San Antonio Spurs: Beef Birria
The #NBAXmas Cookbook offers an interactive and festive experience where NBA Fans can try recipes from all 30 teams’ home markets.
Each team was challenged to showcase a recipe that best represents their region’s most iconic culinary food. This recipe ranges from a favorite snack, dish or dessert that is unique to the team and fanbase.
Find the origin of each recipe and everything you need to create it below.
Beef Birria
The distinctive entrée was selected for its robust regional ties and the part San Antonio played in making the dish famous. Beef Birria tacos, stewed in the core of San Antonio, journeyed north from Jalisco, Mexico, and have gained domestic popularity in the past five years.
Birria is a succulent meat stew that is soaked in a blend of chiles and spices, and is served with tortillas stuffed with the stew’s tender, flavorful meat. These tortillas are then dipped into the thin layer of fat that rises to the top of the birria, imbuing them with even more flavor. After being filled with the meat, the tortillas are placed on a griddle, giving them a pleasingly crispy exterior.
Birria tacos come served with a side of consommé, which is the broth from the stew, and are topped with onions and cilantro.
Ingredients
| BEEF |
| 5 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and deseeded |
| 5 dried New Mexico chiles, stemmed and deseeded |
| 4 dried chile de arbol, stemmed and deseeded |
| 2 cans of whole peeled tomatoes |
| 2 white onion, quartered |
| 8 cloves garlic |
| 6 cups beef broth |
| 1 tbsp. vegetable oil |
| 4 lbs. chuck roast, cut into 2-inch cubes |
| 1 1/2 lbs. beef shank |
| Kosher salt |
| freshly ground black pepper |
| 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar |
| 1 tbsp. ground coriander |
| 1 tbsp. ground cumin |
| 2 tsp. dried oregano |
| 2 cinnamon sticks |
| 2 dried bay leaves |
| TACOS |
| 30 corn tortillas |
| 4 cups shredded mozzarella |
| 1 cup finely diced onion |
| 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro |
| 6 limes, cut into wedges |
Directions:
BEEF:
- Combine the ancho chiles, New Mexico chiles, chiles de arbol tomatoes, onion, garlic, beef broth, and beef shank in a pot.
- Boil and then allow to simmer for 20-30 minutes.
- While waiting, season the chuck roll with salt and pepper and cut it into cubes.
- Pour oil into a Dutch Oven and heat it on medium to high. Sear the beef in batches to ensure all sides of the meat are browned.
- Once done, move it to a plate or a holding area.
- Debone the tomato and chili mixture, then use an immersion blender to puree it until smooth.
- Pour the blended sauce into the Dutch Oven.
- Reintroduce the meat into the Dutch Oven, along with any juices that have accumulated on the plate.
- Combine the apple cider vinegar, coriander, cumin and dried oregano. Place the cinnamon sticks and bay leaves in a cheesecloth and secure it with a chef string. Add this to the mixture.
- Stir the mixture and allow it to simmer. Then, secure the lid and continue cooking until the beef becomes tender, which should take approximately 3 hours.
- After the beef becomes tender, discard the cinnamon sticks and bay leaves, then take out the beef and shred it.
- Filter the leftover liquid to create a consommé dipping sauce.
- After settling, remove the oil from the top of the consommé and keep it aside.
TACOS:
- To assemble the tacos, immerse three 6-inch corn tortillas in the consommé oil and place them on a griddle set to medium to high heat.
- Turn over the tortillas and add 2 oz. of mozzarella cheese onto each one.
- When the cheese begins to melt, incorporate 2 oz. of beef birria, then fold it in half to seal.
- Griddle the tacos until they are crisp.
- Transfer to a plate and serve alongside lime wedges, diced onions, cilantro and a small cup of consommé for dipping.
