Cooking is learning, and that’s what this experiment was. I salvaged it, but everyone suffers from the overcook – I’m no exception. Let’s dig in to see what I did, what I should’ve done, and the steps I did to save it.
I was asked if I ever had the quesabirria taco – and I hadn’t heard of it. After a bit of research, I definitely needed to try making this. Thanks to CanalTuvez for the idea, the future frustration, but a delicious result. I didn’t use goat or lamb, but some nice fatty beef shoulder. Bought a few pounds from the Mexican market that was already pre-sliced (I mention, because this dramatically altered the cook time)
Making the birria was fun, painful for some, but oh so flavorful.
The Prep Table
A lot went into this. You can see the seasonings – I went with a white wine vinegar, some ancho and arbol chiles, guajillo peppers, Roma tomatoes, cilantro and garlic. This majestic blend of flavor was going to be epic.
To make things even better, I made a mayo/sour cream sauce with the above spices to dip the taco in. But I needed to a little bit more. Not just the birria, not just the crema..
I had to go with an avocado-cilantro dip as well. I used to make what I called “salsaguac” but I wanted it a little thicker. I was promised there was a lime in the house (there wasn’t) so I lacked the citrus bite which was needed. It was still good, but needed the acidity to tie it all together.
I made the dipping sauces while the birria was cooking, and this is what’s credited for my future overcook mishap. And the lime. This whole cook was doomed from the start because of the missing lime.
The Process
This all started the night before. I had to make the birria to let it marinade the beef, and then the next day it was time to cook. I took the dried peppers, lightly toasted them, and re-hydrated.
If my wife could’ve stopped coughing from the amount of capsaicin in the air for longer than a minute, I would’ve heard the anger. When they say it’s a chemical irritant, they weren’t lying. I basically pepper-sprayed the house (again) and it was overwhelming. She coughed, I laughed.. I slept on the couch.. it was all in fun.
Peppers were done, tomatoes halved, cilantro added, garlic crushed.. took it to the food processor and let it whirl. I took this picture because you can see the complexity… the smell was so good! I dumped it over the beef shoulder in a dutch oven, gave it a mix and let it be overnight.
The next morning, I fired up the RecTeq with the last of my competition blend pellets. We weren’t smoking anything, so I just needed fuel. After the mace-incident last night, Mrs. Forensic BBQ was happy to have me outside. I had it set for 325 degrees and was just going to let it ride until it was delicious.
But.. I what am I going to do for hours. I’m hungry now.
The Prep Table Part 2 (Wait, smoke within a Smoke?)
Yeah, I had a small cheap flank steak in the fridge so I threw some of that Meat Church Holy Cow on on there and made use of the GrillGrates. Nothing fancy for the steak – room temp, season, add heat.
The Result (Flank Steak)
So yeah, a beautiful medium-rare steak topped with the local Mexican market salsa. Of course, it was delicious, but this wasn’t the purpose of the day. Let’s get back to the birria.
The Process (Quesabirria Tacos)
So about halfway through, I was impressed. It had reduced nicely, but it wasn’t super tender yet.. so I let it go. Like I said, this was at 325 for a few hours, dutch oven, lid on.. just cooking away. The second picture, labeled “Nearing completion”… should’ve been completion. I decided to let it keep going and went inside to make the dipping sauces.
When I came back, the juices were nearly GONE. The disappointment I felt was immeasurable. But all was not lost. The beef was still so, so tender – and there was still some juice left to dip. Next time, and there will definitely be a next time.. I’ll take the dutch oven out when it looks like the above. I gambled and lost, but I had to salvage it.
The Result
The consommé only allowed for a few corn tortillas to receive the dip. And didn’t allow for the post taco dip (which was upsetting). The frying pan I have had for years made cooking these corn shells a pain in the ass. Having cooked the juice out of the meat left me with a temper and I wasn’t having any more of mediocrity.
