Goat Meat Stew Tacos
Birria
Recipe Yield
8 to 10 servings
Cooking time
4 hours 30 minutes
Rate this recipe
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.
Comments
79comments inBirria
Esther Valencia
Feb 18
Can you make birria in a slow cooker?
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 🙂
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
Pati Jinich
Sep 11
Gracias a ti Juan, so glad you liked this Birria, yum!
Pat Thompson
Feb 28
If you don’t have goat meat, can you use pork?
Pati Jinich
Mar 02
Of course! Or beef 🙂
Terri
Nov 10
Delicioso!
Pati Jinich
Dec 29
Yay 🙂
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!!!!!
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/
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)..
Pati Jinich
Oct 04
Haha, thanks so much Jim! Drooling… I’ll take it as a compliment 🙂
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.
Pati Jinich
Aug 15
Thanks so much David, so glad to hear you have been tuning in and enjoying the show 🙂
Robert y Elsa
Aug 02
We had a super bueno birria de Res(11pounds b4 cooking)for my lovely esposa’s birthday
Pati Jinich
Aug 15
Yay! Happy birthday to your wife Robert 🙂
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 !?!?!?)
Pati Jinich
Aug 14
🙂 Let me know how you liked the Birria Robin!
Anquinette Clemons-Johnson
Aug 02
Absolutely delicious 😋
Pati Jinich
Aug 14
Yay! So happy you liked it Anquinette!
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 😃
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!
walterchaney771@gmail.com
Jul 30
Sounds really good I will try this!
Pati Jinich
Aug 11
Yay, enjoy!
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…..
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!
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.
Pati Jinich
Aug 11
So glad you enjoyed the Birria Feliciana! I had the greatest time in Peru, thank you 🙂
Mark Avery
Jul 30
I’m going to try them
Pati Jinich
Aug 11
Enjoy Mark 😉
Blanca E. Chaidez
Jul 30
Hola Pati,
Tus resetas siempre muy bien explicadas. No puedo esperar a probar esta birria hecha en casa.
Gracias!
Pati Jinich
Aug 11
Mil gracias Blanca, ojala te guste!
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!
Pati Jinich
Aug 11
Hope you enjoy the Birria! Thanks for the good wishes, I did have a blast 😉
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
Pati Jinich
Aug 11
Aw! Thanks so much Raquel, you are very sweet 🙂
CATHELEEN Aparicio
Jul 30
Can i sub beef? If so are other ingredients the same? Thanks
Pati Jinich
Aug 11
Of course Catheleen, go ahead, and keep everything else the same!
Carol F. at ensof@tutanota.com
Jul 30
Bueno! Gracias! You always make me so hungry for real food!
Pati Jinich
Aug 11
Hahaha, awesome!
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)
Pati Jinich
Jun 12
So glad you enjoyed this recipe Linda, un abrazo!
Maria Diaz
Jun 18
El episodio en Arizona ha estado espectacular… gracias por compartir la cultura mexicano aunque no soy mexicana, me encanta!!!
María Dolores
May 11
Gracias Pati
ana
Feb 26
can i use beef or pork for birria? i do not care for lamb or goat
Pati Jinich
Mar 07
Sure Ana, go ahead and enjoy it! Let me know how you like it 😉
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.”
Pati Jinich
Feb 10
Thanks for sharing Charles. I know Birria is popular as breakfast but yummy anytime 😉
Katherine
Jan 31
Mine came out tender but a little tasteless. What can I do to improve the flavour?
Pati Jinich
Jan 31
Did you add the avocado leaves Katherin? Those are very important for a flavorful birria 😉
Leia C
Dec 16
If I can’t find goat or lamb, what is a good beef substitute?
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!
Lynda
Nov 22
Hello Pati, do you cook the bone in the stew?
Thank you
Pati Jinich
Nov 22
I do Linda, then remove the bones when you shred the meat, enjoy!
Ninej
Oct 18
Simplemente es una receta deliciosa!
Pati Jinich
Oct 19
Que bueno que te gusto Ninej, mil gracias!
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 …..
Pati Jinich
Jun 20
Aw Christopher, thanks for the kind words!
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!
Pati Jinich
May 11
Glad to hear you decided to give it a chance Paula, bravo!
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.
Pati Jinich
Apr 27
Perfect Andy, in these difficult times we have to make do and be creative with whatever is available, great job 😉
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?
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!
Mark
Jan 18
Yhis recipe might work well with venison.
Pati Jinich
Jan 19
Go for it, Mark!
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
Pati Jinich
Jan 19
I like to use the traditional lamb or goat, but chicken will be great too, Sheila.
Quiqui
Jan 05
I live in West Virginia, where in the world do I find avocado leaves???
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.
SteveO
Jan 10
They sell them on amazon
Laura
Jan 04
Where do you find avocado leaves?
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.
Anonymous
Sep 28
I grew my own avocado “bush” lol so far I just get leaves from it
Pati Jinich
Oct 04
Bravo!
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?
Pati Jinich
Jan 06
Go for it, Susan. And I hope your husband has a great birthday!
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 😊
Pati Jinich
Dec 20
So glad you enjoyed this version, Bob!