Welcome to Birria Kitchen! We are excited to have you here and to share our love for birria with you. If you found yourself here, you are either an experienced birria lover or someone looking to try this wonderful dish for the first time. Regardless of your experience with cooking birria, we have you covered with detailed step-by-step recipes that will guide you through cooking a variety of dishes in a easy-to-understand way.
What Is Birria?
Birria was, until recently, one of Mexican cuisine’s best-kept secrets. Now, the word is out, as birria has become a social media sensation. But it’s not just hype. Birria deserves its recent popularity because it is genuinely both unique and delicious – two things I always look for when trying out new food. Although the word birria has become a popular search term for a variety of different types of dishes, today, we are going to cover the most traditional type of birria that you would find in an authentic Mexican birrieria.
Although birria’s origins can be traced back to the Mexican state of Jalisco, it can now be found in varying regions throughout Mexico. Birria is typically made by drenching meat in a bold and flavorful sauce. This meat and sauce combination is then sealed tightly with a corn dough, lowered into a hole in the ground which has hot stones providing a high heat source, and cooked for several hours until it is incredibly tender and is falling off the bone. Before you reach for your nearest shovel, please note that this recipe does not require to do any digging. We will be using more modern appliances, such as an instant pot/pressure cooker or a dutch oven, for our version of this delicious dish.
Birria can be prepared with a variety of different cuts of meat. Depending on what part of Mexico you are in, you may find birria prepared with goat, lamb, beef, pork, and even chicken or fish! We will be providing you with recipes for a variety of proteins, including veggie and vegan options!
Birria is often a popular food at celebratory events in Mexico, such as weddings, baptisms, or holiday family gatherings.
Can Vegetarians and Vegans Enjoy Birria?
Yes, definitely! Although traditionally, birria is made with meat, we will have options for vegetarians and vegans to enjoy birria. You can make vegetarian birria with vegetables and/or with tofu. As we test different options for vegetarians, we will continue to add more options to the site.
Don’t worry, vegans. We’ve got you covered also. The vegetarian versions of the birria recipes are naturally vegan friendly, as no milk products are used in the making of the base birria recipes.
What Will I Need To Make Birria?
As far as cooking equipment is concerned, we strongly recommend getting an Instant Pot or similar pressure cooker. However, if you don’t have one, don’t worry. You can also use a slow cooker or a plain old stove or oven. We’ve listed the recommended tools below. We also encourage you to visit our Pantry page to gather all the ingredients you will need to make the dishes on this site.
Recommended Cooking Equipment
- Instant Pot (optional, but recommended)
- Stove, oven, or slow cooker
- Blender or food processor
- Fine mesh strainer
- Pot, baking dish, or dutch oven, depending on the cooking method you use
Put together an ingredient list by visiting our Pantry page here.
Ways To Enjoy Birria
Birria by itself can be a delicious keto friendly standalone main dish with a side of onions, cilantro, and lime. I can be eaten for lunch or dinner without any other accompaniments. However, it can also be enjoyed in a variety of different ways, such as using them to make tacos, quesadillas, eggs, potatoes, and even ramen!
We will show you how to use birria in breakfast, lunch, and dinner dishes. We will provide keto, veggie and vegan friendly options. We will have a variety of ways to repurpose leftovers so you can enjoy your birria in different ways and keep things interesting in the kitchen.
Can I Prepare Birria Ahead Of Time?
Yes, absolutely! In fact, we think it tastes even better the next day, as it allows the sauce to really mesh together over the course of several hours. However, you can eat it right away also, as the consommé packs enough flavor to be enjoyed right after it cooks.
Birria will stay in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, although we recommend not going over 4 days.
Can I Freeze Birria?
Yes! Birria can be frozen for up to 3 months and reused. Please note that you cannot reuse it again once you defrost it. We strongly recommend storing the soup/consommé separately from the meat.
We recommend freezing it in portions of 1 lb of meat and 2 cups of consommé. This way, you can use it as for smaller household meals and also to use in one of our mashups without having to use large portions of leftovers.
To reheat the birria, you can either reheat the meat and consommé separately in a microwave, or you can put the meat and consommé together in a pot or pan, cover, and cook on low heat until it’s hot.
Okay, Where Do I Start?
First, take a look at the different base birria recipes we have. This will get you started on cooking birria.
Once you have made some birria, and you want to use leftovers or use the base birria for something different, go to our Mashups section or our Recipes section for ideas on how to make unique recipes using birria.
You can also look at our Salsa Recipe page for a variety of salsas that go great with birria.
Thanks again for visiting and happy eating!
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