Spicy, savory, and saturated in sauce, birria is a Mexican culinary icon that has expanded way beyond the borders of Jalisco, long thought to be its birthplace. Enjoyed as a stew or spooned into tacos, it is served all over the world in Mexican restaurants, food trucks, and fusion restaurants. (Have you tried bold and spicy birria ramen, yet?!). It’s often made from beef cuts like chuck roast that cook until they fall apart into shreds with dried chiles and other peppers, herbs and spices, tomatoes, beef stock, and apple cider vinegar. However, there’s a different kind of meat you can use as an alternative that’s actually a throw-back to the original recipe: goat meat.
Goat is the OG birria meat, and one used by plenty of chefs and restaurateurs, like Rick Bayless, owner of Chicago restaurants Frontera Grill, Topolobampo, Xoco, and mezcal haven Bar Sótano. He exclusively answered some questions for Chowhound about the dish, explaining: “In the classic kitchen, birria is made with goat, though cooks in many parts of Mexico make it with beef (or occasionally lamb).”
Traditional birria was created to use up goat meat, which was in abundance in the central-west Mexican state of Jalisco, and anywhere else Spanish conquistadors had been. The Spanish brought goats with them as a food source, but saw them as a lower-grade, undesirable meat. Locals figured out not only how to cook the plentiful protein but how to make it particularly delicious. Bayless is one of many chefs who’ve adapted birria, and he’s got plenty of suggestions for acing it.
Tips for making mouthwatering goat birria at home
Traditional birria, made with slow-cooked goat that’s been marinated in peppers, chiles, and herbs, is hearty, satisfying, spicy, and savory. It’s a great stand-alone meal, but it’s also a filling for all sorts of other dishes. Rick Bayless describes the flavor of goat as a mixture between lamb and pork. He serves goat in the quesabirria tacos at Bar Sótano and has used it as a filling for huaraches. He’s even explained his birria-making process on YouTube, advising on everything from the right cuts (bone-in only) to the right cookware for the job.
You can make birria with a whole goat, but Bayless suggests certain cuts of meat that work best. When it comes to picking the best piece of goat meat for the dish, Bayless says, “Forequarters of goat is what I’d recommend and those can be found in some Mexican groceries and many halal butcher shops.”
Bayless makes his birria on the stovetop in a big ceramic pot, but you can also make it in a slow cooker or crockpot. It’s the perfect project for anyone itching to cook in a Dutch oven over an open flame. A nice, smoky wood fire will infuse the dish with even more flavor, which you can then enjoy on its own or as part of an endless array of delicious plates.
