I think tacos are one of my favorite things to eat. They are simple in concept but can be incredibly complex in flavor. I grew up eating ground beef tacos with shredded lettuce, cheese and jarred salsa. I still enjoy those tacos but really appreciate other versions with a little more complexity in their preparation.
When I was living and working in Los Angeles in my early 20s, I first experienced more traditional taco variations. This was before food trucks were so well known, and it was when I first experienced taco trucks and outdoor kitchens.
Sometimes the tortillas were made from scratch, the salsa came in several options and there was almost always a side of cilantro, chopped onion, radish and lime wedge.
The meat is where the identity of the tacos begins to vary the most. Carne asada is marinated and grilled beef. Barbacoa is slowly cooked and shredded beef. Al pastor is marinated pork with pineapple, stacked and roasted vertically, then shaved off.
Carnitas consist of pork that arguably qualifies as a confit — cooked in its own fat with spices until extremely tender and then crisped. Lengua is beef tongue that is cooked until very tender; it is one of my absolute favorites when done correctly.
Cochinita pibil is marinated, wrapped in banana leaves and slowly roasted. I think it is traditionally lamb, but pork is often used. Chicken tinga uses tomato and chipotle and is shredded. Fish, shrimp, cactus, chorizo — I could list the possibilities all day.
The great part about all these meat or filling options is they translate into other traditional Central American dishes. They are used as fillings for tamales, on sandwiches called tortas, on thicker corn tortillas with raised edges called sopes, as part of chilaquiles and in burritos, empanadas, enchiladas, quesadillas and gorditas.
Once again, the list is seemingly endless. I have made them all and love how each filling, and the product they are part of, gives them a delightful uniqueness beyond their similarities.
I have been making tacos in some form for as long as I have been cooking. But it wasn’t until a little more than a decade ago that I made a point to understand their nuances — or the types and methods. I spent the better part of the year making every filling and salsa I could learn about.
This of course led to making homemade tortillas and other variations of corn-based dishes. I ordered every color of masa, the corn meal used to make tortillas, that I could get my hands on. Each had a slightly different flavor and texture. It is satisfying to see a tortilla puff up, knowing that is the ideal outcome.
Making tortillas and tamales became one of my daughter’s favorite activities to help we with, and as I have mentioned before, tamales never last very long in our freezer, no matter how many we make.
While I was obsessed with these dishes, I of course made birria. When it later became all the rage on social media, I was aware of how delicious it could be. These days, if you are not familiar with birria, you probably aren’t much of a foodie. It is a fun dish to make and delicious in its simplest form, but when a couple of details are executed with a little more finesse, it becomes incredible.
Speaking of tortillas, once they are dipped in a little of the flavorful fat, crisp them up a little in a pan. In addition, place a shredded cheese, like mozzarella, onto a non-stick surface the same size as the toasted tortilla, and then place the tortilla on top. Cook the cheese until it gets golden brown, and it becomes an amazing taco shell that may be your new favorite if you haven’t tried it before.
Just add the birria meat, salsa, onions and cilantro, and you have a wonderful taco. Like I mentioned earlier, birria meat can be part of many dishes, not just tacos. Have fun, and play with your food!
Birria
Ingredients:
Directions:
Joshua Dineen is a chef specialist at Lincoln Land Community College.
Lincoln Land Community College offers credit programs in Hospitality and Culinary, and non-credit cooking and food classes through LLCC Community Education.
Cooking or food questions? Email epicuriosity101@llcc.edu.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Elevate your taco night with this birria recipe
Reporting by Joshua Dineen, Special to the State Journal-Register / State Journal-Register
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