About this Recipe

By: Rachel

Let’s get real about adulting. Keeping the household fed is a lot of work. Meal planning, shopping, prep, cooking . . . it can be exhausting (and I like to cook!). One night, after another unbearable “What do you want for dinner?” conversation, I came up with a Great Idea: Pyramid Scheme Dinner Club.

Cooking for six is not much more work than cooking for two, so I proposed my idea to two neighbors: we each sign up for a day of the week, on which we prepare, package, and deliver dinner for all the participants. Everyone was up for giving it a try.

We created a spreadsheet to note likes, dislikes, and allergies, and we were off to the races. Now, with the leftovers from Pyramid Club, I really only cook dinner about twice a week–once on Mondays for the group, and on Saturdays for the weekend; dinner is delivered fresh and ready for us on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Not only do I get to build community with my neighbors, I get to try new dishes I wouldn’t have thought to make. Between Celso’s authentic Mexican dishes (straight from his mom), Alex’s rich stews and spicy soups, and Laura’s craveable comfort food, I can’t imagine my life without Pyramid Club.

Celso first introduced our group to beef birria, a traditional Mexican stew that is beautifully complex, layered with an array of smoky chiles, herbs, and spices. It was Laura who experimented with turning birria into enchiladas, to great effect. She thickens the sauce with corn tortillas, and adds sugar and apple cider vinegar to counteract the natural bitterness from the dried peppers. The heat of the chile sauce is tempered by the rice and the dairy.

This dish was an instant hit with our Pyramid Club, and is now a much-requested classic. Don’t be intimidated by the long list of ingredients—this dish comes together easily, whether you simmer it on the stovetop or let it go all day in the slow-cooker, as I do. It is easy to make ahead, and freezes like a dream.

I hope you give it a try—with your family, friends, or neighbors!

Birria Enchiladas

Warm, comforting, spicy, and cheesy . . . one of Mexico’s most celebrated dishes becomes craveable enchiladas.

Print Recipe

Ready In 5

*Mostly braising time. This can be done on the stovetop or in the slow-cooker.

Meal Type Main Dish

Good For Dinner

Servings 10

Ingredients

For the meat and consommé:

4-5 pounds (about 2 kilos) chuck roast, cut into large chunks
½ tablespoon kosher salt
½ tablespoon black pepper
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
12 guajillo chiles, rinsed, stemmed, and seeded
5 ancho chiles, rinsed, stemmed, and seeded
5 chiles de árbol, rinsed, stemmed, and seeded
2 medium tomatoes (4 ounces/120g)
1 medium yellow onion
2 inch Mexican cinnamon stick
3 bay leaves
½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
2 cups (475mL) beef or vegetable broth
3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar (if you are using pickled onions, you can use the pickling liquid in place of the white vinegar)
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
7 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon coriander

For the sauce:

3 tablespoons to ¼ cup white sugar*
4-6 tablespoons apple cider vinegar*
3-5 small corn tortillas
Braising liquid, as directed

For the enchiladas:

16 tortillas (flour or corn)
2 cups (400g) cooked white or Mexican rice
3 cups (12 ounces/500g) Oaxaca or Chihuahua cheese
Optional for garnish: Cilantro, Cotija cheese, lime wedges, pickled or raw onion

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1

Generously season the meat with salt and pepper on all sides, and heat the olive oil in heavy pot over medium-high heat (or use a slow-cooker on the sear setting, if you have one).
Working in batches, add the meat and sear on all sides until browned. Transfer the browned meat to a platter, and remove your pot from the heat.

Step 2

While the meat is searing, add the chiles, tomatoes, onion, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, and peppercorns to a medium pot.
Cover completely with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.

Step 3

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the softened chiles and all the other ingredients to a large blender.
Add 1 cup of the chile-soaked cooking water, the beef broth, white vinegar, garlic, cumin, oregano, cloves, and coriander. Blend on high for a few minutes until completely smooth. (You may need to do this in batches if your blender isn’t big enough.)
Strain the blended sauce through a fine mesh strainer into the pot with the seared meat. Discard any solids left behind (even using my Vitamix, I was surprised at how many solids I removed).

Step 4

Add the meat and chili sauce to a heavy pot or your slow-cooker. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 3 to 4 hours until the meat is fall-apart tender.
You may also use your slow-cooker on the low setting; it will take closer to 5-6 hours.

Step 5

Transfer the meat to a platter, and shred it using two forks.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Add a cup of the consommé to a blender with 2 corn tortillas. Blend until smooth, and check the consistency, continuing to add corn tortillas until you are satisfied with the consistency (it should coat the back of a spoon) and return to the pot with the rest of the consommé. Gradually add the apple cider vinegar and white sugar, tasting as you go, until the sauce has lost its bitter flavor.

Step 6

Spoon some consommé into the bottom of a large pan to create a thin layer. Fill a tortilla with a spoonful of rice, cheese, and shredded birria meat, roll, and place into the pan. Continue adding enchiladas side by side in the pan (they can be snug). If needed, you can use a second pan.

Step 7

Cover enchiladas with consommé sauce and top with Oaxaca or Chihuahua cheese. Bake, covered, for 30 mins, then uncover and bake for 10 mins or until the cheese is bubbling.

Step 8

Top with Cotija cheese, if desired, and serve hot with your desired garnishes.

Beverage Pairing

By: Olivia

We should really manage to create our own Pyramid Scheme Dinner Clubs throughout our communities! Mexican cuisine is incredibly diverse, so your beverage pairings can be too. Even within this Birria Enchiladas dish, you can pair based on individual flavors such as the meat, warming spices, chiles, or bright garnishes. If you are interested in wines, look for red wines with dark fruit flavors and a slight spice like Granacha, Cabernet Franc, or Reserva Rioja to highlight the rich red meat, warming spices, and chiles. If you’d like to highlight the bright garnishes, consider a Tempranillo Rosé or Sauvignon Blanc. In case a Mexican dish automatically makes you think of Mexican beer (it often does for me), go grab a pack of Tecate or the top-selling beer in the United States, Modelo Especial.