From pac@stny.rr.com Thu Jul 25 16:45:55 2002 Date: Mon, 22 Jul 2002 13:47:03 GMT From: Paul Covey Newsgroups: alt.food.mexican-cooking Subject: Birria I tried to reply to the Birria question twice with recipes, but didn't see my response show up. Perhaps it was because I sent them as attachments. I'll try just pasting them in my message and see if that works. As I said in the earlier attempts if anyone did get them, they were posted in the group some time ago, during a period when there was a lot of unfortunate bickering about "authenticity" with Victor Martinez insisting on recipes that were purely Mexican with no outside influences like Southwestern. However, a lot of good recipes were posted, both by others and by him. I don't know who two of the posters were for these, so can't give credit, but I'm pretty sure the other two were from Victor. I haven't tried them, but judge for yourselves by reading them. Paul Covey FIRST RECIPE BIRRIA [Seasoned and baked meat] Here is a recipe for Birria that I found in the AOL cooking forum, It was put up by someone called Mrarchway. It looks like it is pretty close to what Birria should be, except I would prefer to use all goat (cabrito) meat rather than pork/veal/lamb. BIRRIA [Seasoned and baked meat] 8 to 10 servings The word birria means something deformed or grotesque, and it is used colloquially in the northwest to mean a mess or failure. This certainly looks a mess when it is cooked, but it is a very savory one. It is a really rustic dish. Usually a whole goat or lamb, although in some places just the offal, is seasoned with a paste of ground spices and chiles and cooked in a pit barbecue. As you wander around Guadalajara at night, you can see that tacos of birria head the list of antojitos on the street-side stands and always appear prominently on the Sunday menus of the smaller regional restaurants. Here is a family version of birria, with the variety of chiles used in Zacatecas, rather than the plain chilacate or ancho used in Jalisco. One day ahead: 2 lamb shanks A veal breast A lamb breast 3 pounds loin of pork, rib or shoulder end 2 TBS salt 6 chiles anchos 3 chiles guajillos 10 chiles cascabel 18 peppercorns 4 whole cloves 1/4 tsp oregano Scant 1/4 tsp cumin seeds 1/4 cup vinegar 2 tsp salt 6 cloves garlic, peeled 1/2 small onion There will be approximately 6 to 7 pounds of meat. Slash the meats in several places down to the bone and rub the salt well into it. Meanwhile, prepare the chili paste. Heat the comal and toast the chiles lightly, turning them from time to time so that they will not burn. Remove the veins and seeds. Put the chiles to soak in hot water for about 20 minutes, then transfer with a slotted spoon to the blender jar, add the rest of the ingredients, and blend to a smooth sauce. Cover the meat thickly with the paste and set it aside to season for about 18 hours. On serving day: 1 1/2 cups water The meat Flour and water paste 2 pounds tomatoes, broiled 1 cup onion, finely chopped 1/2 tsp oregano Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put the water into the bottom of a large Dutch oven or casserole with a tightly fitting lid and place the meat on a rack so that it is just above the water. Seal the lid with a paste of flour and water and cook for about 3 1/2 to 4 hours, by which time the meat should be almost falling off the bones. Strain off the juices from the bottom of the pan, cool, and skim off the fat. There should be about 2 cups of juices left- if not, make it up to 2 cups with water. Blend the tomatoes to a smooth sauce. Put the sauce and the skimmed juices from the meat into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Serve each portion of mixed meats in a deep bowl. Pour 1/2 cup sauce over the meat and sprinkle with the chopped onion and oregano. Eat with tortillas. I have a friend in Guadalajara who always prepares this dish with mixed meats, but I have changed the recipe she gave me in two respects: (1) she uses all chiles anchos, which are boiled for 5 minutes, and (2) the meat is steamed. I find it much more delicious with the meat cooked in the oven and the chiles, with a few cascabeles and guajillos added, toasted and soaked in the usual way. It is customary in the northwestern states to boil chiles, but I think they lose a lot of their character. Apart from the fact that it is unnecessary to buy expensive cuts, birria is a great opportunity to use the succulent and delicious parts of meat like lamb shanks and breasts, and veal breasts-you can also include some goat's meat, if you like. I know that these are very fatty cuts, but the fat cooks off and the broth is skimmed before it is used in the sauce. NEXT RECIPE Birria ------ 2 lb chuck roast 2 bay leaves 1 onion peeled and quartered 1/2 head garlic, peeled (that's head, not clove) black peppercorns 3 tsp chile powder (any brand will do, or use pure) 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp oregano salt and pepper to taste Place first five ingredients in dutch oven and add water just to cover. Bring to boil, cover, and place in 325F oven for 2 hours, or