Quesabirria Taco Setup with tacos, consommé, garnish
We were supposed to be in San Francisco this week, but the trip was cancelled due to rising COVID numbers. One of the things on our checklist was a visit to the Mission for quesabirria tacos, specifically to El Patron where they’re $1 off on Tuesdays. So, of course, we had to try making them at home.
Birria is a red meaty stew with an intense flavorful broth (in Mexico it’s called a consommé though it’s not clear like a French consommé) which is typically served separate from the meat. The ingredients include various dried chiles, aromatics and a range of spices including small amounts of warm spices like cinnamon and cloves. The meat was originally goat but it seems to be made almost universally with beef these days, since beef is much cheaper and more available than goat.
How to make the tacos. Dip tortilla in broth…
We looked at many recipes in both English and Spanish and found more commonalities than differences. Some cooks brown the meat first, others just dump it into the stock. Some prepare the stock before cooking the meat. We opted to brown the meat and cook everything together for maximum flavor. We used a large chuck roast, guajillo chiles for rich toasty flavor and de arbol for heat. The spice mixture overall was closest to this recipe, though we did not use an Instant Pot.
Crisp it in the skillet…
After cooking the meat about 4 hours to falling apart consistency, we separated the meat and shredded it by hand. The stock was strained and moved to the refrigerator overnight so we could remove some (not all) of the fat which had congealed on top. In tasting the next morning we added considerable salt and a couple more guajillos since the chile flavor didn’t stand out enough. Another hour on the simmer ring, and it was time to make the tacos.
… Fold over to melt the cheese.
Quesabirria tacos are an interactive exercise in which diners get to curate the meal to their satisfaction. A tortilla is dipped in the broth and transferred to a griddle or cast iron skillet, where it will sizzle as the cook adds a generous amount of meat and melty cheese. (We used a generic “Mexican blend” found at Walmart; the most important thing is that it must melt easily and evenly). After a moment the taco is folded in half, then flipped. It is ready to remove when the cheese is oozing out the side.
By the time the tacos reach the diner they have dried out with the heat and can be opened to add ingredients. Cilantro, a squirt of lime juice, chopped onion and jalapeños are essential. A small container of the consommé is provided for dipping the taco. It’s really messy eating, and really good. And you don’t have to go to San Francisco to enjoy it.
