Sopas y CaldosHardFree

Lamb Birria

Name: Lamb Birria
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 240 min
Total time: 300 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 2000 g Pierna de borrego en trozos; 10 Guajillo chilli; 5 Ancho chilli; 3 Pasilla chilli; 4 Tomato (Tomato rojo); 1 White onion; 6 cloves Garlic; 1 tsp Ground cumin; 4 Clove; 5 Allspice; 1 raja Mexican cinnamon; 1 tsp Dried oregano; 1 cm Jengibre fresco; 2 sprigs Tomillo fresco; 3 leaves Bay leaf; 2 tbsp White vinegar; 1 tbsp Salt; 16 Corn tortillas; 1 bunch Fresh coriander; 4 Lime (Lime)

300 min (60 prep + 240 cook) Hard 8 servings Jalisco

Edmond Bojalil

Recetas Mexas

Published: 24 Mar 2026 · Updated: 30 Mar 2026

Traditional lamb birria in a chilli adobo, slow-cooked until tender and shreddable.

Servings

Custom:

💰 Estimated cost: £0.00

£0.00 per person

* Approximate prices based on UK supermarkets

Ingredients

2000 g Pierna de borrego en trozos~£0.00find
10 Guajillo chilli~£0.00find
5 Ancho chilli~£0.00find
3 Pasilla chilli~£0.00find
4 Tomato (Tomato rojo)~£0.00find
1 White onion~£0.00find
6 cloves Garlic~£0.00find
1 tsp Ground cumin~£0.00find
4 Clove~£0.00find
5 Allspice~£0.00find
1 raja Mexican cinnamon~£0.00find
1 tsp Dried oregano~£0.00find
1 cm Jengibre fresco~£0.00find
2 sprigs Tomillo fresco~£0.00find
3 leaves Bay leaf~£0.00find
2 tbsp White vinegar~£0.00find
1 tbsp Salt~£0.00find
16 Corn tortillas~£0.00find
1 bunch Fresh coriander~£0.00find
4 Lime (Lime)~£0.00find

About this recipe

Lamb birria is the original and most traditional version of this iconic Jalisco dish. Unlike beef birria, lamb provides a more intense flavour and unique texture achieved through slow cooking in a chilli adobo. The meat is marinated for hours in a blend of guajillo, ancho and pasilla chillies with aromatic spices, then baked covered until it falls apart at the touch. It is served bathed in its deep, comforting red consomme, accompanied by onion, coriander, lime and freshly made corn tortillas.

History & Origin

Lamb birria is the foundational dish of the entire Mexican birria family, born in the semi-arid lands of Jalisco during the sixteenth century. When the Spanish conquistadors introduced sheep to New Spain, the indigenous herders of the Coahuila region of Jalisco discovered that lamb meat, initially considered tough and flavourless, was completely transformed when marinated in a paste of dried chillies and slow-cooked in earth ovens. The word birria comes from old Spanish and meant something worthless or despicable, an ironic name for a dish that would become the culinary pride of an entire state. For centuries, lamb birria was the dish reserved for grand celebrations: weddings, christenings, patron saint festivals and the Day of the Dead. The birreros, as the masters of this craft are known, jealously guard their family recipes, passed down from generation to generation. The secret lies in the precise combination of chillies, guajillo for colour, ancho for depth and pasilla for a smoky touch, alongside spices such as cumin, clove, allspice and cinnamon. The traditional cooking method involved a clay pot sealed with dough, buried in a pit with embers, ensuring even and gentle cooking throughout the night. Today, lamb birria remains the most authentic and sophisticated version, preferred by purists and served at the finest birria establishments in Guadalajara, Tlaquepaque and Zapopan.

Estimated cost

£24.50

Total cost

£3.06

Per serving

* Approximate prices based on UK supermarkets

Nutritional information per serving

580

Calories

42g

Protein

28g

Carbohydrates

32g

Fat

Fibre

900mg

Sodium

* Approximate values. May vary depending on ingredients used.

Method

1
Deseed and remove the seeds of the guajillo chillies, ancho and pasilla. Toast them slightly in a comal (flat griddle) dry for 30 seconds on each side. Soak them in hot water for 20 minutes.
2
Roast the tomatoes in the comal (flat griddle) until soft and with spots negras, some 10 minutes. Blend the chillies soaked with the tomatoes, the garlic, half an onion, the cumin, the clavos, the allspice, the cinnamon, the oregano, the jengibre, the vinegar and salt until you get a adobo smooth. Strain and set aside.
3
Cut the pierna of borrego into large pieces, incluyendo the bone. Season with salt and pepper generously and drizzle completely with the adobo. Cover and refrigera for minimum 4 hours, ideally overnight.
💡 Marinater overnight intensifica enormemente the flavour.
4
Preheat the oven to 150°C. Place the meat marinada with all its adobo in a large pot with cover. Add the bay leaves, the tomillo and half an onion. Pour water until cubrir the meat (aproximadamente 2 litros). Cover hermetically, sellando with aluminium foil if necessary.
5
Bake for 3.5 a 4 hours until the meat desprenda of the bone and deshaga with facilidad. La meat of borrego necesita more tiempo that the of res for alcanzar the texture perfecta.
💡 You can use pressure cooker for 1.5 hours como alternativa.
6
Remove the meat of the stock, deshébrala with dos forkes and descarta the huesos. Strain the consommé and desgrasa the surface with a spoon or leave it enfriar for retirar the fat solidificada.
7
Regresa the shredded meat to the consommé. Heat over medium heat, rectifica salt and serve in plates hondos with plenty of stock.
8
Serve with white onion chopped, fresh coriander, lime partido and corn tortillas hot. You can añadir red sauce aparte for quien desee more picante.