Birria originated in Guadalajara, Mexico, and has a history that dates back more than 150 years. But it’s one of the hottest restaurant trends in San Antonio and across the state, with birria photos dominating social media.
Birria essentially is a stew loaded with a laundry list of spices and meat — traditionally lamb, goat or beef — that is slowly cooked in sauce. It’s a close cousin to Texas chili.
The meat often is removed, shredded and used in tacos, quesadillas or burritos and served with a bowl of the tasty cooking broth for dunking the taco, like a French dip or Chicago-style Italian beef sandwich.
Four years ago, Juan and Guadalupe Garcia decided to open Birriería Estilo Jalisco, a quaint corner restaurant inside a San Antonio strip center off Nacogdoches Road that features birria. There’s no way to prove it, but Juan believes his family restaurant may have been the first in the area to offer the dish.
The techniques at Birriería Estilo Jalisco are derived from recipes that have been in Guadalupe’s family for generations.
“The story of our birria goes back to my wife’s great-grandfather,” Juan Garcia said. “When we opened the restaurant, we knew we were bringing something new to the city.”
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Garcia said the dish is now so popular that business has been on the increase, even during the COVID-19 pandemic.
El Remedio, a food truck at 2924 Culebra Road on the West Side, recently added birria, including a grilled cheese option. Demand has been so great, customers are instructed to order in advance of service dates.
Chef Ernie Bradley (Kuriya @ Cherrity Bar) and business partner David Malley are in the process of developing their new East Side restaurant, La Tienda de la Birria, which they hope to open this fall. They got the idea in January after multiple excursions to the Guadalajara area to learn the cooking techniques.
“It’s a really interesting meal that has all sorts of communal elements,” Bradley said. “It’s no secret that I enjoy soup. Most of my recipes will have four or five ingredients, and with the birria, the process involves some of the longest recipe lists I’ve ever seen.”
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The sauce for birria can require from 15 to 20 ingredients. Chiles, such as guajillo, chipotle and ancho, are key to the process, as are spices like cumin, oregano, ginger, cloves, cinnamon and thyme. Apple cider vinegar is also added to the mix, as well as onion, garlic and tomatoes.
There’s nothing wrong with letting the kitchen pros do the work for you, but cooking it at home is not difficult — it’s just a lengthy process.
Start with lean cuts of beef (shank, chuck or loin) and season them liberally with salt, pepper and cumin like you would with a dry rub on any other piece of meat. There’s no need to chop it into smaller pieces, because it should be so tender after the cooking process that you can shred it with your hands.
Remove the seeds from the chiles, give them a quick sizzle on the stovetop, and transfer them to a small pot of boiling water. Slice a large white onion and tomatoes, and give them a good browning before adding the garlic and spices.
Then, transfer the mixture for the sauce into a blender and give it a whirl until it has the texture of a thick salsa. Pour the mixture over the meat in an oven-safe pot or pan and marinate in the refrigerator overnight if possible, or at least four hours.
The cooking process is easy: Just let the meat braise on the stove, in the oven or on the grill for about three hours. The thickened sauce will break down into a more watery broth, and the meat will tenderize.
After that, it’s up to you to do with it what you want. Birria is traditionally served with chopped cilantro, onion, lime wedges and corn tortillas, with the tortillas given a quick sauce bath before they’re assembled into a taco or quesadilla. The end result showcases each and every one of the ingredients, and — bonus! — your kitchen will smell heavenly.
Chuck Blount is a food writer and columnist covering all things grilled and smoked in the San Antonio area. Find his Chuck's Food Shack columns on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.comTo read more from Chuck, become a subscriber. cblount@express-news.net | Twitter: @chuck_blount | Instagram: @bbqdiver
The Link LonkSeptember 01, 2020 at 12:20AM
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Chuck’s Food Shack: How to make beef birria tacos at home - San Antonio Express-News
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