Birria

limetortillacilantro

Birria

Birria

Goat Meat Stew and Tacos

Recipe Yield

8 to 10 servings

Cooking time

4 hours 30 minutes

Rate this recipe

4.75 from 8 votes

Ingredients

For the Birria:

  • 4 to 5 pounds goat meat bone-in, cut into about 3-inch pieces (you may substitute lamb)
  • 1/4 cup white distilled vinegar
  • 6 teaspoons kosher or sea salt divided
  • 3 quarts water plus more to soak the meat
  • 4 to 5 large dried avocado leaves
  • 3 ounces (about 10) guajillo chiles stemmed and seeded

For serving:

  • Warm corn tortillas
  • 2 cups finely chopped white onion
  • 2 cups chopped cilantro leaves
  • 2 to 3 limes quartered

To Prepare

  • Place the meat in a large bowl and cover with cool water. Add the vinegar and 2 teaspoons salt and let sit for 20 to 30 minutes. Rinse well with cold water.
  • Place the rinsed meat in a large casserole, cover with at least 3 quarts water, add 4 teaspoons salt, and stir. Set over high heat and let it come to a rolling boil, reduce the heat to low, remove whatever foam may have come to the surface, cover, and cook for 2 hours.
  • Set a comal or small saute pan over medium-low heat. Once hot, toast the avocado leaves, flipping as they cook, for about a minute until fragrant.
  • Place the chiles in a small saucepan, cover with water, and set over medium-high heat. Simmer for 10 minutes, until the chiles are completely rehydrated and plumped up. Place the chiles in the jar of a blender, along with a cup of the cooking liquid, and puree until completely smooth.
  • Uncover the meat, add the guajillo chile puree, stir, and drop in the toasted avocado leaves. Cover again and continue cooking for another 2 hours, or until the meat is succulent, juicy, tender, and falling apart when a fork is inserted.
  • Serve the meat in bowls along with the broth. At the table, have warm corn tortillas, chopped white onion, chopped cilantro, and quartered limes for people to assemble their birria tacos and to season the broth. You can also chase the tacos with the broth.

Recommended Products for: Birria

Comments

79comments inBirria

  1. Esther Valencia

    Feb 18

    Can you make birria in a slow cooker?

    1. Pati Jinich

      Mar 03

      Hola Esther, I am sure you can but to be honest with you I do not have a slow cooker or an Instapot so I might not be very helpful with timings 🙂

  2. Juan C.

    Aug 13

    What a simple recipe for such a beautiful dish. The avo leaves are pretty much a must, better than Bay leaves for this dish. But can be difficult to find. Try your local Hispanic grocer, they should have dried leaves, sometimes fresh. I picked up a goat roast at my local farmers market and needed a recipe, been a few years…
    Gracias Pati, big fan. -juan

    1. Pati Jinich

      Sep 11

      Gracias a ti Juan, so glad you liked this Birria, yum!

  3. Pat Thompson

    Feb 28

    If you don’t have goat meat, can you use pork?

    1. Pati Jinich

      Mar 02

      Of course! Or beef 🙂

  4. Terri

    Nov 10

    Delicioso!

    1. Pati Jinich

      Dec 29

      Yay 🙂

  5. Julie Krug

    Oct 30

    I’m on the Mediterranean diet due to my health issues. What recipes of yours fit this diet? By the way my room mate in college was Mexican and I LOVED going to her house for the weekends to eat! Her family made everything from scratch! And she was my Maid of Honor in my wedding, and I was her Maiden of Honor in hers! We are still friends after 51 years!!!!!

    1. Pati Jinich

      Jan 04

      What a lovely friendship Julie, congratulations! I have many recipes that will suit your diet, just look up anything that says grilled here in the website, for example this salad http://patijinich.com/mexican-grilled-steak-salad/ or this fish: http://patijinich.com/fish-over-fennel-salad-with-jalapeno-and-olive-salsa/

  6. jim galati

    Sep 20

    I usually have a hard time watching your show, cause I’m drooling soo much….& cause of your great cooking, Mexican food has taken over my # 1 favorite food spot….(hope my Italian relatives don’t see this)..

    1. Pati Jinich

      Oct 04

      Haha, thanks so much Jim! Drooling… I’ll take it as a compliment 🙂

  7. David Roman

    Aug 05

    I will try to do it, sounds perfect.

    Thx for sharing the recipe, I will love to continue receiving more.

    I really enjoy watching your program in KPBS.

