove it from the pot.
Deglaze the pot with a bit of the reserved marinade, scraping up all the flavorful bits from the bottom.
Add the rest of the marinade, along with the rehydrated guajillo chilis, chicken broth, and water.
Return the browned chuck roast to the pot, set to low, and cook overnight for about 9 hours.
Day Three:
After cooking, leave the Instant Pot on the warm setting while you go about your day.
In the evening, turn off the heat and allow the pot to cool before refrigerating the entire mixture overnight. This rest period allows the flavors to meld beautifully.
Day Four:
Carefully remove the chuck roast from the broth/consommé and shred the meat. Set it aside.
Remove the chili peppers and bay leaves from the consommé.
Strain out the solids from the consommé using a fine mesh strainer, and set these solids aside.
Use an immersion blender to blend the strained solids until smooth. Mix this flavorful blend back into the shredded meat.
Place the shredded meat in one container and the consommé in another, refrigerating both overnight.
Day Five:
Shred the cheese and prepare the tortillas.
Skim the fat solids from the top of the chilled consommé.
Pour the consommé into a saucepot and heat up on medium/low.
Heat a cast iron pan, melt a pat of butter, and slather each tortilla with the fat solids from the consommé.
Fill each tortilla with the shredded meat and cheese mixture, topping with diced onion and fresh cilantro.
Serve the tacos hot, with a bowl of consommé on the side for dipping and sipping.
In the past two years, I've been so focused on building my business that I drifted away from the art that first inspired me.
So, I made it a priority to create this piece, knowing that if I didn't nurture my creative side, I would risk feeling stagnant and resentful.
This Mosaic Damascus chef will be available for sale only through a special Founder’s Series Auction on my Primeaux website in a couple of weeks.
I haven't told anyone about this yet…so I thought I’d offer you a teaser.
This a very important piece. It was truly a labor of love and a test of my skill.
I stayed up for hours at a time, and I actually spent an entire day working on the Damascus; I am not exaggerating; I spent a full 24 hours.
I watched the sun rise and set from my studio and then rise again.
I opened the rolling entryway of my shop, and the sun gleamed on the blade. I felt the essence and beauty of a summer morning reflecting back into my eyes. The mosaic pattern caught the sunlight, and I was mesmerized, gazing at the intricate layers.
Not only is this a one-of-a-kind piece, and I took a few months to create it, but I also made it with art collectors in mind, and I truly love the idea that this will be a piece in my canon of functional art knives. And while collectors may enjoy this piece, this will also be a piece you can use in your kitchen daily with pride.
I am looking forward to offering it up for sale to my special and most loyal supporters as a new piece for their collections.
I've also created a video documenting the entire process.
You'll be the first to know when I fully launch the auction…
I’m in the mood to announce a lot of surprises today…!
So here’s one more!
I've been crafting these glorious spatulas using claro walnut, aged bronze, and stainless knife steel. I sharpen each one at the end like all of my knives, allowing you to chop up anything in your pan…I have one at home, and I use it every day.
I did an incredibly limited run during Blade Show Atlanta, and they all sold out instantly, but I am still gauging to see if there is any interest in a full release.
Please comment or reply to this message if you want one.
I’m only going to make more if I get a good response.
Developing all of my products involves extensive time and significant expenses for research and development.
I will be posting about the spatulas on my main newsletter with an upcoming survey very soon, but I wanted to make the announcement here first. This is what the Primeaux Deep Dive is all about—offering you deep cuts and new information before anyone else. That's the benefit of subscribing to this newsletter.
Learn more about my Custom Knife Giveaway here.
Have a great weekend,
I would 100% purchase a spatula!
I would purchase a spatula, maybe two!