Weekly Recipe: Birria Estilo Aguascalientes By Chef Rick Martinez

If you want to bring the bold flavors of Mexico into your own kitchen, chef Rick Martinez is the man to help.

The third-generation Mexican American has long emphasized the culinary traditions of his familial culture, and he does so by sharing recipes and techniques with at-home cooks just like you.

Whether hosting his workshop A Chef's Guide to Mexican Cooking on the Magnolia network or working as Senior Food Editor at Bon Appetit (for which he won a James Beard Award in 2020), chef Martinez’s mission to share the joy of Mexican food is always at the forefront.

See also: 19 Of The Best Mexican Restaurants Across the U.S.

It’s the central theme of his New York Times bestselling cookbook Mi Cocina: Recipes and Rapture from my Kitchen in Mexico, and ripped from those very pages, you’ll find his recipe for slow-roasted goat in guajillo-ancho broth with tomato and roasted cashews, aka Birria estilo Aguascalientes, for you to try below!

“Cocula, Jalisco, is considered to be the birthplace of birria; a dish originally made by braising goat with herbs, spices, and dried chiles in earthen ovens or in pits underground,” chef Martinez writes in his book. “Today there are countless variations of this dish, some made with guajillo and chile de árbol, which make a rich, velvety broth; and others that have an almost clear brown broth flavored with herbs and spices but few or no dried chiles.”

Chef Martinez traveled to Jalisco’s neighboring state Aguascalientes and found birria made with tomatoes, which added a bit more body, sweetness and acidity. It was there that the following recipe was inspired.

“I walked up to a puesto (food stall) in Mercado Juarez,” he continues, “and saw the owner pulling huge pieces of meat out of a steaming pot and putting it down onto a round wooden board that was slightly hollowed out from years of wear from his knives. His hands moved so quickly, chopping mounds of beautifully tender cooked goat. He added the birria to bowls and topped it off with a hot brick red consommé. He served it with both hot tostadas and tortillas de maíz. It was incredible. The tomatoes were such a good counterpoint to the richness of the goat and added a touch of sweetness that balanced out the heat of the chiles. It was a beautiful morning.”

The recipe below serves 10 and calls for salsa de Chile de Árbol and warm tortillas de maíz, recipes for which are included in the full book. Of course, you can just use your favorite store-bought salsa and tortillas or an at-home recipe you already love, but if you’re interested in the full experience, you can buy Mi Cocina: Recipes and Rapture from my Kitchen in Mexico from penguinrandomhouse.com.

Birria estilo Aguascalientes

Ingredients:

• 2 large bone-in goat or lamb shoulders (8 lb / 3.6 kg)
• 3 tbsp Morton kosher salt (2.11 oz / 60 g), plus more to taste
• 8 large Roma tomatoes (1¾ lb / 801 g), cored and left whole
• 1 large white onion (14 oz / 400 g), quartered
• 6 large chiles guajillos (1.26 oz / 36 g), stemmed and seeded
• 2 medium chiles cascabeles (0.5 oz /16 g), stemmed and seeded
• 2 chiles moritas (0.2 oz / 5.8 g), stemmed
• 1 corn tortilla
• 8 garlic cloves, peeled ¼ cup raw cashews or peanuts (1.5 oz/44 g)
• 1 tbsp black peppercorns
• 1 tsp allspice berries
• 1 3-inch stick canela or cassia cinnamon
• 5 whole cloves
• 1 tbsp dried oregano, preferably Mexican
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
• 1 tsp cumin seeds

For serving

• Chopped onion
• Cilantro
• Lime wedges
• Salsa de Chile de Árbol
• Warm Tortillas de Maíz

Directions:

1. Rub the goat shoulders with the salt, working it into the flesh and fat. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days.
2. Arrange a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 475°F.
3. In a large roasting pan (a turkey roasting pan works great), roast the tomatoes and onion, tossing occasionally, until the tomato skin is dark brown in places and starting to peel away from the flesh, for 30 to 35 minutes.
4. Carefully add the chiles guajillos, chiles cascabeles, chiles moritas, tortilla, garlic, cashews, peppercorns, allspice, canela and cloves, and continue to roast until the chiles are very fragrant and begin to smell like toasted nuts, for about 5 minutes.
5. Remove the pan from the oven and add the oregano, thyme and cumin (the residual heat of the pan will quickly toast them). Place a roasting rack over the roasted vegetables so the juices from the goat flavor the vegetables and spices as it cooks.
6. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
7. Unwrap the goat shoulders and set on the rack. Pour 12 cups water into the pan and cover the pan tightly with foil, carefully crimping around the pan (take care, as the pan will still be hot).
8. Return to the oven, and continue to bake until the meat pulls away from the bone and shreds easily with a fork, for 4½ to 5 hours.
9. Remove the pan from the oven and set aside, covered, until the goat is cool enough to handle, for about 1 hour. Shred the meat into small pieces and place in a large bowl (discard the bones).
10. Working in batches, transfer the liquid and aromatics from the pan to a blender and puree until smooth. As you work, transfer the puree to a large bowl or pot and stir to combine the batches. Taste and season the consommé with more salt if desired.
11. Divide the meat among shallow bowls and pour the consommé over. Top with onion and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing, salsa de chile de árbol and tortillas or tostadas alongside.

Follow Chef Martinez online and buy a copy of Mi Cocina: Recipes and Rapture from my Kitchen in Mexico for more delicious Mexican recipes and inspiration.