Basically I took a corn tortilla, dipped it in the consommé, put it on the pan and crisped up the shell. Added the shredded beef, some fresh Oaxaca cheese, folded it over and finished them up. Threw a lil cilantro on top and it they were good to go.
I ate the two that received the consommé dip, and it was magical. These tacos deserved better than I cooked them. The dips were good, but it wasn’t the dip I was hoping for. You will see a redemption cook on this one. The flavor of the beef was perfect – it wasn’t spicy as you would’ve thought from the night before. It was just perfect. I only wish I had some more juice.
And lime. I wish I had that lime.
See you on the next one! I have a cowboy ribeye on the counter as I type this, reverse seared a couple ribeyes a few days ago, so it’ll be a steak post (See it here!). Thanks for stopping by.
The Recipe
Beef Quesabirria Tacos
Ingredients
Beef Birria
- 4-5 Lbs Beef Shoulder
- 2 Tbsp Salt
- 1 Black Pepper to Taste
- 1 Onion
- 6 Dried Guajillo Peppers
- 2 Dried Ancho Chile Peppers
- 4 Dried Chile de Arbol Peppers
- 4 Roma Tomatoes
- 1 Tbsp Black Peppercorns
- 1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1 Tsp Ground Cumin
- 1 Bunch Cilantro
- 4 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 4 Tbsp White Wine Vinegar
- 1 Tbsp Oregano
- Corn Tortillas
- Oaxaca Cheese
Creamy White Sauce
- 1/2 Cup Mayonnaise
- 1/2 Cup Sour Cream
- 3 Tbsp Pickled Jalapeno Juice
- 3 Tbsp Pickled Jalapeno Diced
- 2 Tsp Paprika
- 2 Tsp Ground Cumin
- 1 Tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 Tsp Onion Powder
- 1/2 Tsp Salt
- 1/2 Tsp Chili Powder
Creamy Green Sauce
- 1 Avocado
- 1/2 Cup Fresh Cilantro
- 1/2 Cup Fresh Parsley
- 1 Juice from Lime
- 2 Cloves Garlic Rough Chopped
- 2 Tbsp Water
- 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
- 1 Tsp Salt
- 1 Jalapeno Rough Chopped
Instructions
Beef Birria (Marinade)
- Chunk out the meat if not already. Place into a dutch oven and get ready for the show. Season with salt and pepper.
- Toast the dried chiles (arbol, guajillo, ancho) in pan for a few minutes, then soak for 10 minutes. Add to food processor.
- Add peppercorns, cumin, and cinnamon to pan, toast for a minute. Sprinkle some water to dislodge and add to food processor.
- Add garlic, cilantro, olive oil, vinegar, oregano, and onion to food processor and blend. Should be a paste-like consistency.
- Pour over the meat in the dutch oven, making sure meat is covered. Place in fridge overnight – dream about what's going to happen tomorrow.
Beef Birria (The Cook)
- Pre-heat the pellet smoker to 325f.
- Place dutch oven, with lid, into your RecTeq and let it cook for 4 hours.
- Keep an eye and mix every 45 minutes afterward Рwe want the meat to pull apart while leaving enough consomm̩ to dip. (I got lazy here and let it go too long Рkeep an eye!)
- When meat pulls apart, remove the lid and let the heat get it for about 20 minutes – crisp up the beef. Remove from heat when done.
- Remove meat with a strainer, letting the juices stay in the dutch oven. Press even to make sure the consommé is plentiful. Shred on a cutting board.
- Dip corn tortillas into the consommé, and place onto frying pan/Blackstone. Place beef and any other ingredients (Oaxaca cheese, cilantro, etc.) you wish onto tortilla, and taco it. Repeat until you've made enough.
- Ladle the consommé into a dish to accompany your other sauces.
- Enjoy!
Creamy Green Sauce
- Add to food processor, blend until combined.
Creamy White Sauce
- Place all ingredients into a bowl, mix to combine.