Birria de Barbacoa (Aguascalientes-Style Beef Birria)

History & Origin

Birria de barbacoa from Aguascalientes is a dish that defines the culinary identity of the state during the Feria Nacional de San Marcos, Mexico's most important cultural festival held each year in April and May. Unlike Jalisco's goat birria, the Aguascalientes version is made primarily with beef or lamb ribs, and its characteristic red adobo combines guajillo, cascabel and ancho chillies with apple cider vinegar, cloves, cinnamon and thyme. The traditional cooking technique involves marinating the meat overnight, wrapping it in agave leaves and cooking it in an underground pit with embers for 8–10 hours, giving it a unique smoky flavour and a texture so tender the meat simply falls apart. At the stalls of the San Marcos fair, birria is served in deep bowls with a dark, fragrant consommé alongside freshly made corn tortillas, raw onion, coriander and green salsa. The recipe for Aguascalientes birria is jealously guarded by the state's birria-making families, passed down orally from generation to generation. The birria of the San Marcos Fair has been recognised by Mexico's INAH as an element of the country's intangible gastronomic heritage.