Guadalajara is the home to the Birrias de res, tequila and the famous Mariachi’s. Birrias is a typical dish presented at every restaurant in Jalisco, and its presented with corn tortillas, lime, cilantro and chopped onion. The red color in the sauce comes from the guajillo sauce, that is quintessential to this dish.
1 LB of beef chuck – fat trimmed and cut into medium sized cubes
3-4 tomatillos – husks removed, washed and roasted
2 medium tomatoes – roasted
4 whole garlic cloves – unpeeled
2 additional garlic whole cloves – peeled
3 dried guajillo chilis – seeds removed
3 dried Ancho chilis – seeds removed
1 TSP Mexican oregano
½ TSP cumin seeds
2 whole cloves
½ onion – cut into slices
½ cup of white vinegar
1 TSP kosher salt
Garnish
Fresh chopped cilantro
Lime wedges
Radish wedges
Chopped white onion
PREHEAT OVEN TO 450F
Toast the guajillos and the ancho chilis in a frying pan being careful not to burn them (if you do they will taste bitter and you will have to start again). Place them in a bowl and cover them with warm water to soften them. In a cookie sheet add the whole tomatillos, onion slices, whole tomatoes, and unpeeled garlic cloves, drizzle with a bit of olive oil and roast them for about 30 minutes. Squeeze the garlic cloves out of the peels and place them everything in a blender.
In the same skillet where the chilis were toasted, add the cumin seeds and the clove and toast for a few seconds – be careful they burn easily. Add them to the blender with the vinegar. Remove the chilis from the water and squeeze out most of their water. Add them to the juicer and season with 1 TSP of salt. Blend to obtain a creamy sauce. If it’s too thick, add a couple of tablespoons of the water from softening the chilis.
Salt and pepper the beef cubes and place them in a deep roasting pan. Cover the meat with the sauce from the blender and seal with foil. Roast in a 350F for about 2 hours till the meat is very tender. Test it, as it may need to roast an additional 30 minutes.
Serve in bowls with warm corn tortillas on the side and all the garnishes.
