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Home-friendly birria (framework)

Home-friendly birria (framework)

Parmigiano reggiano salad, expensive spices, and fine dining

Keith McBrayer & Ethan Chlebowski
May 14, 2023

Birria Style Braised Meat

Happy Sunday.

Shoutout to everyone who joined the cooking community. It’s been a blast interacting and learning from home cooks all around the world.

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In This Week’s Edition:

Try Something New 🤯 — Birria Framework

Throwback Time 🍳 — Is Parmigiano Reggiano Worth It?

The Leftover Shelf 🥡 — Arugula & Shaved Parm Salad

Extra Helpings 🤤 — Pricey Spices, Fine Dining, & More

Shopping List ✅ — Sorted Ingredients for Easy Shopping!

Try Something New 🤯

Expand your home cooking horizons.

Birria Braised Meat Framework

You’ve probably seen quesabirria tacos on your feed getting dunked into a deep red consomé (broth). Here’s how you make the meat & broth:

Birria Components*

Braising meat: traditionally lamb or goat, or use beef chuck or short rib
Dried chiles: try a combo of ancho/pasilla (smoky) and guajillo/arbol (spicy)
Aromatic spices: bay leaves, peppercorns, star anise, and cinnamon
Alliums & tomato: garlic, onions, and whole tomatoes
Broth: beef or chicken broth (or water with bouillon)

Serving Options

Make tacos, quesadillas, tortas, rice bowls, etc.
Serve with the consomé, lime wedges, and chopped cilantro & onion

*Ratios can be adjusted to your preference for spice/flavor. Suggested amounts will be listed in the grocery shopping list linked below.

Instructions

Sear the meat: Cut meat into chunks and generously season with salt. In your braising vessel, add a bit of oil and brown the meat, in batches, until all sides have developed some color. Remove meat and set aside.
Prep/toast other ingredients: While the meat sears, deseed all the dried chiles and peel onions/garlic. In batches, sear tomatoes & alliums until charred in the rendered meat fat. Add chiles and dried spices and toast for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add all reserved ingredients back into the pot.
Simmer: Add enough broth to cover the meat. Bring to a simmer, partially cover, and let it braise for 1-2 hours.
Finish the braise: Remove any whole spices from the broth and discard. Fish out the tomatoes, alliums, and chiles, and add those to a blender with a bit of braising liquid. Blend until smooth, and pour back into the broth. Continue braising the meat for 1-2 more hours or until tender.
Reserve meat & broth: After the broth has cooled, remove the meat and shred, picking out any unwanted bones or remaining connective tissue. Season to taste with salt, and store in the fridge until ready to use. Strain the remaining liquid, season to taste with salt, and reserve for serving.

Pro Tip - The strained consomé broth is incredibly flavorful — reheat the meat with a splash of it, and use like a jus dip for anything. Reserve any extra broth for a future braise or a quick birria ramen.

Throwback Time 🍳

Does paying for real Parmigiano Reggiano actually make a difference? Can you just use any supermarket parmesan instead?

Like any ingredient, the answer depends on the use case, but here are the main takeaways:

In raw applications: real Parmigiano or a nice domestic version is worth it.

In cheese boards, shaved on a salad, or grated as a garnish, you can really taste the difference. Use the best you can afford.

For cooked applications: you can use a cheaper or domestic parmesan.

In pasta dishes and melted cheese sauces (like Alfredo), it’s much harder to distinguish the quality.

If you want to know all the nuances, see taste tests, and learn how to shop for real Parmigiano, you can check out the full video here.

The Leftover Shelf 🥡

If you buy some parmesan this week, here’s a great recipe to appreciate its flavor:

This week’s move:

Whole Parmesan → Shaved Parmesan & Arugula Salad

Use any dressing or toppings you have on hand. Below is a framework to make a quick vinaigrette.

Salad Components

Arugula
Whole Parmesan, shaved (use a vegetable peeler!)
Optional extras: artichokes for meatiness, nuts for crunch, or strawberries for sweetness

Vinaigrette Components

3 parts oil (olive or neutral oil)
1 part acid (like lemon juice or vinegar of choice)
.5 part emulsifier (like dijon mustard, mayo, or honey)
Kosher salt & black pepper, to taste

To assemble:

Shake together all Vinaigrette Components in a closed container until well emulsified. Toss together with a serving of arugula, ensuring it’s well coated. Plate and serve with shavings of parmesan, extra toppings, and freshly ground black pepper.

Extra Helpings 🤤

🚀 Viral Eats

Food trends explained.

Q: Is fine dining shifting?

A: The world of fine dining is changing. Younger generations are placing less importance on sit-down dining and instead seeking out more affordable, casual, and sustainable options. Roughly 40% of Gen Z eat their meals on the go — more than any previous generation.

The Copenhagen restaurant noma garnered three Michelin stars in 2021 and several first-place rankings on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, but recently announced that it will close its doors in 2024 due to unsustainable employee labor practices.

The changing dining preferences of Gen Z and Millennials, combined with the economic landscape, have led to attitude shifts towards traditional fine dining. Top-end restaurants will never go away, but they must evolve to engage the next generation of diners.

What are your thoughts on today’s shifting restaurant culture? Reply to let us know.

🧠 Reader Q&A

Q: How much of a difference, if any, is there between cheap and expensive spices? — Joey H

A: Spice freshness makes a much bigger difference in flavor than the quality or source of the spice.

Spices add flavor to a dish by introducing aromatic flavor compounds.
Unfortunately, these compounds are volatile, meaning they disperse into the air and lose potency over time, especially when exposed to oxygen, heat, or light.

Whenever possible, buy whole spices and grind them fresh right before cooking — this will maximize aromatic flavor.

Toasting spices or blooming them in oil activates more of their flavor compounds.

It doesn’t matter how much you paid for a spice — if it’s old or wasn’t properly toasted in a dish, it’s not going to add a ton of flavor. Smell your spices — if they don’t have aroma, they won’t add flavor, so toss them.

Best place to buy spices?

In the bulk aisle, at an international grocery store, or online. The 2oz glass bottles found in most standard grocery stores are highly marked up, and the price isn’t a reliable indicator of quality.

If you want to learn more, check out:

Beginner’s Guide to Buying & Storing Spices

Do Bay Leaves Do Anything?

Is Real Vanilla Actually Worth It?