Birria Tostadas with Pickled Onions
Birria Tostadas with Pickled Onions are one of our favorite summer dinners. I start this dish by braising tender short ribs in a spicy pepper broth. Then, I top crispy tortillas with the beef, pickled onions, cilantro and queso fresco. We like this dish for several reasons. First of all, I like that most of the components of these tostadas can be made a day or two in advance. Then, right before serving, all I have to do is toast the tortillas and assemble the tostadas. Secondly, I like that this beef birria freezes so well. And, lastly, we all love the rich beef birria, crispy tortillas, and creamy cheese.
The Equipment I Used
- A Blender- You’ll need this to puree the chilies.
- A Pot- I like to use my enameled cast iron Dutch oven to make the beef, but you can use an oven safe casserole. Just cover it with a lid or aluminum foil.
The Ingredients I Used
- Short Ribs- I used short ribs for the birria, but you could also use chuck roast.
- Chilies- You’ll need ancho and guajillo chilies to make the birria beef. I like the India Tree brand.
- Chicken Stock- I always use my own homemade chicken stock. The recipe is below.
- Tortillas- I use flour tortillas, but you can also use corn tortillas.
- Queso Fresco- Store the leftover cheese in the freezer for next time.
- Spices- Cinnamon, cumin, bay leaves, oregano and Cloves add lots of great flavor. But don’t worry neither one has a strong flavor. You will not notice their specific flavors. But they add great flavor to the beef. I don’t usually enjoy cinnamon in savory dishes, but in this case, it’s just perfect.
How I Made my Tostadas
- First, I made the adobo sauce.
- Then, I braised the beef.
- Finally, I assembled the tostadas.
Birria Tostadas with Pickled Onions
Short ribs braised in adobo sauce and served on crisp tortillas with pickled onions and queso fresco.
Equipment
- blender
Ingredients
For the Beef Birria:
- 4 dried ancho chilies
- 6 dried guajillo chilies
- 1 tbsp. honey
- 1 tbsp. white vinegar
- 1 tsp. oregano
- ½ tsp. ground cumin
- ¼ tsp. each cinnamon and ground cloves
- 2 cups water
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 3½ pounds beef short ribs
- ½ tsp. each garlic powder, kosher salt, black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 cup chicken stock
To Assemble the Tostadas:
- 8 six- inch flour tortillas
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 cup crumbled queso fresco cheese
- 1 lime, cut in wedges
- 1 cup chopped cilantro
For the Pickled Onions:
- 1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced
- ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
- 2 tsp. sugar
Instructions
- Begin by making the adobo sauce: Remove the seeds and stems from the peppers and then toast them in a cast iron skillet on high heat for a few minutes, until you can smell their aroma.
- In a three quart sauce pan boil the peppers along with two cups of water, for five minutes. Drain the peppers, and then put them in the blender along with two cups of fresh water, the vinegar, oregano, cumin, cinnamon, and cloves. Blend until the mixture is smooth.
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
- For the Birra beef topping: Dry off the short ribs and sprinkle them with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven on medium heat. Sear the ribs, a few at a time, on all sides. When they're all browned add them all back to the pot along with half the adobo sauce (you can freeze the rest for another use), the chicken stock, the bay leaves and the thyme. Cover the pot and bake them for three hours, or until they're very tender.
- While the beef braises, make the Pickled Onions: Simply stir all the ingredients together in a bowl.
- Also, right before serving, bake the tostada shells: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Brush the tortillas on both sides with the oil and bake on a sheet pan for ten minutes.
- Remove the meat from pot and shred it. Pour the liquid in the pot into a measuring cup. The fat will rise to top. Remove and discard the fat. Put the beef in a bowl and stir in some of the liquid so that the beef is moist but not real drippy.
- To assemble the tostadas: top each tortilla with some of the beef, cilantro, queso fresco, and pickled onions. Serve with lime wedges.
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Chicken Stock
Homemade chicken stock
Ingredients
- 4½ lbs. chicken breasts and wings with skin and bones
- 10 cups water
- 2 peeled onions
- 2 peeled carrots
- 3 peeled parsley roots
- 1 tbsp. kosher salt
- 4 stalks celery
- 1 peeled parsnip
- 2 tbsp. garlic cloves
- 1 cup fresh parsley and fresh dill
Instructions
- Put the chicken and the salt in a large, tall pot and cover with ten cups of cold water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 30 minutes, skimming any scum that forms.
- Add all the vegetables and herbs and simmer for two and a half hours. Pour the soup through a strainer to remove everything but the broth.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
