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
This distinctive main course was selected because of its robust regional link and the role San Antonio played in making the dish popular. Beef Birria tacos, stewed in the core of San Antonio, made their journey from Jalisco, Mexico and have been gaining popularity within the country over the past five years.
Birria is a flavorful meat stew that’s soaked in a blend of chiles and spices, and is served in tortillas filled with the stew’s succulent meat. The tortillas are next dunked in the thin layer of fat that rises to the birria’s surface. After being stuffed with meat, the tortillas are put on a griddle to achieve a crispy outer layer.
Birria tacos are served accompanied by the consommé, also known as the broth from the stew, and are garnished with cilantro and onions.
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.
- Allow it to reach a boiling point and then let it simmer for about 20-30 minutes.
- While waiting, season the chuck roll with salt and pepper after cubing it.
- Pour oil into a Dutch Oven and heat it on medium to high. Sear the beef in batches, ensuring all sides of the meat are browned.
- Once completed, transfer it to a plate or a holding area.
- Remove all bones from the tomato and chili mixture. Then, use an immersion blender to blend the mixture until it is smooth.
- Pour the blended sauce into the Dutch Oven.
- Put the meat back into the Dutch Oven, along with any juices that may have collected on the plate.
- Pour in the apple cider vinegar, followed by the coriander, cumin, and dried oregano. Then, place the cinnamon sticks and bay leaves in a cheesecloth, secure it with chef string, and add it to the mixture.
- Stir and let it simmer, then seal the lid and leave the beef to cook until it becomes tender, which should take approximately 3 hours.
- After the beef becomes tender, take out and discard the cinnamon sticks and bay leaves. Then, remove 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:
- For taco preparation, immerse three 6-inch corn tortillas in the consommé oil and place them on a griddle at medium to high heat.
- Turn the tortillas over and sprinkle each one with 2 oz. of mozzarella cheese.
- When the cheese begins to melt, incorporate 2 oz. of beef birria and then fold it in half to seal.
- Griddle the tacos until they reach a crisp texture.
- Transfer to a plate and serve with lime wedges, chopped onions, cilantro, and a small cup of consommé for dipping.
