A birria torta is a Mexican sandwich stuffed with juicy, tender, slow-cooked birria meat. It is served birria-style: grilled with the rich, flavorful birria broth and served with a bowl of the broth on the side for dipping.
It all starts with the birria itself, a traditional slow-cooked stew. Fatty cuts of goat, lamb or beef sit in a marinade of a variety of chili peppers; spices such as cumin, paprika, and oregano; acids like vinegar or citrus juice; aromatics and other flavorings. After marinating, the meat is slow-cooked until fall-off-the-bone-tender. This type of birria is commonly served as a main dish, but has made its way into tacos, quesadillas and tortas.
The “birria-style” takes the sandwich to a whole new level because the birria “stew” isn’t simply used as a filling. First, the birria is drained and the meat and the broth are each reserved separately. Next, the meat may or may not then be shredded, and the broth may or may not be strained and clarified. For birria-style tacos and quesadillas, the tortillas are dipped into the birria broth before they are filled and grilled. For birria-style tortas, the bread might be dipped or birria broth added to the grilling surface. The birria torta is then served with a bowl of the broth for dipping.
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Notes:
- note
- note
Equipment that I used:
- 12″ Cast Iron Skillet: The heat-retention and non-stick properties of cast-iron make it a perfect material for grilling sandwiches.
- Grill Press: A cast iron grill press ensures faster, even cooking by maintaining consistent contact with the cooking surface. It also helps press the ingredients together.
- Fish Spatula: I like to use a fish spatula for grilling bread and sandwiches. The thinness of the blade helps to get under the food without pushing it sideways, and the blade is long and wide enough to support a whole piece of bread or a whole sandwich.
Grilled Birria Torta with Consommé
Ingredients
- 2 bolillo or telera rolls (see note)
- 10 ounces goat, lamb or beef birria (see note)
- 1 1/2 cups birria broth (for dipping)
- 4 ounces queso oaxaca, queso chihuahua, queso asadero, or other Mexican melting cheese (see note)
- pickled red onions
- 1/2 bunch of cilantro
- 3 radishes (for garnish, optional)
- 1 lime (for garnish, optional)
Instructions
Mis en Place
- Place 1 1/2 cups of birria broth to a small saucepan and warm over low heat.
- If using refrigerated leftover birria, place about 9 ounces of birria meat in a small saucepan, add about 1/4 cup of birria broth, and warm over low heat stirring occasionally.
- Grate 4 ounces of Mexican melting cheese.
- Set aside about 1/2 cup pickled red onions.
- Thinly slice 3 radishes.
- Cut 1 lime into wedges.
- Coarsely chop about 1/4 cup of cilantro leaves.
- Slice 2 rolls lengthwise down the middle, sandwich-style.
Assembly
- Open the rolls and place 1/2 of the birria meat on the bottom of each sandwich.
- Scatter a handful of pickled red onion over the meat of each sandwich.
- Sprinkle chopped cilantro over the pickled onion.
- Spread 1/2 of the cheese over the fillings of the sandwiches.
- While pressing down on the fillings with a knife, fold the top of the roll over the fillings, press down on the top, and slide the knife out.
Grilling
- Before grilling, prepare everything needed to plate and serve so that hot tortas can go right onto plates immediately after grilling.
- Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat.
- Add about a tablespoon of oil to the skillet.
- Working quickly, spoon about 2 tablespoons of birria broth over a spot where one of the sandwiches will be grilled, then place the sandwich into the broth.
- Spoon about 2 tablespoons of birria broth over a spot where the next sandwich will be grilled, then place the sandwich into the broth.
- Press the sandwiches down with a spatula or grill press to flatten them a bit and make full contact with the skillet.
- Grill the sandwiches until a golden brown crust forms on the bottom.
- Separately, lift each sandwich up with a spatula and while holding it spoon 2 tablespoons of broth into the skillet. Flip the sandwich and place it into the broth.
- Press the sandwiches down with a spatula or grill press.
- Grill the sandwiches until a golden brown crust forms on the top.
- Flip the sandwiches and serve.
To Serve
- Divide the warm broth between 2 small bowls.
- Place one sandwich of each plate.
- Place lime wedges, sliced radish and pickled onions on each plate.
Notes
- If using refrigerated leftover birria, warm it in a small saucepan with about 1/4 cup of birria broth.
- If Mexican melting cheese is not available, Monterey Jack Cheese may be substituted.