Lamb Birria Tacos

I was inspired by the recent birria taco craze to make these Lamb Birria Tacos. Birria tacos feature lamb braised in a flavorful sauce, then filled into a corn tortilla along with lots of melty cheese. The tortillas are pan fried in the birria sauce and topped with onion and cilantro.

What are birria tacos?

Well, birria is a stew that hails from Jalisco, Mexico. It is usually made with goat or lamb. The meat is served in a consomme (a rich broth) and traditionally does not involve any taco at all!

Normally, I hate to mess with a good thing (and trust me, birria is a great thing!) but sometimes a twist on tradition leads to something even more delicious, like birria tacos.

Funny enough, birria tacos became really popular recently because of Tik Tok. I have to confess that I didn’t really know anything about these tacos until I saw them come up on my social media feed. That inspired me to try to create my own version of this popular recipe.

The ingredients…

These lamb birria tacos start off like a traditional birria by braising meat in a rich stew. The stew is essential to making flavorful tacos, so let’s talk about some of the ingredients:

• Dried chilies -these are the star of the dish! I used a traditional mix of guajillo, ancho, and arbol chilies. I also added some dried chiptole chilies for some extra heat. The guajillo and ancho chiles are very mild in terms of spice, but they give a lovely smoky flavor. Use a knife to cut the stems of the peppers. If you are don’t want your sauce too spicy, you can skip the chipotle chilies or remove the seeds (seeds = spicy!)
• Lamb – I honestly think lamb is the best meat for birria. Lamb has a very distinct flavor, and it loves to be braised. I used a boneless lamb shoulder for this recipe.
• Garlic – a used a mix of fresh garlic and garlic powder and I really think it makes a difference! I used this amazing organic garlic powder from Loisa. It’s very flavorful, but also blends well into the sauce.
• Mexican oregano – Mexican oregano is a little different from the kind you find in a typical grocery store. It is more vibrant and flavorful than normal oregano. If you can’t find the dried Mexican oregano, you can use dried Italian oregano. Just add a little more than the recipe calls for.
• Mexican cinnamon –  Mexican cinnamon is life! Mexican cinnamon or canela is usually skinnier and longer than normal cinnamon, and it has a very mild flavor. It is so delicious! Definitely try to get the Mexican kind if you can, but if not, use normal cinnamon. Whichever kind you get, make sure to remove it before adding the ingredients to the blender.

I’m not going to lie, this sauce has a lot of ingredients, but that’s because the sauce is the primary source of flavor for these tacos so we have to make sure it’s done right! My sauce is slightly different from some birria sauces because I add garlic powder and chipotle peppers, but otherwise, it’s pretty traditional.

The recipe…

Start by bringing the lamb up to room temperature. Then coat liberally with salt. Sear the meat on both sides in a large cast iron pot until browned (I used my 5qt cocotte). Remove lamb from the pot and set aside. The meat may drain some juices while it rests, that’s totally normal.

Next, toast the dried chilies in the cast iron pot to release more of the flavor. Add the tomatoes, white onion, spices, bay leaves, and cold water. Cover the pot and bring to boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. This will soften the chilies and release all their delicious flavor.

Remove the bay leaves and cinnamon, then transfer the remaining ingredients and about half the liquid to a high powered blender. Add about 2 cups of beef broth, then blend until smooth. The mixture should be thick, almost like an adobo sauce. You may have to work in batches depending on your blender’s capacity.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Add the lamb back to the cast iron pot, then pour the sauce over the meat. Cover and braise in the oven for 2-2.5 hours, or until the meat pulls apart easily. The braise time will depend on the thickness of your meat and the type of meat you are using. It will also depend on whether you want your lamb super soft, or if you want it to have some bite to it. Start with two hours, then take out a little piece of lamb and test it to see if it’s cooked. If not, give it another 30 minutes and test it again.

Once the lamb is done, use two forks to shred the meat. Set aside.

Remove some of the broth and add it to a bowl for dipping (this is the consomme). Add a little beef broth to thin out the sauce. You can also add chopped onions and cilantro to the dipping sauce.

