## Chef's notes

This recipe is from a YouTube video that my mom sent to me because she wanted to try it. I made the recipe for my family once, and it was a success. We made Birria bowls, Birria nachos, Quesatacos (crispy tacos filled with cheese, birria, cilantro, onion and Salsa Macha.) I have been using this recipe for the last three years. 

The YouTube title is "BIRRIA ESTILO TIJUANA en la birriería 'EL HOMMIE'". https://youtu.be/zAn8iM8dR14?si=gdYKBPyqyX13bwyo

## Details

- ⏲️ Prep time: The prep time for the recipe involves several steps, including preparing the vegetables, roasting and preparing the chiles, blending the ingredients, and straining the sauce. Here's a rough estimate of the prep time: Preparing vegetables and chiles (cutting, roasting, and removing seeds): 15 minutes Blending and straining the sauce: 10 minutes Mixing ingredients and initial setup for cooking the meat: 10-15 minutes Overall, the estimated prep time is now approximately 35-40 minutes.
- 🍳 Cook time: The cooking time for the recipe involves several steps:  Boiling the sauce: 20 minutes Cooking the meat in the broth: 4-8 hours (The cooking time for the meat in the broth depends on how small or big you cut the meat before cooking.) Additional steps such as cooking down the fat (if using for Quesatacos): 20 minutes Overall, the estimated cooking time is approximately 4 hours and 40 minutes to 8 hours and 40 minutes.
- 🍽️ Servings: This recipe typically serves approximately 8-10 people +, depending on how much meat each person eats or how many tacos you make.

## Ingredients

- 24 Guajillo chiles
- 17 Pasilla chiles
- 1 large onion
- Water (to boil dry chiles)
- 5 cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 tablespoons salt
- 5 garlic cloves
- Salt to taste
- Ingredients for Cooking Birria:
- 1/2 bunch cilantro
- 10 tablespoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 + 1/2 tablespoons ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 6 cups water
- Adobo sauce (from dry chiles listed above)


## Directions

1. Adobo Sauce Preparation:
2. To prepare the vegetables for the Adobo sauce, cut the tomatoes into halves. Next, cut the white onion into quarters.
3. Remove the stem and seeds from the dried peppers. Roast the ancho and guajillo chiles for a couple of seconds on each side.
4. In a medium/large pot, turn the heat to medium. Add water, chiles, onion, tomatoes, five garlic cloves, five cloves, and two bay leaves along with three tablespoons of salt.
5. As some of the vegetables and spices boil, blend the ingredients from the pot. Once combined, add them back to the pot and merge the next batch.
6. Remove the bay leaves to prevent them from blending into the sauce.
7. Once all ingredients are blended, boil the sauce for 20 minutes, removing the foam that rises to the surface. Cooking the sauce down allows the tomatoes to break down and develop a great taste with the spices.
8. After the sauce is finished cooking, use a large bowl and metal strainer to strain the sauce, removing the pepper seeds and any remnants of the tomato.
9. Meat Preparation:
10. In a large pot, add the meat along with 1/2 bunch of cilantro, ten tablespoons of dried oregano, two teaspoons of dried thyme, 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground black pepper, two tablespoons of ground cumin, six cups of water, and the Adobo sauce you previously made.
11. Mix all ingredients in the pot to ensure the Adobo sauce is evenly dispersed.
12. Cook on high heat until it begins to boil. Once boiling, stir the ingredients, cover with a lid, and set to the lowest heat setting on the stove. Cook for about 4-8 hours with the lid on.
13. After the cooking time, verify that the meat is tender by using a fork to cut through. If the meat is not tender enough, add more time to cook on low.
14. If the meat is to your desired consistency, remove it to another bowl. Allow the meat to cool down if you are shredding it by hand. If not, keep it aside to add back to the pot once the broth is strained. You can also chop the meat using a knife to break it down into smaller pieces.
15. Remove the cilantro and discard it along with any other unwanted parts from the broth.
16. Remove the fat from the broth into a bowl and keep it aside if you would like to use it for Quesatacos.
17. If using the fat from the broth, cook it down on medium heat for about 20 minutes. This breaks down the fat from a solid to a liquid. After cooking, strain the fat to separate the solids from the liquid.
18. Strain all sauce using a metal strainer.
19. Leave some sauce on the side if you are making beans with the broth (about 12 cups).
20. Once the broth is strained, add the meat back into the pot.
21. Ready to serve with meat in its broth, as Quesatacos, or however you would like to enjoy the Birria.