Soft, fluffy masa wrapped around tender, flavorful beef birria and cheese, then steamed to perfection. This traditional Mexican dish combines the best of both tamales and birria.
▶
Adapted from a video by Cooking Con Claudia
These might be our new favorite TAMALES De Birria | easy tamales recipe
freshly grated queso Oaxaca or Monterey Jack cheese~2 cupsest.
Steps
▶ Tap a timecode to jump to roughly that moment in the video.
1
Place the New Mexico guajillo, ancho, and chile de árbol pods in a saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, drain the water.
2
Add cinnamon stick, bay leaves, whole cloves, salt, thyme, cumin, oregano, and black pepper to a blender and pulse until finely ground.
3
Add the softened chiles, ginger, garlic cloves, white vinegar, beef broth, and 2 cups of water to the spice mixture in the blender and blend until smooth.
4
Reserve 1 cup of the birria sauce. Pour the remaining sauce into a pressure cooker.
5
Cut the chuck tender roast and short ribs into small chunks and add them to the pressure cooker along with the Roma tomatoes (cut into chunks) and 2 bay leaves.
6
Cover the pressure cooker and cook on high pressure for 45 minutes.
7
After cooking, remove the meat, tomatoes, and bay leaves from the pot, leaving the consommé behind. Reserve 1½ cups of consommé for making the masa and set the rest aside for serving.
8
Shred the meat and remove any bones. Crush the tomato pieces and fold them into the meat. Mix in the reserved cup of birria sauce.
9
In a stand mixer, beat the lard on medium speed for 5 minutes until fluffy. Add baking powder and salt, and mix well.
10
Add the instant corn masa one cup at a time, alternating with the reserved consommé. After the consommé is used, continue alternating with warm water and masa.
11
After all ingredients are added, increase the mixer speed and beat for 10-15 minutes until the masa is fluffy and light.
12
Test the masa by dropping a small ball into cold water—if it floats, it is ready. If it sinks, add a bit more consommé and continue beating.
13
Remove the soaked corn husks and locate the soft side. Spread a layer of masa on each husk using a spatula, spoon, or scraper, adjusting the thickness based on preference.
14
Top the masa with a portion of the shredded birria meat and grated cheese.
15
Fold the sides of the corn husk over the filling to enclose it, then fold up the pointed end to seal.
16
Repeat the process with the remaining masa and birria until both are used up.
17
Fill a steamer pot with water and bring to a boil. Place the steamer divider inside and lay corn husks on the bottom to prevent water from reaching the tamales.
18
Stand the wrapped tamales upright in the steamer with the open ends up (this makes them easier to remove). Cover the top layer with more corn husks.
19
Place a kitchen towel on top of the corn husks, then cover with the steamer lid. If available, place a molcajete or heavy weight on top to ensure a tight seal.
20
Steam over medium heat for 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes. The tamales are done when the masa easily peels away from the husks.
21
After steaming, let the tamales rest for about 15 minutes to allow the masa to set.
22
Remove the tamales from the husks. Skim the fat from the top of the consommé. Serve the tamales with the warm consommé on the side, garnished with lime juice, cilantro, and diced onion.
PrimedTableBETA
