BIRRIA - Roy Choi

When Salvador put the knife to that goat’s neck that day in Borrego, the goat’s eyes opened big and wide. Those eyes will forever be tattooed in my soul, and I will forever be linked to birria. It’s amazing that an animal that is so important to certain cultures is so underappreciated in the United States, but it doesn’t have to be like that: one spoonful of this deep, soulful stew, and you’ll start to appreciate it, too.

If you can’t find goat meat in your area, try this recipe with lamb.

SERVES 4 TO 6

4 dried guajillo chiles

2 dried ancho chiles

3 garlic cloves, peeled

¼ cup chopped onion

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded

1 scallion

¼ teaspoon cumin seeds

¼ teaspoon dried Mexican oregano

3 whole cloves

1½ tablespoons cider vinegar

1 teaspoon dark brown sugar

½ cup water

2½ pounds goat (leg meat and meaty ribs), cut into 3- to 4-inch cubes

Salt and pepper

½ cup drained canned fire-roasted tomatoes, plus 1 fresh Roma tomato, charred

GARNISH

Limes

Fresh cilantro

Minced white onion

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Toast the guajillo and ancho chiles in a dry pan over medium heat, until they’re smoking and a bit charred on each side. Transfer to a plate.

In the same pan, toast the garlic, then the onion, then the jalapeño, and finally, the scallion, removing each vegetable from the pan before adding the next. You want to toast the veggies until they’re smoking and a bit charred.

Grind the cumin seeds, oregano, and cloves together in a spice grinder.

Combine the charred vegetables, ground spices, vinegar, brown sugar, and water in a blender and puree. Rub half of the mixture all over the goat, reserving the other half in the blender. Lightly season the goat with salt and pepper.

Place the goat on a wire rack on a sheet pan and roast it in the oven for about 45 minutes. Remove and transfer the meat to a large pot.

Add the tomatoes to the leftover marinade in the blender and puree. Add the mixture to the pot with the roasted goat and then add enough water to bring the liquid just above the goat. Give it all a good stir, bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to let the goat simmer, covered, until it’s nice and tender, about 1½ hours. It should be really, really soft.

Ladle out bowls of the birria and garnish each bowl with a squeeze of lime, some chopped cilantro, and minced onion. Maybe a little more salt and some dried oregano.

¡LISTO!