Birria Enchiladas

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

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

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
1 Mexican cinnamon stick, about 2 inches (5cm)
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

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

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.