I've really been craving some Birria de Chivo lately, especially after having a delicious bowl of it a few weeks ago at one of my favorite spots in Los Angeles. While reading the latest version of San Diego’s El Latino paper, I noticed an add from Talones Meat Market in Escondido. The Talones add was calling my name with the word "CHIVOS".
The wife and I made a quick trip to Talones and we were pleased to find the goat was not frozen like most places. We ordered 4lbs and had it cut in cubes, we also ordered 1 goat head (cabeza). The wife likes using head in the stew to add a different element to the broth. We made a quick trip to Northgate Market for the essentials then it was back to the kitchen. We slapped 1/4 cup of vinegar on the goat meat and let it soak overnight. The next morning we were ready to go.
This recipe is for the guisado stew form which happens to be my favorite. Another popular method of cooking birria is called tatemada; tatemada employs the two-step form of stovetop steaming followed by oven roasting. You can also use a variety of different meats, goat is my favorite choice.
Ingredients
4 lbs Goat Meat
1 Goat Head (Cabeza) *Optional
5 Guajillo Chiles
5 Ancho Chiles
3 Cascabel Chiles
10 California Chiles (We typically use 12 Cascabel and no California Chiles but we had to tame it down for the family)
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground thyme
5 whole Allspice
10 garlic cloves
3 bay leaves
1 onion
Salt to taste
1/4 cup Vinegar
1 cup of water
Sides
Oregano
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped cilantro
Radishes
Limes
Corn Tortillas
Remove the seeds and veins from the chiles and toast.
Put the chiles to soak in 1 cup of hot water for approximately 20 minutes, and then add the rest of the ingredients with exception of onion and bay leaves.
Seal in juices by searing the goat meat. We also seared the cabeza in a separate pan not shown.
Blend ingredients to a smooth sauce.
Place seared goat meat in a pot, and put just enough water in the pot to cover the meat.
Add onion and bay leaves.
Immediately strain chile paste into the pot.
Place the lid on the pot and let simmer on low heat until the meat is "fall off the bone" tender. Add salt as needed. Our meat took approximately four hours before it was cooked to perfection. As part of the final process the fat and bones were removed. During the time I was anxiously awaiting for the birria, the smell permeating through the air was intoxicating. I have to admit I lifted the lid and sampled a few tender morsels more than once.
I had to keep myself busy and out of temptation so I decided to prepare the essential sides of chopped onions, cilantro, oregano, lime, and radishes. The wife was working on something more special an incredible chile de arbol based salsa with garlic and tomatillo. The salsa will be featured on a future write-up. The sides were ready to for the main course, and the tortillas were dipped in the delicious broth.
This particular Birria De Chivo turned out to be one of the most memorable Birrias I have had, I would not change a thing. The broth turned out to be complex with the perfect amount of spice. Birria De Res is a dish we make frequently in the house but now that we have a source for fresh goat, its all about the Birria De Chivo.
Enjoy the receta de birria de chivo.
Stay tuned.....
May will be Masa Month we will be featuring Masa Based Antojitos and also some major taco hunting I've done the past year in the streets of Tijuana.
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58 comments:
Ah MAN, that looks good! Was the meat simmered by itself a little before adding the spice mixture or was it pretty much stewed with the entire time? Anyway now I have an excuse to finally get that giant soup stock pot I always wanted.. :)
Hey Dennis thanks, the mixture was stewed with the meat the entire time. Yes the soup pot is must, I’m so glad the weather here has cooled down this is such a comforting dish especially on a cool day.
wow you found the whole cabeza good to know where to get it!
Dude those photos are amazing !nice shooting.
CH
Great job Mike- any plans of opening a restaurant soon? (Hopefully with giant oysers on the menu)
Hey Cindi - yes talones is a good source
CH - thanks
AN - Opening a restaurant nah I have some friends that own and I admire thier hard work. We will keep this a hobby for now. :)
Ohh, I need to make this! We've been doing a lot of Asian this last week -- Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai.... It's been good, but I'm feeling the need for some American food now - North, Central and South. :-) A savory guisado can't be beat. Thanks, Mr Masa!
That looks incredible! Other than the meat is it a fairly smooth stew?
And I don't mean to be a heretic, but would something like beef or lamb work as well? I have a funny feeling it would be difficult to get goat meat in the UK..or some of those chiles...
Hi stuart - Yes very smooth.
Birria is very versatile you can use beef, veal, pork, goat or lamb. Some cooks will use more than one type of meat, combining up to three kinds in one dish.
Wow, this birria must be awesome.
I must try to do it at least once, even if it is so hard to collect all these ingredients in Italy.
I do have cascabel, guajillo and ancho, but no california chile, it looks like i'll have to stick to the hottest version ;-)
Tlaz
Hello Byte64, You should be fine with those 3. I would love to hear back if you make the birria. Nice blog I was checking out your chilaquiles, we just made some and should be posting soon.
