Recipes Comfort Food Birria Tacos 4.3 (13) 16 Reviews A combination of two meats creates the best balance of tender texture (from the chuck roast) and succulence (from the short ribs). These birria tacos get slow-cooked flavor from the adobo sauce. By Claudette Zepeda Claudette Zepeda Claudette Zepeda is an award-winning Mexican-American chef from San Diego known for her bold culinary style. She was the executive chef and creative force behind the critically acclaimed regional Mexican restaurant, El Jardin. Claudette competed on Top Chef Mexico Season 2 and Top Chef Season 15.Experience: Claudette Zepeda's distinctive culinary style was born out of a life lived on the border of two worlds and two food traditions, Tijuana and San Diego. She first came into prominence working under celebrated chef/restauranteur Javier Plascencia, a master of Baja Mediterranean cuisine and a native of Tijuana. Claudette describes her time at his restaurant, Bracero Cocina de Raiz, as attending "Caesar Academy" and that "it was a practice of discipline and perfection."When she partnered with Johan Engman's Rise & Shine Restaurant Group to open the upscale El Jardin Cantina in 2018, Claudette put her stamp on regional Mexican cooking. She designed a menu that paid homage to the women in her family who taught her how to cook and the ones she's met through her travels who keep Mexico's culinary traditions alive. Esquire named El Jardin one of the best new restaurants of 2018. In 2019, it was included on the Michelin Guide's Bib Gourmand list.Claudette's work has also been featured in The New York Times, Bon Appetit, Forbes, Thrillist, Munchies, and San Diego Magazine, among others. She parted ways with El Jardin in 2019 and became the consulting executive chef of VAGA at Alila Marea Beach Resort Encinitas in 2020. In addition to appearances on shows like Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend, Claudette devotes her time to helping women break out of generational poverty. She founded Viva La Vida in 2019, establishing micro-businesses with single mothers throughout Mexico so they can support their families by exporting their heirloom ingredients to the U.S. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on April 1, 2020 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Active Time: 35 mins Total Time: 8 hrs 55 mins Yield: 16 tacos Ingredients 1 (2-pound) boneless chuck roast (about 2 1/4 inches thick) 2 pounds English-cut beef short ribs (about 3 ribs) 2 tablespoons plus 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste Adobo 8 cups water 1 cup finely chopped white onion, rinsed 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro Canola oil, for greasing 32 (6-inch) fresh corn tortillas or 16 packaged corn tortillas Lime wedges, for serving Directions Sprinkle chuck roast and short ribs all over with 2 tablespoons salt. Combine roast, ribs, and adobo in a large nonreactive bowl; toss to coat. Cover and chill at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours. Preheat oven to 300°F. Transfer adobo mixture to a large (9 1/2-quart) Dutch oven; add 8 cups water. Bring to a simmer, uncovered, over medium, stirring occasionally. Cover with lid, and place in preheated oven. Bake until meat is fork- tender, about 4 hours. Remove chuck roast and short ribs from braising broth, and transfer to a large bowl; cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Return broth in Dutch oven to heat over medium, and cook, uncovered, skimming off fat as needed, until reduced to about 8 cups, 15 to 20 minutes. Season broth with salt to taste. Shred meat; discard bones. Toss meat with 1 1/2 cups of the broth. Stir together onion, cilantro, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl; set aside. Heat a large nonstick electric griddle to 400°F or a large (12-inch) cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Using a paper towel dipped in canola oil, lightly grease griddle. If using fresh tortillas, stack 2 tortillas, and use tongs to dip them together into adobo broth. (If using packaged tortillas, dip 1 tortilla per taco.) Place stacked tortillas on griddle; top with 1/4 cup meat. Repeat with as many tortilla stacks as will comfortably fit on griddle. Cook until bottom tortilla is lightly browned and crispy, 1 to 2 minutes. Fold tacos in half, gently pressing with a spatula. Transfer to a serving plate. Repeat process with oil, adobo broth, remaining tortillas, and remaining meat. Serve tacos hot with onion-cilantro mixture, lime wedges, and remaining adobo broth for dipping or sipping. Greg Dupree Make Ahead Adobo can be made up to 3 days ahead. Meat can be braised up to 2 days in advance and reheated in broth before shredding meat and reducing broth. Suggested Pairing Lively sparkling rosé. Rate it Print