Birria De Borrego (Mexican Lamb Stew)
Enjoy this Birria De Borrego over rice as a rich Mexican lamb stew or shred it to make a variety of flavorful birria dishes such as birria tacos, burritos, or nachos. Made with pre-ground ancho chili powder you won’t need a food processor to make a rich adobo and the milder flavor profile ensures that the whole family will enjoy this rich Mexican stew – not just for Cinco de Mayo!
Cinco de Mayo is coming up quickly and I’d love to share this incredibly flavorful Mexican lamb stew which is also know as birria de borrego or birria de cordero.
Similar to my BBQ pulled lamb shoulder, the slow-cooked lamb shoulder in a rich consomé can be easily shredded into a flavorful meat mixture that can be meal prepped and used to create a variety of dishes throughout the week. Baked birria lamb tacos are the most popular but think birria burritos and birria nachos.
It’s one of those easy set-and-forget stews that work well in the Dutch oven or slow cooker. You only need 15 minutes of hands-on time to put it together and the oven will slow-cook it to perfection for you.
I’m all about simplifying comfort foods and making them family-friendly, so I used pre-ground ancho chili powder alongside widely available smoked paprika and chipotle powder to create the chili sauce – no need to get the food processor or blender out. I left out the hotter arbol chili commonly used for birria to make sure the whole family will enjoy this slow-cooked lamb dish.
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Birria De Borrego (Mexican Lamb Stew)
Ingredients
Birria Spice Mix
- 2 tbsp ancho chili powder
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika powder
- 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp Mexican oregano or regular oregano
Stew Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb lamb shoulder deboned
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 2 cups beef stock or lamb stock
- 3 roma tomatoes diced, or other tomatoes
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
To serve (optional)
- 1 lime cut into wedges
- 1 tbsp fresh cilantro
- 1/2 red onion finely sliced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 320F (160C).
- Prepare the chili blend ahead of time as the stew comes together quickly. Measure the ground ancho chili powder, smoked paprika, chipotle powder, ground cumin, and oregano. Prepare the other ingredients.2 tbsp ancho chili powder, 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder, 1 tbsp smoked paprika powder
- To prepare the lamb shoulder, remove any excess fat and cut it into 1-inch cubes. Pat dry the pieces with a paper towel and season them with salt and pepper.1 1/2 lb lamb shoulder, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- To brown the lamb pieces, heat a Dutch oven or oven-proof large pot on high heat. Add the olive oil, and once heated, add the seasoned lamb pieces. Sear 1/2 of the meat for 2-3 minutes to get some color on it and lock in the juices. Repeat with the second batch. You want the meat to brown, not stew, so it's best to do it batches to avoid overcrowding the pot. Remove the seared lamb and set aside.1 tbsp olive oil
- Reduce the heat to medium-high, add the diced onion and garlic to the leftover fat, and cook for 1-2 minutes while stirring until fragrant.1 yellow onion, 4 garlic cloves
- Add the chili mix and incorporate the spices while stirring constantly to avoid it from burning.
- Add the orange juice to deglaze the pot. Scrape any brown bits from the bottom. Add the stock and tomatoes, followed by the meat and remaining spices. Mix to combine and bring it to a simmer.1/4 cup orange juice, 2 cups beef stock, 3 roma tomatoes, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp Mexican oregano, 2 bay leaves, 3 cloves, 1 cinnamon stick
- Add a lid and transfer the pot to the oven and slow-cook for 3 hours until the meat is meltingly tender. Check the liquid levels half way through and add some extra stock if needed.
- Once cooked, remove the cinnamon stick, cloves, and bay leaves. Serve it alongside fresh lime wedges, finely sliced red onion, and fresh coriander over rice. Or shred the lamb meat to make tacos, burritos, or other birria Mexican dishes.1 lime, 1 tbsp fresh cilantro, 1/2 red onion
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Ingredients and substitutions
- Lamb – Birria is traditionally made with goat meat but lamb is a great substitute and popular choice for this Mexican stew. I chose a deboned lamb shoulder and trimmed off the excess fat. You can use a deboned lamb leg as well but keep in mind that the meat is a lot leaner and can easily dry out.
- Chilies – Traditionally a mix of dried whole ancho, guajillo, and arbol chilis are deseeded and blended with stock and tomatoes to make a flavorful adobo. This recipe skips this step for convenience and uses pre-ground ancho chili, smoked paprika, and chipotle powder for a milder flavor profile and a faster way to put this Mexican lamb stew together.
- Spices – Ground cumin, bay leaves, a cinnamon stick, and Mexican oregano create a rich and slightly sweet flavor base that works well with the chili mix and rich lamb meat. You can use ground cloves and cinnamon. Choose regular dried oregano instead of Mexican if you don’t have it.
- Stock – Lamb stock is the most authentic to use but beef stock works just fine.
- Tomatoes – I use Roma tomatoes as they are low in acid but any fresh tomato of a similar size will be fine. You can also use a 15oz can of diced or whole tomatoes for convenience. Just cut the whole canned tomatoes up a bit.
Step-by-step: lamb birria
1. Season the dice lamb shoulder.
2. Brown the diced seasoned lamb.
3. Sauté onion and garlic.
4. Add the birria spice mix.
5. Deglaze the Dutch oven with orange juice.
6. Add remaining ingredients and slow-cook the birria for 3 hours.
My top 3 birria tips
Shortcuts: Cook the lamb birria in a slow cooker on low for 8 hours or medium for 4 hours. You can also cook it in a pressure cooker such as an Instant Pot on high pressure for 1 hour. Use the slow-release function to ensure the meat stays tender.
Subs: I use pre-ground ancho chili powder for convenience and a milder flavor profile. But you can use whole dried chilis, soak them in hot stock, and blend them in a food processor with the stock and tomatoes for a more traditional adobo base. Add more heat by using more the chipotle chili powder or choose hotter chilis such as arbol or widely available jalapeño.
Meal prep birria: Double batch the birria and freeze it in portions to easily make birria tacos, burritos, or nachos. Make birria pizza or use it as a sandwich filling which is called birria torta. It’s similar to my grilled lamb sandwich made with pulled lamb.
