Chef Lupita
Birria Chile Adobo (Adobo para Birria)
Jalisco's birria begins with this chile adobo: guajillo, ancho, warm spices, vinegar, and manteca worked into a brick-red paste that turns goat or lamb into birria.
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Consome de Birria Jalisciense
Created by
Jalisco's birria broth, pulled from a slow goat braise, stained red with toasted guajillo, ancho, and pasilla, finished with its own fat and served beside tacos for dipping.
Sauces & Condiments
Mexican
Comfort Food
Make Ahead
Special Occasion
1 hr
Active Time
4 hr cook•5 hr total
Yield8 cups broth, enough for 8 servings
Jalisco owns birria. The version I am teaching comes from the Guadalajara side of the state, with roots in the birrierias of Tlaquepaque, Cocula, and the old market stalls where goat is not a novelty, it is the point. This consome is the red broth left from the braise, strained, skimmed, sharpened with salt and lime at the table, then used for dipping tacos before you drink what remains.
The chiles matter. Guajillo gives clean red color, ancho gives body and sweetness, pasilla gives depth, and cascabel gives that round Jalisco bitterness that sits in the back of the throat. Not all Mexican food is hot. This broth is not about burning your mouth. It is about dried chile, goat fat, vinegar, clove, cumin, Mexican oregano, and time working together until the liquid tastes like the animal and the tierra it came from.
I learned to respect birria from women who started the pot before sunrise and sold it by midmorning, ladling consome into thick clay bowls while the tortillas warmed beside them. They did not call it a dipping sauce. That is what happens when the internet discovers something abuelas already knew. The broth is not extra. It is the proof that the meat was cooked correctly.
If you can find chivo, use chivo. Lamb will get you close. Beef will make a good red broth, but it will not taste like Jalisco birria. A substitution is a compromise, not an upgrade. Cada estado, su propia cocina.
Birria developed in Jalisco during the colonial period after the Spanish introduced goats in the 16th century, and local cooks turned an animal considered difficult and strong-tasting into a ceremonial dish through adobo, slow cooking, and careful seasoning. The word is often linked to the idea of something of little value, which is exactly the point: Jalisco cooks transformed unwanted goat into one of the state's defining foods. Modern beef birria and quesabirria are 20th and 21st century adaptations, but the older jalisciense foundation is goat, dried chiles, vinegar, spices, and the consome collected from the braise.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
bone-in goat shoulder or leg
Quantity
3 pounds
cut into large chunks
goat neck bones or meaty ribs
Quantity
2 pounds
kosher salt
Quantity
1 tablespoon, plus more to taste
dried chile guajillo
Quantity
10
stemmed and seeded
dried chile ancho
Quantity
4
stemmed and seeded
dried chile pasilla
Quantity
3
stemmed and seeded
dried chile cascabel
Quantity
2
stemmed and seeded
Roma tomatoes
Quantity
4
charred on a comal
white onion
Quantity
1 large
half charred for the adobo and half finely diced for serving
garlic cloves
Quantity
8
unpeeled and charred
apple cider vinegar
Quantity
1/3 cup
dried Mexican oregano
Quantity
1 tablespoon
dried marjoram
Quantity
1 teaspoon
dried thyme
Quantity
1 teaspoon
ground cumin
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
whole cloves
Quantity
4
black peppercorns
Quantity
6
Mexican cinnamon stick
Quantity
1 inch
bay leaves
Quantity
2
water or unsalted beef stock
Quantity
8 cups
manteca de cerdo (optional)
Quantity
1 tablespoon
only if the goat is too lean
fresh cilantro (optional)
Quantity
1/2 cup
chopped
lime halves (optional)
Quantity
for serving
warm hand-pressed corn tortillas or birria tacos (optional)
Quantity
for serving
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| bone-in goat shoulder or legcut into large chunks | 3 pounds |
| goat neck bones or meaty ribs | 2 pounds |
| kosher salt | 1 tablespoon, plus more to taste |
| dried chile guajillostemmed and seeded | 10 |
| dried chile anchostemmed and seeded | 4 |
| dried chile pasillastemmed and seeded | 3 |
| dried chile cascabelstemmed and seeded | 2 |
| Roma tomatoescharred on a comal | 4 |
| white onionhalf charred for the adobo and half finely diced for serving | 1 large |
| garlic clovesunpeeled and charred | 8 |
| apple cider vinegar | 1/3 cup |
| dried Mexican oregano | 1 tablespoon |
| dried marjoram | 1 teaspoon |
| dried thyme | 1 teaspoon |
| ground cumin | 1/2 teaspoon |
| whole cloves | 4 |
| black peppercorns | 6 |
| Mexican cinnamon stick | 1 inch |
| bay leaves | 2 |
| water or unsalted beef stock | 8 cups |
| manteca de cerdo (optional)only if the goat is too lean | 1 tablespoon |
| fresh cilantro (optional)chopped | 1/2 cup |
| lime halves (optional) | for serving |
| warm hand-pressed corn tortillas or birria tacos (optional) | for serving |
Equipment Needed
- •Cast iron comal or heavy skillet for toasting chiles
- •High-powered blender
- •Fine-mesh strainer
- •Heavy 7-quart Dutch oven or deep clay cazuela
- •Clay bowls or jarritos for serving the consome
Instructions
- 1
Salt the goat
Season the goat shoulder and bones with the tablespoon of salt. Let them sit while you prepare the adobo, or refrigerate them overnight if you have time. Goat needs salt early. It is a strong meat, not a shy one.
