Mexican · Jalisco · main

Birria de Chivo Tatemada

Birria de Chivo Tatemada reads sourness 5.1, citrus 4.5 and allium 3.9 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Mexican · Jalisco main, about 17 hr 28 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 4.2 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 2.4 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 6.5 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 2.9 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 2.5 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 4.9 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Sourness 5.1 · Citrus 4.5 · Allium 3.9 · Salinity 3.8 · Heat 3.8 · Warm Spice 3.4 · Herbaceous 3.1 · Umami 2.9 · Earthy 2.6 · Floral 2.4 · Richness 2.4 · Sweetness 1.9 · Fruity 1.7 · Bitterness 1.3 · Funk & Ferment 1.3 · Smoke 1.2

What's in it (22)

• goat meat — 2500 g
• guajillo chiles — 90 g
• ancho chiles — 60 g
• dried arbol chiles — 400 g
• apple cider vinegar — 120 g
• garlic — 60 g
• cumin seed — 5 g
• cloves — 18 g
• canela — 2 g
• black peppercorns — 15 g
• dried mexican oregano — 3 g
• thyme — 1 g
• marjoram — 1 g
• bay leaf — 2 g
• salt — 15 g
• maguey leaves — 1 g
• water — 1000 g
• tomatoes — 500 g
• white onion — 180 g
• cilantro — 30 g
• corn tortillas — 2400 g
• limes — 195 g

Time & effort: about 17 hr 28 min (5 hr 3 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 176.6 kcal, 10.6 g protein, 2.7 g fat, 28.8 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (8 steps)

1. Birria is goat. The beef version with the cheese-fried taco and the dipping cup is a Tijuana invention of the last decade and a good one, but it is not this. This is the dish of Cocula and Tlaquepaque: a whole kid, adobo-rubbed, sealed in maguey and cooked over its own steam until the meat falls off the bone, with the drippings served after as a soup.
2. Toast the guajillos, anchos and árboles on a dry comal 20 to 25 seconds a side until they smell sweet and smoky. Watch the árboles; they are the thinnest and burn first.
3. Soak the chiles in hot water 25 minutes. Toast the cumin, cloves, canela, peppercorns and the dried herbs a minute in the dry pan until they release their oils.
4. Blend the drained chiles with the vinegar, garlic, spices, herbs and salt into a thick adobo, thinning with a little of the soaking water.
5. Rub the adobo into every surface of the goat, cover, and refrigerate 12 hours. Do not shortcut this; goat is a strongly flavoured meat and it needs the acid and the time.
6. Line a deep pot with the maguey leaves, pour the water into the bottom, and set a rack in so the meat sits above the liquid rather than in it. Pile the goat on, fold the leaves over, and seal the lid with a rope of masa or foil.
7. Cook at 160°C for 4 hours. When you open it the meat should be falling off the bone and the liquid beneath should be dark brick and heavily fatted.
8. Char the tomatoes, blend them, and stir them into the strained drippings; simmer 20 minutes, skim most of the fat off, and taste — that is the consomé. Shred the meat, pile it into hot tortillas with onion, cilantro and lime, and drink the consomé alongside.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Remoulade Sauce — Cajun/Creole
• Chana Masala — Indian
• Chana Masala with Basmati Rice — Indian
• Yellow Split Pea Dal with Tomato — Indian
• Sahawiq Akhdar (Green Chilli, Coriander and Cardamom Relish) — Yemeni

Keep reading: what sourness, citrus, allium mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.