This campo lamb birria recipe is very much measured by handfuls and feelings. The tortillas are the Sonoran wheat tortillas from Los Poblanos with the rendered lamb fat from the braise. The lamb itself comes from the Manzanares family’s Shepherd’s Lamb label, which raises the only certified-organic lamb in the state.
What is Birria?
Birria is a traditional Mexican dish, originally from the state of Jalisco. It typically consists of tender meat, often goat or beef, marinated in a flavorful blend of spices and chilies. The meat is usually stewed until it’s very tender, often served in a rich, savory broth. You can enjoy birria in various ways: as a soup, in tacos, or even as quesabirria, where you make the tacos with cheese and serve them with the broth for dipping. Birria has complex, deep flavors and is often enjoyed at celebrations and gatherings.
Campo Lamb Birria
Description
A hearty Southwest meal.
Ingredients
For the birria:
- 300 g sifted Sonoran flour from Southwest Grain Collaborative
- 300 g AP flour
- 15 g baking powder
- 25 g salt
- 50 g lamb fat (We use the heavily spiced and flavorful lamb fat that comes from the lamb braise for this dish. You can use any fat you choose.)
- 400 g warm water
- Spice Mix (See below)
For the spice mix:
- Guajillo, árbol, Pequin, NM red, and cascabel chiles
- White, green, pink, and black pepper
- Allspice, clove, bay leaf
- Oregano, garlic, coriander
- A little bit of cinnamon
- Fresh garlic
Instructions
For the birria:
- Mix the dry ingredients together, cut the fat in with fingertips, add warm water and gently combine using a spoon. The mix will be sticky so try not to get too much on your hands. Let rest for 30 minutes or so, then portion to desired weight. We use 75-gram portions at the restaurant. Let rest for anywhere from 15 minutes to overnight. They are best rolled out 12-36 hours after being portioned. We roll them out about 2 mm thick and grill them directly over the grill here at Campo.
- The hominy is processed here from New Mexico blue corn out of Tamaya and Mexican June white corn from the Schneiders in Santa Fe (Southwest Grain Collaborative). We nixtamalize the corn the night before we need it. We rinse and cook in fresh water with garlic, bay leaf, and salt until tender.
- The vegetables are seasonal, but usually include turnips cooked in butter along with the hominy, and a grilled vegetable such as asparagus.
- Our team butchers the lamb into portions that can carefully braise and stay as one chunk for the final dish, instead of shredded like most birria-style dishes. The lamb is marinated in chiles and spices, seared, and braised in other aromatics and stock (lamb, chicken and/or beef)
For the spice mix:
- Pulverize all of these spices and fresh garlic into a fine spice mix
- Then, use it to marinate the lamb before roasting, searing, and braising gently.
Try a Delicious Southwest Cocktail, Too!
Recipe by Los Poblanos
Photography by Mary West
Subscribe to TABLE Magazine’s print edition.