- 2
Toast the chiles
Heat a dry comal over medium. Toast the guajillo, ancho, pasilla, and cascabel separately, 15 to 30 seconds per side, just until they soften, puff, and smell deep. Do not let them blacken. The pasilla burns fast and will make the whole pot bitter if you get lazy.
At the mercado, choose chiles that bend a little and smell fruity. If they crack like old paper, leave them there. Bad chiles make bad birria. - 3
Soak the chiles
Put the toasted chiles in a bowl and cover with hot water for 20 minutes. Hot water, not boiling. Boiling water roughens the skins and pulls out bitterness. Drain the chiles and save 1 cup of the soaking liquid only if it tastes clean, not harsh.
- 4
Char the vegetables
On the same comal, char the tomatoes, half the onion, and the unpeeled garlic until they are blistered in spots. Peel the garlic. The char gives the consome the rounded flavor you expect from a Jalisco birria stand in the morning, before the pot is half gone.
- 5
Blend the adobo
Blend the soaked chiles, charred tomatoes, charred onion, peeled garlic, vinegar, oregano, marjoram, thyme, cumin, cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon, and 1 cup water or clean chile soaking liquid until completely smooth. Blend longer than you think. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Skins and seeds do not belong in a finished consome.
- 6
Marinate the meat
Coat the goat meat and bones with the strained adobo. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. This is where the meat takes the chile, vinegar, and spice. No me vengas con atajos. A quick dip in sauce is not birria.
- 7
Start the braise
Put the marinated goat, all the adobo, bay leaves, and 8 cups water or unsalted stock in a heavy pot or clay cazuela. The liquid should nearly cover the meat. Bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat until the surface moves slowly. Cover partially.
- 8
Cook until tender
Simmer 3 1/2 to 4 hours, turning the meat once or twice, until it pulls from the bone with little effort. If the surface looks dry because the goat is lean, add the tablespoon of manteca de cerdo. La manteca es el sabor, but in birria the best fat should come from the animal itself.
- 9
Separate the broth
Lift the meat and bones out of the pot. Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean pot, pressing lightly on the solids. Let it rest 10 minutes, then skim off excess fat, leaving a red-gold layer on top. Do not strip it bare. That chile-stained fat is the soul of the consome.
- 10
Season and serve
Return the consome to a simmer and taste for salt. It should be savory, chile-deep, and bright enough from the vinegar to keep the fat from feeling heavy. Serve in clay bowls with diced white onion, cilantro, lime halves, and warm corn tortillas or birria tacos for dipping. Así se hace y punto.
Chef Tips
- •Ask for goat shoulder, leg, neck, or ribs at a Mexican butcher. If the butcher looks confused when you say chivo, you are in the wrong place. Preguntale a las senoras del mercado.
- •The consome should have fat on top. Skim the heavy excess, yes, but leave the red-gold sheen. A fatless birria broth is a punishment, not a recipe.
- •Do not use chile powder. Use whole dried guajillo, ancho, pasilla, and cascabel. Toasting wakes the oils. Powder tastes dusty because it usually is.
- •If goat is impossible, use bone-in lamb shoulder and lamb neck. Say what it is. Do not call beef broth traditional goat birria. This is a 32-state cuisine, and names mean something.
- •For tacos, chop the cooked meat, moisten it with a little consome, and crisp it on a comal. Dip the tortilla lightly in the red fat first. Lightly. You are making a taco, not washing laundry.
Advance Preparation
- •The goat can marinate overnight, and it should if you have the time. The flavor goes deeper.
- •The finished consome keeps 4 days in the refrigerator. The fat will harden on top; lift off only what is excessive, then reheat the broth gently.
- •Consome freezes well for 3 months. Freeze it with a little of the red fat included so it reheats with body.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 250g)
Calories
135 calories
Total Fat
6 g
Saturated Fat
2 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
3 g
Cholesterol
35 mg
Sodium
920 mg
Total Carbohydrates
8 g
Dietary Fiber
2 g
Sugars
3 g
Protein
12 g
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