    1. Pati Jinich

      Aug 15

      Thanks so much David, so glad to hear you have been tuning in and enjoying the show 🙂

  8. Robert y Elsa

    Aug 02

    We had a super bueno birria de Res(11pounds b4 cooking)for my lovely esposa’s birthday

    1. Pati Jinich

      Aug 15

      Yay! Happy birthday to your wife Robert 🙂

  9. Robin the Shipwreck

    Aug 02

    Making Birria this week, with Beef and/or Pork…(before you suffer ‘Exaustion’ from climbing up and down the Peruvian country side and Machu Pichu !?!?!?)

    1. Pati Jinich

      Aug 14

      🙂 Let me know how you liked the Birria Robin!

  10. Anquinette Clemons-Johnson

    Aug 02

    Absolutely delicious 😋

    1. Pati Jinich

      Aug 14

      Yay! So happy you liked it Anquinette!

  11. Clara

    Jul 31

    Hi Pati
    As always thank you for your great recipes,
    However what other type of meat can you recommend instead of goat or lamb?
    Saludos 😃

    1. Pati Jinich

      Aug 11

      You can go for beef (flank steak or any other you can shred) if you like the flavor better Clara, enjoy!

  12. walterchaney771@gmail.com

    Jul 30

    Sounds really good I will try this!

    1. Pati Jinich

      Aug 11

      Yay, enjoy!

  13. Barbara Fenne

    Jul 30

    My mouth is watering and I can almost taste this wonderful dish and smell the aromas you have painted. Yummmm. Now, to grow an avocado tree… I suppose I can find the leaves online? I have a friend in Sacramento and I be she can bring some if not a seedling… Master Gardener mind…..

    1. Pati Jinich

      Aug 11

      So glad you’re planning to try the Birria Barbara! Yes, you can find the leaves online or in your closest Hispanic market while you grow your own tree 🙂 Good luck!

  14. Feliciana Cantu

    Jul 30

    I love these birria taco’s I tried them for the first time and OMG delicious 😋🤤 thank you pati hope you and your family enjoy Peru let me know everything LOL 😆. Adios.

    1. Pati Jinich

      Aug 11

      So glad you enjoyed the Birria Feliciana! I had the greatest time in Peru, thank you 🙂

  15. Mark Avery

    Jul 30

    I’m going to try them

    1. Pati Jinich

      Aug 11

      Enjoy Mark 😉

  16. Blanca E. Chaidez

    Jul 30

    Hola Pati,

    Tus resetas siempre muy bien explicadas. No puedo esperar a probar esta birria hecha en casa.

    Gracias!

    1. Pati Jinich

      Aug 11

      Mil gracias Blanca, ojala te guste!

  17. Passionate Chef

    Jul 30

    Can’t wait to make your Burris with lamb and our homemade corn tortillas. We LOVE your tortillas and they’re so easy to make!
    Have a blast on the Inca Trail. It’s a trip you’ll always treasure!

    1. Pati Jinich

      Aug 11

      Hope you enjoy the Birria! Thanks for the good wishes, I did have a blast 😉

  18. Raquel Hug

    Jul 30

    I consider myself a very good cook. But, no one beats Pati for authenticity. She’s the best at explaining and beyond that she has the loveliest of ways about her you just can’t resist falling in love with her!
    Abrazos

    1. Pati Jinich

      Aug 11

      Aw! Thanks so much Raquel, you are very sweet 🙂

  19. CATHELEEN Aparicio

    Jul 30

    Can i sub beef? If so are other ingredients the same? Thanks

    1. Pati Jinich

      Aug 11

      Of course Catheleen, go ahead, and keep everything else the same!

  20. Carol F. at ensof@tutanota.com

    Jul 30

    Bueno! Gracias! You always make me so hungry for real food!

    1. Pati Jinich

      Aug 11

      Hahaha, awesome!

  21. Linda Rogacion

    Jun 05

    Oh Wow Pati
    I made the Birria today and it turned out fantastic.. I will say Avocado Leaves are hard to find.. can you believe Amazon had them but they cost like
    $ 15.00 ??? Anyway Miss Pati. I am loving your recipes. and I will say the ones I’ve tried are foolproof. Thanks Again and God Bless :O)

    1. Pati Jinich

      Jun 12

      So glad you enjoyed this recipe Linda, un abrazo!

    2. Maria Diaz

      Jun 18

      El episodio en Arizona ha estado espectacular… gracias por compartir la cultura mexicano aunque no soy mexicana, me encanta!!!

  22. María Dolores

    May 11

    Gracias Pati

  23. ana

    Feb 26

    can i use beef or pork for birria? i do not care for lamb or goat

    1. Pati Jinich

      Mar 07

      Sure Ana, go ahead and enjoy it! Let me know how you like it 😉

  24. Charles Bloomer

    Feb 04

    Lots of great birria in Sonora, but it tends to be either lamb (borrego) or beef. Typically a breakfast offering at the places we frequent, often referred to as “jugo.”