I have Birria simmiring on the stove top as we speak (since 12 o clock it will be done like at 4) I'll have to give your recipe a try, I'm only familiar with my aunts "Birria de Res y Puerco":
http://nathanscomida.blogspot.com/2008/11/birria-de-puerco-y-res-pork-and-beef.html
Hi Nathan, sounds good I will have try yours someday also.
I am raising a meat goat right now and plan to make this recipe as soon as he is ready to "go". I do have a question regarding the head.
I know it sounds "gross" but I gotta ask: Did you just pull off the meat from the skull or did you also incorporate the brains into the stew?
I am really looking forward to making some homemade authenic stew - thanks for sharing!
Hi Sandy to answer your question the brains are part of the stew however if thats not your thing you can always keep them as part of the stew until ready to serve and then remove them, same goes for the tounge and eyes.
The goathead we had on this day would not fit in the pot so I actually had to cut it in half.
I have the goat simmering away on the stove, and it smells wonderful. I'm eager to find your wife's magnificent tomatillo salsa - did you post the recipe?
If not, can you recommend a good alternative (that I can make at the beginning of Spring in Australia? - not a huge variety of Mexican ingredients at my disposal!)
Thanks
Hi Zoe thats so exciting to hear! I hope it came out to your liking. We have not posted the tomatillo recipe yet but I will get it on soon. Honestly the birria can stand on its own.
Wow, that birria looks mouthwatering. Riquisima! I just returned this weekend from a trip to Chicago and Birria for breakfast was the first thing in my agenda. Great job with the pictures.
I've never head this dish before but looking at your picture and examining the ingredient list, I'm very sure this is a very tasty dish!!!
Thanks for sharing and for posting!
I finally found some carne de chivo and this is the best looking birria recipe I've found on the internets. Thanks for posting it. I'm going to try to adapt it to dry roasting with the jugo added just before serving since that is how I remember my favorite birria in Jalisco. Any pointers for that method?
Hi Mely ...Thanks
Hey Lunch Krispy... I have tasted Jalisco style birria but have not prepared it that way. Perhaps I will try when it starts cooling off soon. Good Luck.
Good job!
One tip for next time: Your goat meat was crowded in the pan - and you can see on the next photo that the meat was not well-crusted, and much of it was steamed gray.
To get better flavor next time:
1) pat the meat bone dry (no wet meat!);
2) get a heavy pan very hot before adding oil/lard;
3) do not crowd the meat - even if this means you have to brown it in batches - each piece of meat should have an inch or so of space between it and the next piece; and
4) your pan will have a bunch of crusty tasty brown stuff seared onto it - this is called fond, and after browning your meat, you should deglase the pan by adding a little water or stock to the hot pan, and scrape the brown stuff off of the pan with a wooden spoon - you'll then want to add this to the stew.
Hola Sr Masa,
I just wanted to share that my GRINGA cuñada, 100% Irish, made your Birria de Chivo recipe for Mother's day yesterday, and I, a 100% Mexicana have to say, ...DELICIOSO!!! Thank you for existing.
Did you buy the chilies dried or do they look that way after you toast them. I had birria at a place south of San Quintin Baja that was great.
I have been craving more ever since and ran across your recipe and want to try it. I live in San Diego so getting ingredients no problem. How do you toast them?
This was awesome!. I toasted a few Puya chiles and threw in an anaheim to give it a little kick. This was literally the best Birria De Chivo I've ever tasted and I've tasted a lot! Good lookin out!
Hi
I´m staying in Guadalajara Mexico for some months now and I ate birria yesterday ;)
Went to the 9 corner square, there they have lots of birria restaurants and as I had thought it was delicious. So I looked for birria recepies and found many but I will try yours it has so many spices and looks so delicious.
But I will soon be home in Iceland and we dont have so many chilies
can I use like one or two types or some diffrent chilies ?
Hi,
It may be a little late to post this but I tried your recipe back in October and it was AMAZING.
I used Lamb chops instead of Goat
I could not find Goat meat in our area.
I live in West Covina, California and I see that you live in Escondido...most of my family
lives in the San Diego area and I just came back from visiting my sister Anna for New Years' Dinner (she lives in Escondido as well) SO CLOSE YET SO FAR to Goat Meat!
Do you know of any Meat martkets in my area offering the Goat Meat?
wowsers. this site is def. going to be bookmarked. thanks for all the pics and great descriptions for the delicious meals that i miss from the mother land- mexico lindo y querido.
Danielle S.
