Birria Tacos (Quesabirria)

These impressive, messy & delicious tacos are great for a crowd.  Make these for your next taco night with friends. Make them the day before for easy party planning.
You will have plenty of leftovers with this recipe if you don't make it for a party.
​You can make Birria Soup or Birria Ramen.

Makes: about 24 tacos
Prep time: 30 minutes 
Total time: 4 hours

INGREDIENTS:

for the birria:
4 ounces guajillo chilies (about 12), stemmed and seeded
7 morita chilies, stemmed and seeded
2 ancho chilies, stemmed and seeded
2 plum tomatos
4 garlic cloves, peeled
2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
5 whole cloves
1 bay leaf
¼ white onion, peeled 
2 tablespoons kosher salt
5 tablespoons white vinegar
5 pounds of, or a combination of beef round knuckle (meat you would use in roasts), cap removed and bone in beef short ribs 
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3/4 cup vegetable oil

for the tacos and serving:
1 pound shredded Monterey Jack cheese or Oaxaca cheese (or combine them!)
corn tortillas. Corn is traditional but I found small flour tortillas and had to go for it.
1 bunch cilantro, minced
1 large white onion, finely chopped
lime wedges, for serving
pickled red onion
salsas of your choice, for serving

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a medium saucepan, cover the chilies with 8 cups of water until fully submerged. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat and let sit until the chilies are soft, about 10 minutes. Strain, reserving the liquid. 
2. Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the tomatoes and cook 2 minutes. Transfer the tomatoes and the chilies to a blender with 4 cups of the reserved soaking liquid, the garlic, oregano, cumin, peppercorns, cloves, bay leaf, onion, salt, and vinegar and blend until smooth. 
3. Meanwhile, rinse the beef and pat dry. Cut into 4-inch pieces and season all over with salt and pepper.
4. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high. Add the chili paste and cook, stirring constantly, until bright red, 15 to 20 minutes. Add the beef and 3-4 cups water (just until meat is submerged) and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, cover with a lid and cook until the beef is very tender, about 3 hours. 
5. Skim the bright red oil from the top of the birria and set aside. This is what you will dip the tortillas in to fry them.
6. Take out all of the meat from the consommé and finely chop it (you should have around 7 cups of meat). Add a bit of the broth to the remaining meat to keep it moist. 
7. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium. Dip a tortilla into the skimmed chile oil, coating it. Place it on the skillet and cook until pliable, 1 minute or so. Top half with a couple tablespoons cheese and about ¼ cup of the chopped meat. Fold the tortilla over onto itself and cook, flipping once, until golden and crispy on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, meat, and cheese.
8. To serve, ladle some of the birria consommé into a small cup or bowl and sprinkle with some of the cilantro and onion. Add some cilantro and onion inside the taco and squeeze in some lime juice then add any of your other toppings and drizzle in some salsa.  Dip in the consommé and then shove it in your mouth. Have plenty of napkins because this is messy and you will walk away with a greasy chin!

​This recipe is adapted from Andres Galindo