Slow cooked tender shredded beef cooked in a sauce made of dried chiles, onion, garlic and spices. Melted together with creamy Havarti cheese inside a flour tortilla served with roasted chili corn salsa.
Heat a medium skillet over medium heat and add the dried chiles. Toast for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally
Mix the bay leaf, oregano, cumin, cinnamon and ginger together then add it to the pan. Toast the spices for an additional 60 seconds, stirring frequently
Stir together the chicken stock concentrate and hot water then add it to the pan of spices with a pinch of salt
Bring to a boil then turn down to a simmer. Cover and let simmer 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool 5 minutes
Blend the spice mix together in a high powered blender until smooth. Set aside.
Making the Birria
Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until pan is very hot. Add a drizzle of olive oil then let sit for 10 seconds until oil is heated
While the oil is heating, season the beef with salt and pepper. Add the beef the the Dutch oven and leave undisturbed for 3-4 minutes until you have a nice brown sear. Turn the meat over and sear the other side for another 3-4 minutes
Add the onion and let cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the minced garlic and stir around until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add the apple cider vinegar, dried chile sauce and enough water make the liquid come to the top of the beef
Bring to a boil then turn down to a simmer, cover and let simmer 2-2½ hours until beef is fork tender. Shred the beef while hot
Making the Corn Salsa
Make the salsa while the beef cooks. Preheat the oven to 400°F then line a sheet tray with parchment paper
Cut the corn from the cob, place it on the sheet tray then drizzle it with olive oil and toss to coat. Add the poblanos and jalapeno to the same tray
Roast for 25 minutes. Corn should be slightly golden brown, peppers will be dark brown-black with peeling skin. Remove the skin from the peppers and dice them
Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix well. Set aside until needed
Making the Birria Quesadillas
Heat a grill pan over medium heat until hot then turn down to low-medium heat for cooking. Drizzle the pan with olive oil then use a paper towel to smear and coat the whole pan
Lay all 6 tortillas on a flat work surface. Add cheese to half of a tortilla then top with shredded beef and another light sprinkle of cheese. Fold the tortilla in half to make a half moon shape
Repeat with remaining tortillas. Place quesadillas on a sheet tray for easy transport to the stove
Cook the quesadillas until they are golden brown and crisp on each side with melted cheese. You'll probably have to do it in batches unless you have a very large grill pan or flat top
While the quesadillas are cooking, think out the leftover cooking liquid from the Dutch oven. I usually add ½ cup to 1 cup of water.
Cup up some of the Birria broth and serve each quesadilla while hot with a cup of broth, corn salsa and lime wedges!
Notes
These Birria Quesadillas are good with or without the corn salsa! If you're not a fan of spicy things or you have small children then I would skip the corn salsa.
You can also skip the chile de arbol if you don't like spicy things. The recipe is still delicious without it.
I used Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt for this recipe. If you're using Morton's Kosher Salt then use about 75% of the salt called for.
Set the assembled Birria Quesadillas on a half sheet tray to help stay clean and organized.
You will serve the quesadillas with a side of broth from the meat. If the cooking liquid from the Birria is too thick at the end then add a little water before serving the broth.
Serve immediately while the cheese is still hot and melty!