The UK is going bonkers for birria – here's why

It's the classic Mexican dish that's slowly but surely taking over our social feeds, but why is it so good and how can you make it at home?

Google ‘birria tacos’ and you’ll see questions such as ‘What makes birria so good?’ and ‘What is so special about birria tacos?’ in the lists of popular queries on the subject. A quick poke around online search data is all it takes to confirm that the UK’s interest in this classic Mexican dish has gone steadily from zero to hero over the last three years.

It’s a fruitless game of chicken and egg trying to work out whether our intrigue of the brothy, meaty stew has led to it popping up on more and more restaurant menus, or if these quickly multiplying appearances are behind the piquing of our interest. Either way, the UK is in the throes of a particularly flavour-packed food obsession.

Mexican food in the UK

It wasn’t long ago that you’d struggle to find the ingredients to make an authentic Mexican dish like birria in the UK – let alone spot it on the menu at a local restaurant.

“I remember when I first arrived in London, 20 years ago,” says cook, author and supper club host Karla Zazueta. “You couldn’t find Mexican food anywhere – only bad versions of Tex-Mex.

“I think there was only one person selling Mexican ingredients online here. The stuff that the supermarkets sold was terrible – I would say they were not even Mexican.”

Happily, things change. Not only is it easier to find authentic Mexican food and ingredients in the UK now (albeit with room for improvement), but our appreciation and understanding of it seems to be growing, too.

While the popularity of meal-kit dishes like fajitas and nachos shows no signs of waning (both Tex-Mex, by the way – a totally legit but crucially different genre), more UK home cooks and diners are coming to understand that the food cooked and eaten in Mexico has an entirely different character to what’s previously been marketed to us as Mexican.

And at the centre of this revelation sits, it seems, birria.

What is birria?

“Birria is a stew – almost a sort of soup,” says Zazueta, who hails from Ensenada, Baja California in northern Mexico. “Packed with flavour and sometimes spicy, it’s traditionally made with goat meat but nowadays beef or lamb is also used.”

The meat is marinated in an adobo (which in Mexico refers to a sauce of chillies, spices and vinegar) then slow cooked. This is traditionally done underground over wood, with the meat wrapped in maguey leaves – but on the hob, in a slow cooker (more on that later) or in a conventional oven works. For hours, the meat is slowly heated in its broth until it’s fall-apart tender and the cooking liquor develops a deep flavour.

“Birria was created in Jalisco, a place in western Mexico, where there were a lot of goats and people started cooking them, using ingredients from the region.

“There are other places in Mexico where they also make birria though – like Tijuana, where it’s famous for its bright red broth (due to the colour of the local chillies). It has small variations depending on the region.

“Birria is one of the many celebration dishes we have in Mexico because of the time it takes to be made. It is not something that we eat on a regular day but, saying this, it can also be eaten over the weekend, for breakfast or brunch. In Mexico, people tend to go to restaurants that specialise in making birria.”

How to eat birria

There are different ways to serve and eat birria. Originally, it was always dished up as a stew and this is still the classic way to eat it, with hunks of tender, shredded meat bathed in a loose, flavoursome broth and garnished with chopped onion and coriander.

But the serving that’s arguably put birria on the culinary map for UK diners is as tacos.

“The meat is separated from the broth and then chopped and served in a corn tortilla – with all the same garnishes,” explains Zazueta. “Then the broth is served in a cup alongside.”

But the most on-trend way to serve birria right now is in quesabirrias. Picture this: “A corn tortilla is drenched in the birria broth, then heated on a flat grill pan, cheese is added and when it melts, the shredded meat goes on top – some people cook it until the tortilla hardens but I like mine soft. Then the same garnishes are added and the broth is served in a cup for dunking the quesabirria in before each bite.”

What makes a good birria?

If you want authentic birria, there’s no room for shortcuts or substitutions. And there’s no getting around the time it takes to cook this hearty, comforting dish – so if you’re planning to make it, buckle up for a lengthy ride. (Although, Zazueta says if the cooking time is off-putting or too much of a commitment, it would work in a slow cooker. You’d just need to adjust the liquid you add to account for the lack of evaporation.)

“The broth needs to be deep, dark red and have a watery consistency. You should be able to taste the flavour of the meat, the chillies and spices.”

It’s important to hunt down the right ingredients too.

“Finding fresh guajillo and ancho chillies is key. Guajillo chillies are one of the most popular chillies in Mexico and are used in lots of dishes. When fresh, they are called mirasol. They are ruby red long chillies, not too spicy, perfect for making sauces or adobos. Ancho chillies are dried poblanos peppers (that is why they have an ‘ancho’, or wide, shape). Mild in heat, they’re great for adding fruity, almost chocolate-like flavour and depth to sauces.

“And, of course, finding good quality corn tortillas is really important – although making your own is even better.”

Don’t live near a specialist Mexican shop or deli? You can find ingredients like this online easily now. Happy days.