Birria Breakfast Burritos from Jesse Valenciana of Nashville’s The Secret Bodega and featured in his new book Birrias! make an ideal addition to your breakfast/brunch lineup! They’re a favorite from Secret Bodega, his pop-up/catering business in Nashville, Tennessee that makes hundreds of these burritos each week for accounts all over the city.
Recipe and photo courtesy of Jesse Valenciana, Secret Bodega and Birrias!*
Makes 2 burritos
Two 10-inch (25 cm) flour tortillas
2/3 cup (160 g) Spicy Beef Birria (recipe below)
3 large eggs
1 T. (15 ml) heavy cream
1 T. (14 g) butter
6 T. (45 g) Chihuahua cheese
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
2 T. (30 g) Refried Beans
12 frozen potato puffs, air-fried
Chipotle crema
To prepare the tortillas: Heat a medium nonstick skillet over high heat. Add tortillas one at a time and cook until slightly crispy and brown, about 30 seconds per side. Transfer warmed tortillas to a plate and cover with a tea towel. Set aside. Reduce heat to medium and add birria. Do not shake off consommé. Cook, stirring frequently, until warmed through and steamy. Turn off heat and let meat rest.
To cook the eggs: In a medium bowl, mix together eggs and heavy cream. Pour egg mixture into a nonstick skillet, add butter and turn heat to medium. Using a spatula, stir eggs constantly as butter slowly melts, scraping bottom of the pan all over in a long, continuous motion. Do this for about 10 minutes until eggs are set. Add cheese, stir, and remove from heat. Eggs should be custardy-looking, but not runny. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
To assemble the burritos: Portion out birria and potato mixture into 2 servings. Divide birria filling evenly for the 2 burritos. Start by spreading the beans down the middle of the tortilla and follow by adding 6 potato pieces over beans and layering remaining ingredients on top of each, making sure to add the cheese last. Heat large skillet over medium heat. Fold and roll burritos, then place them in the pan seam side down and cook until tortilla has browned, about 3 minutes per side. Serve with chipotle crema.
The Spicy Beef Birria
Makes 6 servings
6 dried guajillo chiles
4 dried ancho chiles
6 dried chiles de árbol
2 c. (480 ml) Beef Stock, divided
1 large white onion, chopped
1 serrano pepper, roasted
2 cloves garlic
1 t. dried ground oregano
1 t. dried ground thyme
1 clove
¼ cinnamon stick
1 T. (6 g) beef bouillon
2 bay leaves
4 T. (60 ml) grapeseed oil, divided
2 lbs. (907 g) chuck roast
2 lbs. (907 g) beef short ribs
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Onions, for garnish
Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
Lime wedges, for serving
Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add guajillo, ancho, and árbol chiles and toast for 1 to 2 minutes, turning frequently, being careful to make sure they do not burn. Discard and replace any burnt chiles. Meanwhile, in a small pot, bring 1 cup (240 ml) of beef stock to a boil. Transfer toasted chiles to a heatproof bowl, add hot beef broth, and let chiles soak until pliable, about 5 minutes. Return skillet to stove and reduce heat to medium. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until brown, 12 to 15 minutes.
Remove the chiles from the bowl. Do not discard the liquid. Deseed and devein the chiles. Transfer both the reserved chile liquid and the deseeded chiles to the base of a blender. Add the serrano pepper, onion, garlic, oregano, thyme, clove, cinnamon, bouillon, and bay leaves. Blend on low until smooth.
Heat 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add blended sauce to the oil and cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes or until sauce reaches the consistency of tomato paste. Set aside.
Place chuck roast on a cutting board and cut into 3-inch (7.5 cm) cubes. Season all over with salt and pepper. Next, heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add remaining 2 tablespoons (30 ml) oil. Add chuck roast and short ribs to skillet and cook, stirring often, until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer cooked beef to a Dutch oven. Add adobo and remaining beef broth to the Dutch oven and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 4 to 6 hours. The dish is ready when the meat is tender and easily falls apart.
Before serving, skim fat. Remove meat from the liquid, discard bones and gristle and use two forks to shred the meat. Serve in a bowl with as much liquid as desired, as well as finely diced onion, cilantro and lime.
# # #