Guajillo, Pasilla and Morita Chiles A Must for Slow Simmered ‘Tijuana-style Birria Tacos’ from ‘Sunny Days, Taco Nights’ by chef Enrique Olvera

Guajillo, Pasilla and Morita Chiles A Must for Slow Simmered ‘Tijuana-style Birria Tacos’ from ‘Sunny Days, Taco Nights’ by chef Enrique Olvera

by Serge the Concierge

Ready for a slow simmered meat dish?

After Octopus Sopes, here come Tijuana-style Birria Tacos, the 2nd recipe from Sunny Days, Taco Nights by chef Enrique Olvera (published by Phaidon Press, June 2025) with photography by Araceli Paz.

I will let you decide if Herb Alpert and Tijuana Brass music should keep you company during prep time.

Tijuana-style Birria Tacos

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 50 minutes

Makes: 4

INGREDIENTS

For the beef birria:

• 9 oz/250 g beef ribs

• 9 oz/250 g beef shank

• 2 tablespoons salt

For the sauce:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 10 guajillo chiles, seeded and deveined

• 5 pasilla chiles, seeded and deveined

• 2 morita chiles, seeded and deveined

• 10 dried bay leaves

• 5 cloves, toasted

• 6 tomatoes, chopped

• 1 large white onion

• 4 cloves garlic

• ½ tablespoon black pepper, toasted

• ¼ teaspoon salt

To serve:

• 4 corn tortillas

• 4 tablespoons cooked bayo beans (or any other bean)

• Chopped cilantro (coriander) leaves

• 1 serrano chile, chopped with seeds

• ½ white onion, finely chopped

• Lime wedges

• Your choice of sauces

DIRECTIONS

For the beef birria:

Place the beef ribs and shank and the salt in a pressure cooker. Add enough water to cover the meat. Cook on medium-high for 20 minutes, until the valve starts releasing hot steam. Drain, reserving the cooking broth. Shred the meat.

For the sauce:

Heat the olive oil in a deep saucepan over medium heat. Add the remaining ingredients and stir constantly for 7 minutes to prevent burning. Stir in the shredded beef and reserved cooking broth. Boil for 20 minutes.

To serve:

Heat a skillet over high heat for 5 minutes. Add the tortillas, flipping them continuously for 2-3 minutes or until warmed through. Transfer to a plate and top each tortilla with 2-3 tablespoons of birria, 1 tablespoon of bayo beans, the cilantro (coriander), chile, and onion. Serve with lime wedges and any of our sauces on the side.

Almost 10 years ago (October 2015), I shared 2 recipes from Enrique Olvera Mexico from the Inside Out (also Phaidon Press).

(Extracted from SUNNY DAYS, TACO NIGHTS © 2025 by Enrique Olvera. Photography © 2025 by Araceli Paz. Reproduced by permission of Phaidon. All rights reserved.)