Birria de Chivo – Mexican Goat Birria

You’ve been traveling through Jalisco, passing ranch country, fields of blue agave, small villages, and dry hills broken by patches of green. By lunchtime you reach Cocula and wander toward the center of town, where the smell of toasted chiles and slowly cooking meat drifts from a small restaurant.

You stop at the doorway, and the chef notices you looking toward the kitchen. With a smile, he waves you in to see what is cooking.

On the counter are several kinds of dried red chiles—long, smooth guajillos, broad ancho chiles, and dark, wrinkled pasillas. The chef removes the stems and seeds, lightly toasts the chiles, then softens them in hot water. Into the blender they go with garlic, vinegar, oregano, cumin, pepper, cloves, and cinnamon, creating a deep-red adobo.

Nearby, pieces of bone-in goat are waiting. The chef coats the meat thoroughly with the chile mixture before placing it into a heavy pot to cook slowly for hours. Eventually the goat becomes tender enough to pull from the bone, and the cooking liquid turns into a rich, red consomé flavored with the goat, chiles, and spices.

This is birria de chivo, one of the signature dishes of Jalisco. Traditionally made with goat and a chile-and-spice adobo, birria can be served in bowls with its flavorful broth or tucked into warm corn tortillas with onion, cilantro, and lime.

Birria de Chivo

Serves 5–6

Ingredients

• 3 pounds bone-in goat meat, cut into serving-size pieces

• 6 dried guajillo chiles

• 2 dried ancho chiles

• 2 dried pasilla chiles

• 1–2 dried chiles de árbol, optional for additional heat

• 4 cloves garlic

• ½ medium white onion

• 2 tablespoons white or apple cider vinegar

• 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1 teaspoon black pepper

• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves

• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1½ teaspoons salt, plus more to taste

• 2 bay leaves

• 3 cups goat stock, beef stock, or water, plus more if needed

Finding the Dried Chiles

Guajillo, ancho, pasilla, and chile de árbol are commonly available at Mexican or Latin American grocery stores. Look for clear plastic bags of whole dried peppers in the produce section or in the aisle with Mexican spices and dried foods.

The peppers should still be somewhat flexible rather than brittle and should have a rich red, burgundy, or dark brown color.

If you have never cooked with dried Mexican chiles before, don't let the variety intimidate you. Guajillo provides a bright, earthy red-chile flavor with relatively mild heat, ancho adds a deeper, slightly sweet flavor, pasilla contributes darker earthy notes, and chile de árbol provides most of the heat.

Prepare the Chiles

Remove the stems from the guajillo, ancho, and pasilla chiles. Shake or scrape out most of the seeds.

For additional heat, remove the stem from 1 or 2 chiles de árbol and leave some or all of their seeds intact.

Heat a dry skillet over medium heat. Toast the dried chiles briefly, about 10–20 seconds per side, just until fragrant and slightly softened.

Do not let them burn, or they can become bitter.

Place the toasted chiles in a bowl and cover with very hot water. Let them soak for about 20 minutes, until soft.

Make the Adobo

Drain the softened chiles and place them in a blender.

Add the garlic, onion, vinegar, oregano, cumin, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon, salt, and about 1 cup of the stock or water.

Blend until completely smooth.

For an especially smooth sauce, pour the adobo through a fine-mesh strainer.

Marinate the Goat

Place the goat in a large bowl or covered container and pour the chile adobo over it.

Turn the pieces until every surface is well coated.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

Slow-Cook the Birria

Transfer the goat and all of its marinade to a heavy Dutch oven or large covered pot.

Add the bay leaves and about 2 cups of additional stock or water. The meat does not need to be completely submerged.

Bring the liquid to a gentle simmer, cover, and reduce the heat to low.

Cook for about 3–4 hours, turning the pieces occasionally, until the goat is extremely tender and easily pulls away from the bone.

Add a little additional water or stock during cooking if necessary.

The exact cooking time will depend on the age of the goat. Young goat may become tender sooner, while meat from a mature goat may need additional time.

Slow Cooker Option

Place the marinated goat, bay leaves, and about 1½ cups of stock or water into a slow cooker.

Cook on low for about 7–9 hours, or until the goat is very tender and pulls easily from the bone.

Because a slow cooker retains more moisture than a pot on the stove, start with less liquid. More can always be added if needed.

Finish the Birria

When the goat is tender, remove the meat from the pot and skim excess fat from the surface of the cooking liquid if desired.

Taste the consomé and adjust the salt.

The goat can be left in large bone-in pieces or pulled from the bones and returned to the broth.

If you want a stronger, more concentrated consomé, simmer the cooking liquid uncovered for 10–20 minutes before returning the meat to the pot.

To Serve

For traditional birria en caldo, place the tender goat in a bowl and ladle the hot consomé over it.

Serve with:

• Finely chopped white onion

• Fresh cilantro

• Lime wedges

• Warm corn tortillas

• Salsa or additional dried-chile sauce

The goat can also be shredded and served in corn tortillas as birria tacos, with a small bowl of the consomé alongside for dipping.