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How to make birria seasoning, tacos in a fraction of the time: Video

Cody Godwin   Paste BN
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If you’re a fan of Mexican food, you’ve likely tasted, or at least seen, birria tacos on a menu. These tacos are served with a side of the consumé the meat, often goat or beef, was stewed in, similar to a French dip sandwich.

The spices and seasonings are the most important part of determining how tasty the dish is. There are a lot of time-consuming elements to making the seasoning for a traditional birria, but with a few simple shortcuts, you can still have all the delicious flavor in a fraction of the time. You can make a homemade birria seasoning mix that's ready to be thrown into the pot on any given Taco Tuesday. Plus, you can also make the seasoning mix as a gift to give your friends, family or coworkers. 

Watch this video to see how you can make birria tacos in a pressure cooker.

DIY Birria taco seasoning

The spices are shelf-stable, so you can make this ahead of time and in bulk. You will need a container or a small mason jar in which to store the mix. 

Ingredients for a homemade birria seasoning mix:

  • 10-12 Large dried chiles. Using a mix of different chilies will create a deeper and more robust flavor.
  • 1 Tbsp. cumin
  • 1 Tbsp. oregano
  • 1 Tbsp. onion powder
  • 1 Tbsp. garlic powder
  • ¼ Tsp. ground cloves
  • ½ Tsp. - ¾ tsp. cinnamon
  • Black pepper
  • ½ Tsp. citric acid
  • 1-2 Bay leaf
  • Optional: tomato powder

To make your own birria seasoning: 

  1. Over a bowl, cut off the stems of the dried chilies and get rid of as many of the seeds as you can. 
  2. Chop the chilies using a food processor, spice grinder, or blender. It doesn’t need to be a fine powder, but it does need to be in smaller, uniform pieces. 
  3. Pour the ground chilies into a jar. 
  4. Add in cumin, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, dried cloves, and cinnamon. These spices are to taste, so feel free to adjust the measurements to your preference.
  5. Add the lid to the jar and shake to blend the spices together. 
  6. OPTIONAL: You can add some tomato powder to the mix. Otherwise, you can set aside some tomato paste to use when you’re preparing the dish. You can also add in beef bouillon powder or a bouillon cube to the jar to make preparing birria even easier. This is especially useful if you’re planning to give the spice mix as a gift.
  7. Add citric acid and mix again. 
  8. Add bay leaves and it’s good to go.

This mix is enough for a 3lb chuck roast. 

This mix does not include salt since many of these spices have salt in them, and the meat will be seasoned with salt. You can add more salt if needed when preparing the birria. 

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Instant Pot birria tacos

Making birria in an Instant Pot or pressure cooker is the fastest way to make it. 

To make birria tacos: 

  1. Lightly season all sides of the chuck roast with salt and pepper. 
  2. Sear the meat with a dash of oil in the Instant Pot, pressure cooker or in a cast iron skillet on the stove. 
  3. Add in tomato paste* just before the meat finishes searing. Smear it on one side of the meat, then flip it so the paste is on the hot surface. 
  4. Dump in the birria spice mix. Toss the meat to get a nice even coating and toast the spices slightly. 
  5. Add enough beef broth* to cover the meat. 
  6. Add a pinch of salt. 
  7. Add the lid, put the pressure on, and let it cook for about an hour. 

*If your birria mix already has beef broth or tomato powder, you do not need the tomato paste or broth. Just use water. 

Once it’s finished, skim the fat off the top. This is often used to cook the tortillas in. Shred the meat and add it to your tacos. You can also add cheese to turn your birria taco into an equally delicious quesabirria taco. Taste the consumé and add more salt if you need it. Then, pour some of the broth into a bowl for dipping, serve and enjoy.

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