Plain talk on food & health Education, not medical advice

Remedy No. 3 · Supper

Birria de Bertha

A Jalisco, Mexico style stewed meat. Enjoy it as a stew, or in tacos.

3 spoons

This is just a reformatting of Bertha’s recipe and guidance from the “Bertha Cooks” YouTube channel. The full video is chock full of expert advice, troubleshooting tips and invaluable wisdom. Get her cookbook just like I did.

This is a Jalisco, Mexico style stewed meat. Enjoy it as a stew, or in tacos. It has been made since long before convenient appliances and grocery stores. Any meat will work, but the toughest and cheapest actually works best for stewing. Trust this, or go down your own rabbit holes to see why it’s true. (Or ask Bertha.)

The key ingredient is time, and leaving it alone.

Rated 3 spoons for attention to detail and cleanup.
Rate it 4 spoons if you do the adobo and the braise without breaks.

How to read this recipe

Each step sits next to the ingredients it uses, and moves further right as the cook goes on.

A heavy line is a safe place to stop and rest.

A dashed line starts an optional part.

Rest Safe to stop Don’t stop here tell you when you can take a break.

Standing or Can sit, and a time, show what a step asks of you.

Tick Done as you go. Your ticks stay on this device, so you can come back to where you left off.

Everything you’ll need (16 ingredients)

6 guajillo chiles
4 ancho chiles
2–3 árbol chiles for spicy heat
2 tomatoes Roma is best
2 tbsp vinegar
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp Mexican oregano
½ tsp black pepper
4 cloves
Small piece of cinnamon (canela)
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp salt kosher is best
Cubed meat cheap beef or goat roasts work best
A couple of bones with the marrow exposed short ribs are ideal, for better taste and texture of the liquid
Water or beef/meat broth only enough to cover the meat by about 1 inch
Traditional toppings: onion, cilantro (coriander leaves), lime

Equipment & Tools

Paring knife	Remove tops, veins and seeds from the peppers. Cutting onion and tomato.
Gloves	Peppers will stain your hands, and sting your eyes when you touch them even hours later.
Comal or griddle	Any good-quality pan will work (not cheap aluminum) to toast the peppers. Cast iron is best. Never use non-stick.
Tongs	Or long fingernails? For turning and handling the peppers while toasting.
Large knife	Cutting the meat into small cubes.
Large pot	Or a crockpot.
Large spoon	Stir, and dip out the fat at the end.
Large zipper bag	Or an airtight container, IF marinating the meat.
Strainer	Press the adobo through it to remove the seeds, skins and grit. Cheesecloth or a nylon bag will work too.

Fix It

Tastes too sour	Add some sugar until it’s pleasant to taste.
Tough meat	Slow cook (braise) longer. Time is the tenderizer.
Liquid (soup) tastes thin or flat	Add salt until the taste is fixed.
Gritty texture	The adobo was poorly strained, or not strained at all. You can strain the soup if the meat hasn’t been shredded and added back yet. Taste before that step if you want a smooth soup.

Adobo

Stovetop

About 15–20 minutes

6 guajillo chiles
4 ancho chiles
2–3 árbol chiles for spicy heat

Toast the chiles on a very hot, dry griddle, comal or skillet, but do not burn them.

This will be a matter of at most a minute each side before BURNING. If they burn, start over: it cannot be fixed.

Remove the stems after toasting. They’re handy for handling the chiles on the heat.

2 tomatoes Roma is best

Simmer the chiles and tomatoes in water to cover until all are soft, about 10 minutes.

2 tbsp vinegar
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp Mexican oregano
½ tsp black pepper
4 cloves
Small piece of cinnamon (canela)

See Bertha for why vinegar is key to the flavor.

Save back 1 cup of the simmer water.

Blend all the spices above with the tomatoes and chiles.

Safe to stop You can stop here and store the adobo if needed.

Strain the adobo through a sieve or mesh nylon bag. This removes the seeds and gritty texture.

Safe to stop You can stop here and store the adobo if needed.

2 bay leaves
1 tbsp salt kosher is best

Use these later, when braising the meat.

Your adobo is safe to freeze, or store in the refrigerator. It should be fine for a week or so.

The Birria

Stovetop, as low heat as possible for a simmer

AT LEAST 3 hours, up to all day

The adobo
Cubed meat cheap beef or goat roasts work best

Coat the meat with the paste. Put it in a bag or tight container if marinating overnight. It can marinate for days, or not at all.

All the adobo and meat
A couple of bones with the marrow exposed short ribs are ideal, for better taste and texture of the liquid
Water or beef/meat broth only enough to cover the meat by about 1 inch
The salt and bay leaves salt to taste

In a deep pot, pour in the water saved from the tomato-chile simmer, and enough extra water to just cover the meat.

Bring to a boil and immediately reduce to the lowest simmer possible.

Cover and let it simmer for at least 3 hours. Bertha says, “Not boiling. WHISPERING. Then go live your life.”

Rest At least 3 hours, hands off.

Skim the red fat from the top and save it. It makes an excellent dip for tortillas, and a drizzle if serving as tacos instead of soup.

Remove the meat, shred it, and add it back to the soup.

Traditional toppings: onion, cilantro (coriander leaves), lime

Serve as a soup.

If serving with tortillas, dip them in the saved red fat and fry them on a very hot comal or griddle for a few seconds on both sides. This is the traditional way of enjoying birria as a soup at the table with your family and friends.

To make “food truck tacos”, lay meat on one side of the tortilla and some cheese on the other. Fold it, then fry it until crispy on both sides.

If you still have reserved fat or liquid from your birria meal, it makes a flavorful base for a pot of beans. A mix of pinto and black is excellent.

Quick Reference Card

The short version, for once you’re comfortable with the recipe. Print it on its own and keep it by the stove.

Birria de Bertha

Toast 6 guajillo + 4 ancho chiles (+ árbol for heat), dry pan, under a minute a side. Stem them.
Simmer with 2 tomatoes in water to cover, about 10 min. Save 1 cup of the water.
Blend with 2 tbsp vinegar, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp oregano, ½ tsp pepper, 4 cloves, a piece of canela. Strain.
Coat the cubed meat. Marinate for days, or not at all.
Cover by 1 inch with the saved water plus water or broth. 2 bay leaves, 1 tbsp salt.
Boil, then turn it down to a whisper. Lid on, 3+ hours.
Skim the red fat. Shred the meat. Serve.

Stop points: after blending, after straining, after coating
Never boiling. Whispering.
Burned chiles can’t be fixed: start over

Birria de Bertha

Equipment & Tools

Fix It

Adobo

The Birria

Quick Reference Card

More from the Kitchen

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