Brisket Quesabirria

Ingredients

• 5 lbs brisket, cut into chunks and seasoned with salt
• Corn tortillas
• Mozzarella and provolone blend, shredded (a sharper melt for the quesabirria)
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• Beef or chicken stock (or water), as needed
• Cilantro and diced onion, for serving

Chile Paste

• 10 guajillo chiles, stemmed
• 4 chile morita, stemmed
• 1 roma tomato
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1 medium onion
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tbsp salt
• 2 tsp oregano
• 5 whole cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tsp black pepper

Directions

• Season the brisket chunks with salt.
• In a pot of water, boil the guajillo chiles, morita chiles, roma tomato, garlic, and onion for 5-10 minutes until the chiles soften. Strain and reserve the water.
• Blend the softened chiles and aromatics with the apple cider vinegar, cumin, salt, oregano, cloves, bay leaf, and black pepper into a smooth paste.
• In a pot, heat 1 cup vegetable oil and add the chile paste.
• Add the brisket, then pour in the reserved chile water (topping up with beef/chicken stock or water) until the meat is covered.
• Boil for 3-4 hours until the meat is fork-tender.
• Shred the meat. Dip corn tortillas in the red fat on top, fill with meat and the cheese blend, and crisp on a hot skillet until the cheese melts and the tortillas are golden.
• Serve with a bowl of the consomme for dipping, topped with cilantro and onion.

NOTE: Ancho chiles were skipped so the guajillo flavor stands out. Birria is traditionally made with chuck roll, but top round or brisket give a great result here (the tough, non-fatty areas add an iron taste that complements the cheese and juices). Adapted from Andres Galindo's quesabirria, via Daniel & Eunice on Instagram.