I made Birria on thanksgiveing 2010. I was wondering if i can substite white vinager for cerveza and how much can I put in it? by the way the birria I made turned out amazing!! yummy, yummy!!
can I use a slow cooker or crock pot. I like using this because of the busy life i lead. It looks awesome and I am going to make it this week.
thanks for this recipe.
i had a mexican meal last night with this as the show piece. i mostly followed the recipe but without measuring, with a mixture of chilies i had around the house, and sans goat head (my butcher was out when i visited). nearly all of the 20 guests were blown away, two of them being mexican embassy staff from mexico city.
can't wait to try it with a goat head and more of a variety of chilies!
brian in abuja, nigeria
I tried this recipie about six months ago and it come out perfect. I am from Guadalajara, so I know for a fact this is how birria de chivo from Jalisco tastes. It is time consuming, but it is well worth it. Especially because when I get it some times at al local restaurant, they usually give no more than two big spoons full and they change 13 dollars a plate.
Awesomeness...u just made my day...my girl baptism is coming up and i had "Birria" in my mind all along..ur recipe is the easiest i found online...thanks a bunch...it will be the first time i attempt to make it...wish me luck...thanks once again...
I would like to know about the reason for vinegar marinating; you mentioned you slapped on some vinegar on the goat meat the night before. Please elaborate on why and was it plain distilled...etc. Bueno, BJ
I made this Birria yesterday and it was sooo good. It was pretty easy, I'll probably be making this for my daughters bautizo and just make it in larger amounts. Thanks for posting this recipe!
I love your photos1 It really helps a gringa like me make my hubby happy!
I tried the recipe, and it is as good as it looks, thanks so much
Looking forward to making this tonight (without the goat head). My husband is a huge goat birria fan. Thanks for the recipe.
I have a small
farm in western North Carolina with an organic garden, chickens, ducks, and goats. I love this time of year, the goats are about to kid. That means fresh milk, cheese and your lovely inspiration! What beautiful photos. Breaking out the dried, home-grown chiles!
made it with beef....doesnt taste anything like birria...oh and i live in Mexico so I know what it should taste like :(
I LOVE birria! My husband introduced it to me 2 years ago and I have been nuts about it since! Goat meat is sooooo good, but I don't know how to get ahold of some goat, but I've had good luck with a beef roast, made it like usual but I put it in the slow cooker until it was done.....talk about good! My brother in law was blown out of the water when I made some one day and he was like OMG, I didn't know she could cook Mexican food! This is sooo good! :) I was grinning like a possum when he said that cause it goes to show this gringa got cooking game! :p haha! I was looking around for a new recipe of birria to try and I believe I will try this recipe soon. :)
Awesome recipe. I've been eating birria at restaurants for more than 30 years, and this recipe is as good as any I've eaten. We have a carneceria nearby that has goat so it's easy, but not cheap to make. I had to substitute for one of the chiles, but other than that, I followed the recipe. Great for breakfast!
I was inspired by your recipe and made a fantastic beef birria. It came out just like your description and photos. My mom now has competition :-) Best recipe out there!!!! Mmmmm...
-Antojitos
Just made this with the turkey stock from thanks giving and the leftover turkey! smells fantastic!!!!
thanks so much!
What is 5 whole all spice??
Just stummbled across this recipe and am sooo excited to try it. My husband will not even think about eating chivo. I know we can use beef, but what would be the best cut of beef to use for this?
This is amazing, made it tonight and it was perfect! Thank you sooooooo much!
Good morning, Masa,
I used your recipe, used lamb with a lot of leg bone. The chile paste smelled wonderful, just like the best birria I have had in a restaurant with a Mexican cook who used his Mother's recipe. That was before I added it to the meat. But after it was cooked, instead of a warm live red color, it developed a very dark color with bitter flavor. What should I do differently next time?
Judy
Love the recipe, although sounds like a little complicated with so many spices going into it. but I know that chivo is a meat that needs lots of spices to make very flavorful.
Love to visit your restaurant back in Mexico, but more than that, I'd like to see you in some TV Food Channel.
I have made this 2 times and it is spot on, just like the Birria in the stalls in Tijuana that I have been eating at for over 20+ years. Do you have an estimation on how many people this recipe will serve? I was asked to make this for a big birthday party and want to make sure I make enough to go around! Thanks again for an awesome recipe.
How many does this recipe serve?
This looks delicious. Can the same recipe be used for beef? if so, what cuts of beef would you recommend?
I'm making this as we speak! And maaaan! The smell is driving me crazy! Smells so delicious
Fantastic! Just made this. Made mine with Guajillo, Ancho, Pequin and Panca chillies. Also added a few green cardamom pods.
La receta prefecta de birria.
I am so excited I found this recipe, it is one of my favorite dishes!! <3 <3 <3 I am so impatient to get home and make it!
OMG!!! made this, my first time ever making birria de chivo and everyone loved it! My kids loved it and my parents loved it lol. my mom said she doesn't think she can make it that good :)
I feel like my sauce isn’t as red as the pictures any recommendations? I do add a bit more water because my family loves the broth.
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