Beeria Tacos
This is my take on a classic dish. Birria is a fantastic preparation for tacos, soups/stews, nachos, lots of stuff. I add a bit of beer to my recipe, which is where it turns from Birria to Beeria. See how I did that? I am doing this recipe on the stovetop in a large pot. You can also do this in a pressure cooker, slow cooker, or oven. They are all options for sure, but this is how I did it today. Also, traditionally this was to be made with Lamb or Goat. I am using beef as it is easier to come by. But if you have goat or lamb options, go for it!
You’ll need:
2-3 pound piece of beef top round or chuck (or similar “stew” type beef)
2 small onions, peeled and cut in half
1 head garlic, cut in half across the middle of the bulb
1 can or bottle of beer
3 oz tomato paste
2 packets (6 ounces) Bard & Bellom taco seasoning. I used Original and Spicy.
Water
Oil
Salt
Garnishes: Cilantro, limes, radish, pickled onions, or whatever you want
Preparation:
Get a large stock pot warming on the stovetop over medium-high heat.
Cut the beef into large chunks. Say 3” X 2” pieces. Something like that is fine. Place into a mixing bowl with about 2-3 tablespoons of oil and 2 tablespoons of salt. Mix thoroughly.
When your stockpot is hot, place a single layer of the beef into the pot. Leave for 3 minutes. You want the beef to sear and build a bit of a crust.
After 3 minutes turn the beef once and let sit another 2-3 minutes. Repeat this process with the rest of the beef and set all beef aside on a separate plate or bowl.
When all the beef is done there should be a good amount of browning in the bottom of your stockpot. This is good. Add the can of beer directly to the pan and using a spatula or spoon, deglaze the bottom of the pot.
Add beef back to the pot. Add the onions, garlic, tomato paste, and seasoning packets. Pour in some cold water to just barely cover the ingredients.
Bring all this up to a boil and then turn down to a simmer. Stir to mix all ingredients and then sit back for a while.
Simmer, stirring occasionally for several hours until the beef is tender. This will take approx. 3-4 hours, but could be slightly less or more depending on a few things. But about that long.
When the beef is beginning to fall apart without too much effort you are good to go. Remove the pot from the heat and set aside to cool slightly. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes before doing anything.
Using tongs or a slotted spoon, remove the beef from the pot and place it into a large bowl. Strain and reserve the liquid through a colander or mesh strainer. Discard anything left in the colander. You don’t need it.
Using the spoon or tongs, break up the beef into smaller pieces. You can also place the beef into a Stand Mixer, and using the Paddle attachment, you can break it up that way. Just be careful if the beef is still real hot, you don’t want pieces flying out of the bowl. So start slow. You can also add back some of the braising liquid to the beef after you have shredded it to keep it moist.
Now we are ready to begin assembling the tacos. Using a frying pan or electric griddle, warm some corn tortillas to get them a bit more pliable. Do this over medium heat. After warming tortillas turn the heat up on your pan to medium-high, or if using an electric griddle turn it as high as it will go.
Grab a warm tortilla, add some beef to half of it, add some cheese if you wish, and fold tortilla over into a half-moon shape. Do this for several tacos at a time.
Place some oil* into the pan or griddle and gently lay the tacos down to begin to crisp and fry the outside. After about 1.5-2 minutes turn the taco over and crisp the other side. Repeat this process for however many tacos you are making.
To serve, place the tacos on a plate, ladle some braising liquid into a small bowl to dip the taco into, and garnish with chopped cilantro, lime wedges, sliced radish, and pickled onions. Or whatever you have on hand.
Enjoy!
*For a more traditional preparation, instead of oil, use the fat that sits on top of the braising liquid to “fry” the tacos in. This will give a reddish-brown hue to the outside of the taco and is super yummy but can be a bit messy. Just using olive oil or your preferred oil is also totally ok and will still get you great results.
