Birria Bombs Recipe

A birria bomb is a ball of dried chiles and seasonings that flavours a whole pot of birria: one bomb, four cups of water and up to four pounds of beef chuck, cooked until the meat falls apart. To make two bombs from scratch, blend soaked guajillo, ancho and árbol chiles with garlic, tomato paste, vinegar, bouillon and spices, and freeze the paste in two portions.

What a birria bomb is

The name belongs to a product. EZ Bombs sells the Birria Bomb as a ball of seasoning made with ancho, guajillo and árbol chiles, salt, pepper and other seasonings, to be dropped into the pot. Its directions call for one bomb, 4 cups of water and up to 4 pounds of beef chuck cut into chunks. A pack holds two bombs.

Birria itself comes from western Mexico: meat marinated in an adobo of vinegar, dried chiles, garlic, herbs and spices and cooked in a broth, the consomé. The bomb packs that adobo into one piece. The recipe below is a homemade equivalent, not EZ Bombs' formula, and MakeFoodLovely is not connected with EZ Bombs.

Recipe

Homemade Birria Bombs

A homemade equivalent of the birria seasoning bomb — soaked guajillo, ancho and árbol chiles blended with garlic, tomato paste, vinegar, bouillon and spices and frozen in two balls. Each seasons 3 to 4 pounds of beef.

5.0 (1)Print

Prep

25 min

Cook

5 min

Total

2 hr 45 min

Serves

2

Cuisine

Mexican

Ingredients

• 6 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
• 3 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
• 4 dried árbol chiles, stemmed
• 6 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon beef bouillon powder
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Instructions

1. Toast the guajillo, ancho and árbol chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat for about 1 minute a side, until fragrant and slightly darker. Do not let them blacken; burnt chiles are bitter.
2. Cover the chiles with boiling water in a bowl, weigh them down with a plate and soak for 15 minutes. Drain them and keep 1/4 cup of the soaking water.
3. Blend the chiles with the garlic, tomato paste, vinegar, bouillon powder, oregano, cumin, salt, pepper, cinnamon and cloves to a thick, smooth paste. Add the soaking water a tablespoon at a time, only as needed to keep the blades turning.
4. Divide the paste into 2 portions. Wrap each one in plastic wrap, shape it into a ball and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours.
5. To use one, drop the frozen bomb into a pot with 3 to 4 pounds of beef chuck, cut into chunks, and 4 cups of water, and cook until the meat shreds easily.

Nutrition

Calories:

180

Calculated from the ingredient quantities above using the USDA FoodData Central database, then divided by the number of servings. It is an estimate and will vary with the exact products you use.

Cooking a pot of birria with one bomb

EZ Bombs gives three cooking times for its bomb, and they suit the homemade one as well.

Method	Setting	Time
Stovetop	low heat, covered	3 hours, or until fork-tender
Slow cooker	high or low	6 hours on high, 8 on low
Pressure cooker	high pressure	1 hour 45 minutes

When the beef is done, lift it out and shred it with two forks. Skim the red fat from the top of the broth into a small bowl; it is what the tortillas are dipped in. Taste the broth and add salt if it needs it.

What each chile does

• Guajillo makes up the bulk of the paste. It is mild and gives the broth its red colour.
• Ancho is the dried poblano, dark and mild.
• Árbol is small and hot. Four give a medium heat. Leave them out for a mild pot; use eight for a hot one.

Toast the chiles only until they smell fragrant. One that smokes and blackens has gone too far and should be replaced.

Tacos, consomé and the rest of the pot

For quesabirria, a taco of birria and cheese served with the broth, dip a corn tortilla in the skimmed fat, lay it on a hot griddle, cover half with shredded cheese and meat, fold it and cook it until crisp on both sides. Ladle the consomé into cups for dipping, with chopped onion, cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

The shredded beef also fills burritos and quesadillas. The Taco Bell cheesy dipping burrito on this site is rolled and grilled in a way that suits it, and the caramelo tortillas are a flour tortilla to make for it.

The other birria bombs: stuffed dough

Birria bombs can also mean a snack: dough wrapped around shredded birria and cheese and baked. For those, flatten 8 pieces of refrigerated biscuit dough, fill each with 2 tablespoons of shredded birria and 1 tablespoon of shredded mozzarella, and pinch them closed. Brush them with melted butter, bake at 375°F for 15 to 18 minutes and serve them with warm consomé.

Keeping the bombs

Frozen and well wrapped, the bombs keep three months. They go into the pot frozen. Another seasoning to mix ahead on this site is the Taco Bell seasoning, a dry one.