Dip a corn tortilla into the pot with the reserve sauce (not the dipping sauce we just made). Pan fry the tortilla in a cast iron skillet, then add lamb and cheese and fold the tortilla over to make a taco. Add more sauce to the top of the tortilla and flip so you can cook the other side in the sauce. Repeat for the remaining tacos.

Serve by topping with chopped onions and cilantro. Dip tacos in consomme and enter heaven!

Looking for more delicious recipes? Try:

Spicy Bean and Cheese Quesadillas

Jackfruit Al Pastor Tacos with Cilantro Lime Crema

Meatless Dominican “Beef” Empanadas

Share this recipe…

If you make this recipe, be sure to let me know by rating it and leaving a comment below. I would love to hear from you. And don’t forget to tag @sweetandsorrel on Instagram!

Lamb Birria Tacos

Author: Dani

5 from 2 votes

Birria tacos feature lamb braised in a flavorful sauce, then filled into a corn tortilla along with lots of melty cheese. The tortillas are pan fried in the birria sauce and topped with onion and cilantro.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 3 hours hrs

Servings 8 tacos

Course Main Course

Cuisine Latin, Mexican, Spanish

Ingredients

• 3 lb boneless lamb shoulder

Birria Sauce

• 6-8 guajillo chilies, stems and seeds removed
• 6-8 ancho chilies, stems and seeds removed
• 3-4 chilies de arbol, stems and seeds removed
• 3-4 chiptole chilies, stems and seeds removed
• 1 white onion, peeled and halved
• 4 cooking tomatoes
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried Mexican oregano
• 1 Mexican cinnamon stick
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 cups beef broth
• salt

Tacos

• 8 corn tortillas
• 4 oz Oaxacan or mozarella cheese
• 1 lime
• chopped white onion
• chopped cilantro

Instructions 

To Braise the Lamb:

• Start by bringing the lamb up to room temperature. Then coat liberally with salt. Sear the meat on both sides in a large cast iron pot until browned (I used my 5qt dutch oven). Remove lamb from the pot and set aside. The meat may drain some juices while it rests, that's totally normal.
• Next, toast the dried chilies in the dutch oven/cast iron pot to release more of the flavor. Add the tomatoes, white onion, garlic, oregano, cinnamon, bay leaves, peppercorns, cloves, coriander, and cold water. Cover the pot and bring to boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. This will soften the chilies and release all their delicious flavor.
• Remove the bay leaves and cinnamon, then transfer the remaining ingredients and about half the liquid to a high powered blender. Add the apple cider vinegar and about 2 cups of beef broth, then blend until smooth. Add salt to taste. This sauce does require a heavy dose of salt, I used about 1.5 tbsp.

  NOTE: The mixture should be thick, almost like an adobo sauce. You may have to work in batches depending on your blender's capacity.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Add the lamb back to the dutch oven/cast iron pot, then pour the sauce over the meat. Cover and braise in the oven for 2-2.5 hours, or until the meat pulls apart easily.

  NOTE: The braise time will depend on the thickness of your meat and the type of meat you are using. It will also depend on whether you want your lamb super soft, or if you want it to have some bite to it. Start with two hours, then take out a little piece of lamb and test it to see if it's cooked. If not, give it another 30 minutes and test it again.
• Once the lamb is done, remove from pot and use two forks to shred the meat. Set the meat and sauce aside.

To Make the Consomme (Dipping Sauce):

• Remove some of the sauce and add it to a bowl. Add a little beef broth to thin out the sauce. Congrats, youve made a consomme! Add chopped onions and cilantro to the dipping sauce.

To Assemble the Tacos

• Dip a corn tortilla into the pot with the reserve sauce (not the dipping sauce we just made). Pan fry the tortilla in a cast iron skillet, then add lamb and cheese and fold the tortilla over to make a taco. Spoon some sauce to the top of the tortilla and flip so you can cook the other side in the sauce. Repeat for the remaining tacos.
• Serve by topping with chopped onions and cilantro. Dip tacos in consomme and enter heaven!

Did You Make This Recipe?

Tag @sweetandsorrel on Instagram and hashtag it #sweetandsorrel so we can see all the deliciousness!

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Keyword birria, birria tacos, lamb