Birria is one of my favorite Mexican BBQ foods, If you’re not from Mexico you probably have not had it but you will want to try it if you love a spicy BBQ style goat stew.
Let me tell you how I was introduced to this Mexican dish. My old girlfriend loved to eat spicy food and barbecue that’s one of the reasons why we got along so well. She was Hispanic and knew all the hidden gem places to eat where no gringo went. And she showed me some great Mexican BBQ dishes that we don’t have here in the USA.
Well, Arizona is different you know that half of the state used to belong to Mexico just a few miles below Phoenix was part of Mexico in the 1800s. I used to go with her to Rocky Point also known as Puerto Penasco to hang out on the beach after a hard week at work.
Well, I went with her to eat breakfast down there in the downtown area and it seemed that on Saturday and Sunday the whole town would be up in the morning going to these open air restaurants-basically someone set up to cook Birria outside and put plastic tables and chairs for everyone to sit at.
The Birria there in Sonora is made from goat the same is true in Mexican restaurants in phoenix, There are recipes where Birria is made from beef or lamb but I think the best taste is with goat meat.
Well, there were no gringos there at the Birria outdoor joint that I went to with Sandra, they all hang out at the fancy beach resorts at the Sea of Cortez or go drinking at the bars at the sea shore you see the Rocky point on Arizona’s closest beach to get too.
Let’s get back to this goat-stew. this is the deal you stand in line with everyone else and get a bowl of this delicious spicy goat stew, pay for it, then sit down at the table eating with a dozen other people outdoors.
It seemed that the entire town was up here at 6 am waiting to get fed the delicious smells that were coming out of the kitchen into the outside air well I can’t describe it you will just have to experience it yourself. On the table are bowls of chopped onions and cilantro that you use to season the Birria.
I sat down in the corner and started eating my Birria and enjoying myself immensely this is really good stuff with a tangy flavor from the dried chip peppers that are used to slow cook the goat meat.
As I was sitting eating my stew 2 federals the Mexican equivalent of our FBI came to my table and sat down with the bowels of their stew and started eating.
I was thinking myself if I can pass for a Mexican of English descent. My girlfriend said hello to this Mexican federal police and continued to eat.
They asked me in Spanish to pass the onions and cilantro down to them so I thought I fooled them. But then at the end, after they finished one of them said to me in English “its good stuff the Birria gringo right?”
Well I guess I had not been in Mexico long enough-9 years of back and forth travel over the border is not enough-maybe I’ll pass in another 20 years.
Recipe Ingredients:
- 1 cup Vidalia or red cupped onion
- 4 serrano chillis
- 4 ancho chilies or 4 jalopeno
- 3 pounds goat meat or lamb or beef best with goat
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoon oregano
- one cup water
- 4 garlic cloves peeled
- 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 cup water
- bunch of cilantro for garnish
- chopped up a sweet onion for garnish
- 1 tablespoon
Make Your Chili Paste
Heat the chilies over a grill until skin starts to blister and they turn soft then take of the grill and throw into a blender with your garlic and oregano and pepper and one cup vinegar. Blend until you have a paste mixture.
Take your meat and place in a plastic container and add the above paste mixture which will be used as a marinade overnight. Marinade the mix and transfer it the next day to a metal pot.
Add one more cup of vinegar and one cup of water and bake the mixture for 3 hours at 225 degrees. Check to see if you need more water after one hour in the oven check again at 2 hours.
Check the temperature of the goat with an instant thermometer when its 160 degrees f it is cooked and safe to eat. take the pot out of the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes. Get out the flour tortillas its time for a feast!
Add meat to the above mixture and serve. Have chopped onion and cilantro in the bowls to garnish the Birria.
Enjoy
How to Cook Goat Birria recipe from CookingAndTraveling
He does things different and its interesting to watch his recipe, I think that goat is still the best tasting stew when it comes to birria. Let me know what you think.
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