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Beef Birria
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Beef Birria

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Cook Time on High 4 hours
Total Time 8 hours 15 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients

FOR THE BEEF

  • 1 chuck roast (about 3 lbs) cut into 3-inch pieces
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
  • 4 dried guajillo or ancho chiles stemmed and seeded
  • 16 oz Whole30-compatible beef broth
  • 1 14.5 oz can fire-roasted tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 red onion quartered
  • 5 chipotle chiles in adobo, or 2 teaspoons hot smoked paprika (see Tips above)
  • 6 cloves garlic coarsely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano or marjoram
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

FOR THE SWEET POTATOES

  • 3 medium sweet potatoes peeled and diced
  • Salt
  • Black pepper

FOR SERVING

  • White onion diced
  • Fresh cilantro chopped
  • Lime wedges

Instructions

Cook the beef:

  • SEASON the meat with the salt and pepper and place in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker.
  • PLACE the guajillo chiles in a small saucepan and cover with boiling water. Let stand until softened, about 10 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the chiles to blender or food processor.
  • ADD the broth, tomatoes, vinegar, onion, chiles in adobo (or smoked paprika), garlic, cumin, oregano, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves to the blender. Cover and blend until smooth.
  • POUR the sauce over the meat and stir to combine.
  • COVER and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours, or on high for 4 to 5 hours.
  • CAREFULLY transfer the meat to a cutting board.
  • STRAIN the cooking liquid through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl.
  • RETURN 1 cup cooking liquid to the slow cooker; discard the remaining liquid and the solids.

Make the sweet potatoes:

  • PLACE the sweet potatoes in a covered microwave-safe dish and cook on high, stirring halfway through, for 4 to 5 minutes, until tender. Drain any liquid.
  • LIGHTLY season the potatoes with salt and pepper.

To serve:

  • DIVIDE the sweet potatoes among six shallow serving bowls.
  • TOP with some of the birria and sauce, then the diced onion and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.

Instant Pot Variation:

  • FOLLOW the directions through the second step, using a 6-quart Instant Pot.
  • LOCK the lid in place. Select Manual and cook on high pressure for 60 minutes.
  • USE natural release. Follow the remaining instructions.