    1. Pati Jinich

      Feb 10

      Thanks for sharing Charles. I know Birria is popular as breakfast but yummy anytime 😉

  25. Katherine

    Jan 31

    Mine came out tender but a little tasteless. What can I do to improve the flavour?

    1. Pati Jinich

      Jan 31

      Did you add the avocado leaves Katherin? Those are very important for a flavorful birria 😉

  26. Leia C

    Dec 16

    If I can’t find goat or lamb, what is a good beef substitute?

    1. Pati Jinich

      Dec 21

      Hola Leia! You can absolutely go ahead and substitute the goat meat; I would use pork butt or shoulder bone in if possible and if you prefer beef, go for brisket, fat on. Good luck!

  27. Lynda

    Nov 22

    Hello Pati, do you cook the bone in the stew?
    Thank you

    1. Pati Jinich

      Nov 22

      I do Linda, then remove the bones when you shred the meat, enjoy!

  28. Ninej

    Oct 18

    Simplemente es una receta deliciosa!

    1. Pati Jinich

      Oct 19

      Que bueno que te gusto Ninej, mil gracias!

  29. Christopher Dobbs

    Jun 19

    Just wanted to tell Pati how much I love her show. Besides being one of the most beautiful chefs on TV, she is a beautiful spirit thats so full of life.
    Thank you for being yourself all these years.
    God bless …..

    1. Pati Jinich

      Jun 20

      Aw Christopher, thanks for the kind words!

  30. Paula Thompson

    May 11

    Yum yum yummy yum yum yummy!!! Soooooo Goooooooood!! Thank y’all for the recipe!! I didn’t think I would like goat meat, but so succulent and yummy!!!! Wow, and a really easy recipe to boot!

    1. Pati Jinich

      May 11

      Glad to hear you decided to give it a chance Paula, bravo!

  31. Andy

    Apr 19

    Thank you! Was craving soupy soggy tacos under confinement in Brooklyn and this was so perfect and simple to make! Had to use beef as the super had no lamb. Added a garlic clove to the soup and toasted some clove with the leaves.

    What’s nice is you can adapt one dish for everyone. For the baby, rinsed the meat and made tacos with cheese and tomato.

    1. Pati Jinich

      Apr 27

      Perfect Andy, in these difficult times we have to make do and be creative with whatever is available, great job 😉

  32. Adrian

    Mar 29

    Yo siempre creí que cuando usaba chile guajillo, había que colar la mezcla al agregar a la birria (o pancita, o cualquier otro platillo) pero veo que usted no cuela la mezcla y lo agrega directamente.
    Tiene algún tip para lograr la consistencia de puré con el guajillo? Por ejemplo, cuánta agua poner en la licuadora, cuánto tiempo licuar?

    1. Pati Jinich

      Apr 07

      Hola Adrian! Lo mas importante cuando se usan chiles secos para preparar salsas es dejar que se rehidraten completamente, asi cuando los licuas se mezclan perfectamente y no hay necesidad de colar 😉 Saludos!

  33. Mark

    Jan 18

    Yhis recipe might work well with venison.

    1. Pati Jinich

      Jan 19

      Go for it, Mark!

  34. Sheila M.

    Jan 16

    Hola Pati,
    Have you ever used chicken? Chicken birria, I don’t know where to buy goat meat so I was thinking of using chicken instead

    1. Pati Jinich

      Jan 19

      I like to use the traditional lamb or goat, but chicken will be great too, Sheila.

  35. Quiqui

    Jan 05

    I live in West Virginia, where in the world do I find avocado leaves???

    1. Pati Jinich

      Jan 07

      If you can’t find avocado leaves at your local Latin market or online, you can use epazote or yerba buena (true mint) as a substitute, or you can just skip it.

    2. SteveO

      Jan 10

      They sell them on amazon

  36. Laura

    Jan 04

    Where do you find avocado leaves?

    1. Pati Jinich

      Jan 07

      Give your local Latin market or online a try, Laura. Or if you can’t find it, you can use epazote or yerba buena (true mint), or just skip it.

      1. Anonymous

        Sep 28

        I grew my own avocado “bush” lol so far I just get leaves from it

        1. Pati Jinich

          Oct 04

          Bravo!

  37. Susan

    Jan 04

    I’m definitely going to try this recipe for my husband’s birthday!!! What do you think about using the Crock pot Pati?

    1. Pati Jinich

      Jan 06

      Go for it, Susan. And I hope your husband has a great birthday!

  38. Bob Welsh

    Dec 20

    This was great! We found goat stew meat from local farmer & didn’t exactly know what I was going to do with it. I like this version so much more than the Jalisco style with tomatillos 😊

    1. Pati Jinich

      Dec 20

      So glad you enjoyed this version, Bob!

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