until very tender. Remove the meat and strain broth, discarding the onion, etc.. Remove excess fat from broth and return to pot. Add the chile powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. Remove excess fat from meat and divide into large (1" or so) chunks. It should pull apart easily. Return meat to seasoned broth and *barely* simmer, covered, for an hour. I serve this with warm corn tortillas, finely shredded cabbage, grated carrot, and a relish made from chopped tomato, onion and cilantro. Pull up some meat from the broth with tongs (or a slotted spoon), allow it to drain for a moment, place it on a tortilla, and top with the above items. This is not a spicy dish and you'll want some salsa. Whatever you do, DON'T top it with anything tomatoey like Pace (actually, I don't like that stuff--but that's another story). If you live in an area that carries it, you can use something like Tapatio, Guaca Maya, Pico Pica, or even Cholula. My favorite is one that I've only found at a meat market on South 12th. It's made in Hermosillo and the brand is called Yaqui. However, if you're really ambitious, read on... Salsa de chile arbol -------------------- ***WARNING*** This stuff is hot and can hurt you. Be careful when you remove the lid from the pot after soaking and especially when you remove the lid from the blender. Take it off while holding your breath, set down the lid and walk away until the fumes die down. Do NOT get your face over the pot or blender. When removing the stems, handle the chiles with a fork, spoon, or tongs. Don't touch the chiles with your bare hands. While hot, this sauce has a wonderful flavor that complements the above dish well. 20 to 50 chiles de arbol 1/4 medium onion 3 to 4 cloves garlic, peeled pinch oregano 1/4 cup cider vinegar salt to taste Place chiles in a 300F oven and toast until you can just smell the roasting aroma. Do not burn them or they'll be bitter. Place the chiles in a saucepan with the onion and garlic. Add a cup or two of water and bring to a boil and then remove from the heat and cover the pan. Let stand 20 to 30 minutes. Remove stems from chiles and place in a blender along with the onion, garlic and other ingredients. Blend until smooth, adding some of the soaking water to thin out the mixture. It should be somewhere between water and tomato sauce in thickness. Will keep for weeks in the refrigerator. THIRD RECIPE I believe this was posted by Victor Martinez. BIRRIA ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ingredients: 1 lb goat or pork meat 1 lb goat or pork leg (the lower part) 1 lb goat or pork ribs 2 "de arbol" peppers, seeded (substitute any small hot dry peppers) 2 ancho peppers, seeded 2 pasilla peppers, seeded 3 garlic cloves 5 allspice 1/4 tsp thyme (dry) 1/4 tsp oregano 1/4 tsp ginger (powder) 1/2 tsp sesame seeds the juice of two oranges 1 cup of good vinegar salt 2 tbsp of marjoran to cook the meat For the broth: 1 1/2 lbs roasted tomatoes 1/2 large white onion 1 garlic clove 1 tbsp oregano 2 tbsp lard 2 1/2 quarts chicken stock To serve with: chopped onion dry oregano limes hot sauce Procedures: Soak the peppers in very hot water for 10 minutes, then blend them with the spices, orange juice and vinegar. Strain and season with salt. Put the meat in a cazuela or duth oven and cover with the sauce. Let stand for 24 hours (in the fridge). Roast at 400 F. Cut the meat in pieces and serve with tortillas and the above trimmings or you can serve it also in the broth, like a soup. For the broth: blend the ingredients and strain. Sautee in hot lard, add the chicken stock and simmer for 10 minutes. FOURTH RECIPE I believe this was posted by Victor Martinez Birria de Jallisco II Ingredients: 1.1 lbs goat or pork meat 1.1 lbs goat or pork leg (the lower part, where the calves are) 1.1 lbs goat or pork ribs 2 arbol peppers (substitute japanese peppers or small hot dry peppers) seeded 2 pasilla peppers, seeded 3 ancho peppers, seeded 3 garlic cloves 5 allspice 1/4 tsp thyme 1/4 tsp oregano 1/4 tsp ginger 1/2 tsp sesame seeds juice of two oranges (sour oranges are better) 1 cup of good vinegar salt to taste 2 tsps marjoran to cook the meat For the broth: 1.6 lbs tomatoes, roasted, peeled and seeded 1/2 large white onion 1 garlic cloves 1 tsp oregano 2 Tbsp lard or corn oil 2.5 qt chicken broth To serve: minced onion, dry oregano, limes, hot sauce (see below) Procedure: Soak the peppers in hot water for 10 minutes. Blend them with the spices, oj and vinegar, strain and season with salt. Put the meat in a dutch oven, cover with the sauce and refrigerate overnight. Cook in low heat with the marjoran until tender. Move to the oven at 400 F to brown. Cut in pieces and serve with tortillas, minced onion, limes and hot sauce, or also with the broth (below) with oregano. For the broth: Blend the tomatoes with onion, garlic, oregano and strain. Sautee in hot lard until well seasoned, add broth and simmer for 10 minutes. For the hot sauce: Toast 3.5 oz of arbol peppers (small, very hot dry peppers), seed them and blend with 1 cup of water, 1/2 cup white vinegar and salt.