Description
Spicy Mexican Birria Enchiladas elevate comfort cuisine with shredded beef slow-simmered in rich chili sauce. Melted cheese and tender meat wrapped in warm tortillas create an irresistible meal you’ll crave again and again.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat and Protein:
- 3 pounds (1.36 kilograms) beef chuck roast, cut into large chunks
- 7 cloves garlic
Chiles and Spices:
- 12 dried guajillo chiles, rinsed, stemmed, and seeded
- 5 dried ancho chiles, rinsed, stemmed, and seeded
- 5 dried chiles de arbol, rinsed, stemmed, and seeded
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 2-inch Mexican cinnamon stick
- 3 bay leaves
Vegetables and Liquids:
- 2 medium tomatoes
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 2 cups beef broth
- 3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Enchilada Ingredients:
- 16 tortillas (flour or corn)
- 2 cups cooked white or Mexican rice
- 3 cups Oaxaca or Chihuahua cheese, shredded
Optional Garnishes:
- Chopped cilantro
- Cotija cheese
- Lime wedges
- Pickled or raw onion
Instructions
- Marinate the beef chunks generously with salt and pepper, ensuring even coverage.
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high temperature, creating a golden sear on all beef surfaces until richly browned. Transfer meat to a separate plate.
- In the identical pot, combine guajillo, ancho, and chiles de arbol with tomatoes, onion, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, and black peppercorns. Submerge ingredients with water and initiate a vigorous boil.
- Reduce heat, cover the pot, and allow ingredients to simmer for 10 minutes, developing deep flavor profiles.
- Transfer softened chiles and accompanying ingredients to a blender using a slotted spoon. Incorporate cooking water, beef broth, vinegars, garlic, cumin, oregano, cloves, and coriander.
- Blend the mixture until achieving a velvety, uniform consistency with no visible chile fragments.
- Return beef to the pot, cascading the blended sauce thoroughly. Add additional beef broth if necessary to completely submerge the meat.
- Bring liquid to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook on low heat approximately 3 hours until meat becomes exceptionally tender and easily shredded.
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C), preparing for enchilada assembly.
- Shred the succulent beef and strain cooking liquid, reserving the robust sauce.
- Quickly fry tortillas in minimal oil, rendering them flexible and preventing cracking.
- Dip each tortilla into reserved birria sauce, creating a rich, flavorful coating.
- Distribute shredded beef and cooked rice along tortilla centers, rolling tightly and positioning seam-side downward in a baking dish.
- Lavishly drench rolled enchiladas with additional birria sauce and generously sprinkle shredded cheese.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until cheese melts completely and develops a golden, bubbling surface.
- Garnish with fresh cilantro, crumbled Cotija cheese, zesty lime wedges, and pickled or raw onion for vibrant presentation.
Notes
- Choose fatty beef cuts like chuck roast or beef short ribs for deeper, richer flavor and more tender meat during slow cooking.
- Adjust chile pepper quantities to control heat level, removing seeds for milder taste or adding extra for spice enthusiasts.
- Toast dried chiles briefly before rehydrating to enhance their smoky, complex flavor profile and unlock deeper aromatics.
- Make extra birria sauce and freeze for quick future meals, using as a versatile cooking liquid or dipping sauce for other Mexican dishes.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 420
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 21 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 22 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg