Mini Lamb Birria Burritos
Slow-simmered lamb birria and melty Oaxaca cheese rolled into mini burritos, brushed with consommé, crisped until golden and dunked into a rich, deeply spiced consommé.
Equipment
- 8-quart pot exactly 8 quarts, see notes
- Blender
- Fine-mesh sieve
- Large skillet
- Pastry brush
- Air fryer (optional)
Ingredients
Broth
- 5 to 6 lbs boneless leg of lamb about 2.3 to 2.7 kg, cut into 6 to 8 large chunks
- 2 tbsp neutral oil for searing
- 1 large onion halved
- 8 cloves garlic
- 8 bay leaves whole
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds toasted
- 6 guajillo chilies about 35 grams, stemmed
- 5 ancho chilies about 65 grams, stemmed
- 3 chiles de árbol stemmed
- 300 grams tomatoes or 2 large tomatoes
- 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth for deglazing
- water enough to fill the 8-quart pot, leaving about 2 inches at the top
Purée
- boiled chilies and tomatoes, some of the onion, as much of the garlic as you can fish out, and the cinnamon stick from the broth
- 2 to 3 cups broth from the pot
- 4 whole cloves
- 1 inch fresh ginger no need to peel
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp ground cumin
- 2 tbsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp onion powder
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/3 cup white vinegar
- 2 tbsp paprika
- 2 tbsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt about 17 grams, plus more to taste (if you’re sensitive to salt, start with 1 tsp and work up from there)
Mini burritos
- 30 flour tortillas 6-inch
- 2 lbs Oaxaca cheese about 900 grams, shredded
- 2 white onions finely diced, for filling and topping
- 2 bunches cilantro chopped, for filling and topping
- 4 tbsp butter or neutral oil for the skillet
- limes cut into wedges, for serving
Instructions
Sear the lamb
- Cut the lamb into 6 to 8 large chunks. This gives you way more surface to brown than searing the leg whole, it’s still few enough pieces to sear in just a couple of batches, and the chunks cook faster and more evenly. Let the chunks sit out at room temperature for 30 minutes, then pat them very dry with paper towels.
- Heat the oil in an 8-quart pot over medium-high heat until it’s nice and hot. Working in batches so the pieces aren't crowded, sear the lamb fat-side down for 2 to 3 minutes, then turn it onto its largest meat side and sear without moving until deeply browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a sheet pan. Leave all of the rendered fat in the pot, since it adds so much flavor.
- Pour the vegetable broth into the pot and scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom.
Start the broth
- Return the lamb and any juices to the pot. Add the onion, garlic, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, peppercorns, coriander and all of the chilies, then fill the 8-quart pot with water, leaving about 2 inches of space at the top.
- Bring the pot toward a boil over medium-high heat, skimming off all of the scum as it rises to the top. We want our broth very clean.
- Once it's skimmed, add the whole tomatoes. Lower the heat so the broth stays at a gentle simmer and cook for 1 hour.
Make the purée
- After 1 hour, remove the chilies, tomatoes, some of the onion, as much of the garlic as you can fish out, the cinnamon stick and about 2 to 3 cups of the broth, and add them to a blender. Leave the bay leaves in the pot. Add all of the purée seasonings: the cloves, ginger, black pepper, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, thyme, vinegar, paprika and salt. Hot liquid expands in the blender, so blend in batches if needed, with the small cap in the lid removed and the opening covered with a kitchen towel. Blend for 1 to 2 minutes until very smooth, then add it back into the pot.
Finish the birria
- Continue to simmer gently, not boiling, until the lamb is very tender and pulls apart easily with a fork. Start checking after 30 minutes. It's usually ready in 30 to 45 minutes. Once it's tender, transfer the lamb to a bowl and let it cool slightly so it doesn't dry out in the pot.
- While the lamb cools, strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean pot. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then skim the fat from the top. Taste and season with more salt if needed.
- Shred the lamb with two forks and toss it with 2 cups of the consommé. It’s just enough to soak back into the lamb and make it juicy again without making it runny. Keep the rest of the strained consommé hot for dipping.
Roll the mini burritos
- No need to warm the tortillas first. Add about 1 oz of Oaxaca cheese (a small handful) and 2 to 3 tablespoons of the shredded lamb to the center of each tortilla. Top with a little onion and cilantro. Fold in the sides, then roll up tightly into a little burrito.
Crisp
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat with a little butter or neutral oil. Lightly brush the outside of each burrito with consommé.
- Working in batches, add the burritos seam-side down and cook until golden and crispy, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn and toast the other sides until crispy all over, so they hold up nicely when you dip them into your consommé. Keep the finished burritos warm on a sheet pan in a 200°F oven while you crisp the rest.
- For extra crispy burritos: After toasting them in the pan, air fry the burritos at 350°F for about 5 minutes, keeping an eye on them.
Serve
- Ladle the hot, strained consommé into small dipping bowls and top with onion, cilantro and a squeeze of lime. Serve the burritos alongside for dipping.
Notes
- Why leg of lamb: Authentic birria is made with goat, and lamb is the closest in flavor. Boneless leg has less connective tissue than beef chuck, so it gets tender faster.
- Use an 8-quart pot: The spices and salt were tested with 5 to 6 lbs of lamb and enough water to fill an 8-quart pot, leaving about 2 inches at the top. A bigger pot holds more water, which will water down the consommé and throw off the flavor. This makes about 30 mini burritos.
- Bay leaves: They stay whole in the pot and get strained out at the end, which is the more traditional way.
- Spice level: The 3 chiles de árbol add the heat. Use 1 for mild or leave them out.
- Make ahead: Birria tastes even better the next day. Refrigerate the shredded lamb and consommé separately for up to 4 days. The fat will harden on top of the chilled consommé, which makes it easy to lift off.
- You don’t have to make all 30: Freeze any extra shredded lamb and consommé for future dinners, or roll all 30 and freeze the ones you don’t eat the day of, so you have burritos handy for lunches and dinners throughout the month. Before crisping, freeze the rolled burritos on a sheet pan until firm, then transfer them to a freezer bag. Thaw them in the fridge overnight, then brush with consommé and crisp as usual.
- Freezing: The consommé, shredded lamb and rolled burritos freeze well for up to 3 months.