Low, Slow and Very Messy
Glen and I love Mexican food, but because there are so many good and easy options around where we live, I don’t actually cook it at home as much as I probably should. Considering it’s up there with both of our favourite cuisines, I’m determined to change that!
Tonight I made birria tacos, which, if you haven’t had them before, are essentially pulled beef tacos served with a rich, spicy broth for dipping. Messy, cheesy and absolutely worth it.
This was admittedly a slightly cheat version. I started by browning some chuck beef cubes, then added adobo paste along with onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, salt and pepper and let everything sit together for a while.
For the broth, I added beef stock, a decent amount of dried chillies, crushed tomatoes, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves and vinegar, then added the marinated beef and let the whole thing cook low and slow for about five hours, until the beef was tender enough to fall apart.
Once cooked, I strained everything, separating the beef from that lovely rich broth. Then came the fun bit.
I dipped corn tortillas into the broth before putting them straight into a hot pan. Then, essentially treating the whole operation like a Mexican toastie, I loaded them with the shredded beef, Mexican cheese, plenty of coriander and raw onion, folded them over and cooked until crisp and golden.
Served with the broth alongside for dipping and they were seriously good. Rich, beefy, cheesy, slightly spicy and gloriously messy.
So yes, after five hours of cooking I had essentially created a toastie. But, it was a good toastie.
LYM🦩
