Birria without the eight-hour braise
The dip is the point, so it gets built in the pan the beef browned in. Nothing is stirred into warm water.
At a Glance
Story
Proper birria consomme is the liquid the meat braised in, which is why it tastes of the meat. Half an hour cannot buy you that, but it can buy you the next best thing, which is the fond. Brown the beef hard, leave the brown crust it lays down stuck fast to the pan, and pour the chile and broth straight in to lift it. What comes off the base is rendered fat and browned protein, and it is the whole difference between a dip and a cup of hot chilli water.
Ingredients
- 10 oz ground beef
- 4 flour tortillas
- 8 oz sweet potatocut into wedges
- 1 yellow oniondiced
- 2 oz shredded Monterey Jack
- ⅓ cup guajillo chile sauce
- 1 tbsp ancho chile paste
- 1 tsp beef broth concentrate
- ⅓ cup tomato salsa
- 2 tbsp full-fat Greek yogurt
- 1 limequartered
- 1 bunch cilantroleaves picked
- olive oilsalt, pepper
Method
The tortillas get folded and griddled rather than rolled, the way these are actually eaten, and the cheese does the gluing. Everything else exists to give you something to dip into.
- Oven to 450F. Sweet potato wedges on a lined tray with oil, salt and pepper. 26 to 30 minutes, until the edges go dark and sticky.
- Beef and onion into a hot pan, broken up with a spoon. Leave it undisturbed 2 to 3 minutes to take colour, then stir and cook another 3 to 4. Season. Lift the meat out, draining it against the side, and leave the pan exactly as it is.
- Straight into that pan go the broth concentrate, half the guajillo sauce, the ancho paste and ½ cup water. Scrape hard while it bubbles, 1 to 2 minutes, until the base is clean and the liquid has gone glossy. Pour it into a jug. That is the consomme.
- Stir the salsa and the remaining guajillo through the cooked beef.
- Wipe the pan, then a little oil over medium. Half of each tortilla gets cheese and filling; fold it over. In they go, 2 to 4 minutes a side, until the outside blisters and the cheese has gone. In the last thirty seconds spoon a little consomme over each one and let it hiss.
- Warm the rest of the consomme and pour it into cups. Tacos, sweet potatoes with the yogurt loosened by lime juice, cilantro torn over, lime wedges alongside.
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