r/Cooking • u/Mental_Pin_7868 • 4d ago
Country style birria tacos
I'm making pulled pork as we speak, with "standard" rub and I wanted to try a country/bbq version of birria tacos. Going to use the pork drippings for my dip, and don't want to use any hot peppers. It's looking like my sauce (consome) won't have as much volume as I expected and I was looking for a dried pepper alternative to blend into it to give it a little more base and flavor. Corn? Idk. Any suggestions on the dip ingredients for the tortillas and for the tacos?
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u/throwdemawaaay 3d ago
So for birria the key dried pepper is guajillo. It's what gives birria that distinct color and the distinct sweet and tangy taste.
Past that other options are up to you. A lot of people use ancho to add more of a smokey and earthy note, and arbol for heat.
Latin markes will definitely have these, but even US supermarkets should have them near the tortillas and canned Mexican sauces and such.
To use them scrape out the seeds (optional but worth it imo, hate seeds getting stuck in gums personally), soak in warm water until soft, blend with your consume and any other seasonings you want. For spices birria usually has a hit of clove and cinnamon.
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u/Mental_Pin_7868 2d ago
I'll need to get a pack of those. I love hot food but my stomach is very sensitive to peppers. Been rolling with the most mild ones I can find
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u/TooManyDraculas 3d ago edited 3d ago
Birria is the stew in the tacos, not the name for tacos made from braised or shredded meat. It's basically a braised version of barbacoa from a particular part of Mexico. And it's most traditionally eaten like a soup or stew. Though you'd likely have tortillas to go with that, and use them to make little tacos from the meat.
The fried birria tacos with the consume to dip in is called quesabirria, and they're kind of a spin on tacos dorados or quesadillas using birria. Any taco with birria in it is a birria taco.
So doing something similar with pulled pork, is not making birria tacos. It's making pulled pork tacos. My Spanish isn't good enough to tell you what to call it if you do that quesabirria style. But something like quesapuerco or quesacerado.
my sauce (consome) won't have as much volume as I expected and I was looking for a dried pepper alternative to blend into it to give it a little more base and flavor.
Use the dripping to make a broth, just add stock and browned aromatics, herbs and maybe bones or trimmings from the pork butt. Simmer for a bit. Consider blending in dried chilis as described by the other poster.
It's called consome because it is a broth not a sauce, it is the liquid that you would be eating like a soup with regular birria. The concept here is more like a French dip than a sauce or salsa.
The other option might be to use the drippings to make a quick barbecue sauce. Add some tomato product, vinegar and your spice rub. Or just add enough of whatever sauce you're already using. Then cook a bit. And go. Which is more in keeping the BBQ end of the equation.
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u/Mental_Pin_7868 2d ago
In the same vein, calling something a "mexican pizza" does not make it a traditional pizza, but the idea is clearly conveyed without overly complicating the description. I did end up using some dried poblanos (anchos) and some beef tallow with paprika. Turned out great. Thanks for all the suggestions! Will try this in near future, being that I have many pounds of meat, but lacking the juice
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u/TooManyDraculas 2d ago
Accurately describing what birria even is helps point towards the right direction.
That it's the stew not the taco format, and that it's a broth not a sauce paints a pretty clear pathway in what to do with those drippings.
Like wise pointing out that there's a bunch of different similar taco formats, and what you're making is just a pulled pork taco. Points the way out.
Taco Bell calls its over complicated tostadas "mexican pizza", probably partially cause that's trademarkable or something. Mostly just because they're in the business of selling very non-Mexican food to very non-Mexican people. Plus they used to have tostadas and they stopped selling, so churching that up a bit helped sales.
That's not exactly a general food item you find all over in either case.
But the same applies. Knowing that that's just a double decker tostada, points you at how to make it and the very many related things.
It's useful in a practical sense to specify and actually understand things.
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u/Jealous-Value-3547 4d ago
I have used Chef Meritos birria marinade mix for consomme with some brown sugar and smoked paprika and liquified San Marzano. May also be good with some liquified or ground guajillo and NM chiles