Birria, the best Goat tacos.

For this extremely cold week, my heart needed some warmth and comfort. Between nostalgia for my hometown and the need for something familiar, I decided to prepare the start of my beloved Guadalajara, Birria de Cabra.

If you go to Jalisco, Mexico, you cannot leave without trying some good Birria tacos. The Birria is a unique dish. The flavor of the goat explodes in your mouth with its juices. The smooth texture with crunchy bits gives this Tapatío delicacy something special. And the broth, a spicy broth is never lacking in the cuisine of Jalisco.

(Picture by Travelocity 2017, Guadalajara City Mex.)

The history of the Birria, useless meat.

Goats arrived in Mexico during the viceroyalty and the Spanish conquest. It is said that the Birria recipe originated in Jalisco at the beginning of the 19th century. These animals are invasive species in Mexican lands. Goats started to reproduce exponentially, in addition to destroying farmers' crops. Having an overpopulation of goats, the Spanish conquerors began to give them away, and the native indigenous people of Jalisco hunted them. Spanish people did not eat goats, because these animals have little meat, which, in addition to being quite tough, is odorous and tasteless. (Toledo 2017).

(Unknown artist [Mexican], Black and Spaniard Makes Mulatto, c. 1780. The mix of culture.)

A new amazing meal.

In a short time, Mexicans turned unpleasant, free, and unwanted meat into a gastronomic delicacy. The locals discovered that if they cooked the meat slowly in clay ovens, and marinated it with chili peppers and spices, they would obtain soft and juicy meat. This is how the Birria was born, whose name comes from the Spanish word Birria, which means vulgar, of little value, or useless. This was due to how little value goat meat was and how unpleasant it was for the Spanish people.

(Illustration by Birria Taco Queen, 2021)

Birria or Barbacoa?

Many people confuse Birria and Barbacoa, and that is a very normal mistake. We can say that the rule is: birria is equal to goat meat. However, in some parts of Jalisco, Mexico there is a traditional birria made of beef.

In Canada, many people prepare birria with lamb meat because they want a closer flavor to the traditional goat birria. I know it sounds like there is no real rule for this, but I will be certain of one thing, barbacoa is the cooking method and birria is the tradition of goat meat. If you want to know what is in your birria taco, I will always recommend asking about the kind of meat used.

(Facebook, Unknowing author, 2023)

Which is the best cut for my Birria?

The Birria is such a humble dish, doesn't waste anything. From the head to the tail of the goat, it is used to prepare the birria, which is the secret of its exquisite flavor. A mixture of textures and flavors. Although of course, there are preferences, there will be those who want a cheek taco and a rib taco because they are juicier and fatty. On the other hand, there are those who want one taco of different cuts, like leg and chest, because they are lower in fat.

(Picture by Hedley Tomicki, November 2021.)

("Cabeza de chivo", goat heat. Picture by Hedley Tomicki, November 2021.)

How to cook Birria?

Since I am very far from my hometown, Guadalajara. I have to prepare my own Birria tacos, with the ingredients and utensils at hand. Although the traditional thing is to cook the birria in stone ovens, nobody is going to complain if you cook it in your home oven, stove, or instant pot. The important fact about cooking Birria is using a moist and slow method to break down the connective tissue of the meat to have a soft final product. In addition, the Adobo or marinate is a crucial step. The correct mix of spices and chiles is essential to create the representative flavor of the Birria.

(Adobo ingredients by Cara Cormack)

Goat meat in the market

On the website www.whisperingmeadows.ca, you can buy a full, half, or quarter goat, the more you buy the cheaper the price, for example, a quarter goat costs $19.95/pound. A typical quarter goat will yield:

• 0.75 lb rack of ribs,

• 1 lb. loin chops,

• 0.75lb shank,

• 2 lbs leg roasts,

• 1.8 lbs shoulder chops,

• 1.1 lbs ground or cubed goat meat (choose below),

• 1 lb soup bones

All of these are perfect to use in a Birria! You can also just use goat meat cubes if your budget is limited like mine. At Cornershop, there is local goat meat for $16.99 a pound or regular goat meat for $10.99 a pound.

Or if you don't feel like cooking but want to try Birria, there are also restaurants in Toronto that sell it, like Tacos el Asador in Boor which sells Birria bowls for $15.

(Macala Wright, c. 2020)

InstantPot Birria Tacos Recipe

Ingredients Adobo:

-500gr of goat or beef meat (It can be ribs, cubes, legs, or any other part)

-3pc Dry Chiles pasilla

-3pc Dry Chile anchos

-4pc Tomatoes

-1pc White onion

-1pc Head of garlic

-2pc Laurel leaves

-4pc Aromatic cloves

-1pc Cinnamon stick

-10pc Black whole pepper

-500ml of Water

- Salt to taste

Ingredients Toppings:

-1pc White onion

-1 Bunch of cilantro

-5 Limes

-Salsa and Tortillas

Ingredients Tortillas:

-2 Cups of Nixtamalizated cornflour

-11/2 cups of warm water

Extra:

-Oil to fry

-Pan-fry

-Pot

-Baking tray

-Instantpot

-A tortilla press if you are making your own tortillas

Preparation:

Meat

Open the dry chile peppers with scissors and remove the seeds. Then simmer the spices with the chiles for ten minutes. When the chile peppers are soft, blend all the Adobo ingredients together except for the meat and the bay leaves. In a large bowl or the InstantPot bowl, marinate the meat for one hour or overnight. After marinating the meat, place it into the InstantPot and cook for 45 minutes under High Pressure, then leave it for natural release. When is ready, separate the meat from the stock, and place it in a baking tray. Boil the meat at 450F or until is crispy on top (Be careful to don't overcook It or it will dry). I like adding a cup of stock to the crispy meat after broiling it, then set aside.

Tortillas:

In a large bowl mix the cornflour with the warm water, add the water slowly, and mix until smooth, it is too dry add more water. Let rest the dough for half-hour cover it with plastic. When the dough is ready make small bowlls of 5cm (keep it always cover with a moist cloth). With the help of a tortilla press, make tortillas of 1mm of thickness and cook them on a hot comal or a pan. When the borders of the tortilla start cooking, flip it over. if the tortilla inflates it means is a good one. Keep the tortillas warm in a tortillera or cover them with cloths.

Fry Tacos:

In a hot pan fry with oil, place the tortillas, if you want more flavor, cover first the tortillas with the oils from the stock. Fill half of the tortillas with the meat and flip it until crispy.

Toppings:

Cut the onion into small dice, and chop the cilantro. Preparate the table with all the topping so your friend can add their favorites to the tacos and try different combinations.

Citations:

Silverio, F. (2021, May 21). ¿Cómo surgió la birria? Esta es la historia que pocos conocen. Gastrolab. https://www.gastrolabweb.com/tendencias/2021/5/21/como-surgio-la-birria-esta-es-la-historia-que-pocos-conocen-10450.html

Tomicki, H. (2021, November 19). A Boyle Heights Birria de Chivo Maker Upholds Jalisco Tradition. Culinary Backstreets. https://culinarybackstreets.com/cities-category/los-angeles/2021/el-jaliciense/

M. (2021, August 29). Why goat breeding should be developed in Mexico. Mexicanist. https://www.mexicanist.com/l/the-goat/#:%7E:text=Development%20in%20Mexico,always%20carried%20them%20with%20them.