The Ultimate Beef Birria Ramen Recipe (Birriamen)
Juicy birria de res meets japanese ramen noodles to make a flavorful and spicy birria ramen. This delicious birria ramen is exploding with rich, umami flavor. It's a social media sensation that blends two amazing comfort foods into a savory, rich, taste-buds loving dish!
So we all have had birria tacos, right? Drippy, cheesy, meaty, with a perfectly rich sauce and a huge part of the Mexican cuisine scene? Well people have been putting the birria meat into bowls of ramen!
As I was researching this dish, I realized that most people were simply putting birria meat into tapatio flavored instant ramen. Which is a great armchair kind of way to make instant ramen more interesting!
You know I had to go a little deeper than that!
So I slow cooked the beef stew until fork tender as I usually do, then blended the rich broth with white miso and dashi stock to really make this a fusion dish! The umami flavor from the dashi and miso really gives a great base to the robust seasonings cooked into the tender meat and bright zing from the toppings.
Make this whenever you have any leftover birria, it'll only take 10 minutes to whip up! So easy and will satiate that "I need noodles" craving that comes around so often...that's not just me, right?
Make this for Cinco de Mayo or whenever you have any leftover birria, it's the perfect Japanese-Mexican fusion comfort food!
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Equipment
Dutch oven - a must have for making birria de res on the stovetop or in the oven. This baby is heavy-duty and able to hold heat evenly.
Fine mesh strainer - We are straining the birria consome aromatics before blending them, you gotta have a strainer.
Blender - The consome has to have all those spices and chiles blended to smooth perfection and blend the miso-birria broth together.
Bowls - there are all kinds to eat ramen in! The classic deep ramen bowls are most authentic.
Ingredients
Full ingredients, measurements, and printable instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Birria de Res (Beef Birria)
- Short Ribs and Chuck Roast - these two cuts are well marbled and braise down to juicy, fork tender, shreddable perfection (just like in a pot roast!). Get the short ribs 'english cut' with the bones! They add collagen to your birria consome for added richness and body.
- Dried Chiles - chili peppers are a must for your birria consommé. I use guajillo chiles, ancho chiles, and chipotle peppers in adobo. These particular chili peppers aren't going to give a ton of heat, they're used for their actual (smoky, fruity, savory) flavors. If you like the heat, add in a couple of chile de arbol peppers.
- Bay leaves - an herb that is essential to braising, in my opinion. Bay leaves have a subtle flavor that brightens and cuts through very rich food.
- Mexican Oregano - I like the fresh stuff (found at Bravo and Sedanos *i.e. hispanic grocery stores* in the refrigerated section!) but you can find dried Mexican oregano on Amazon or in the Hispanic aisle at the local box box grocery store.
- A whole head of garlic - Because garlic is life. Just use the whole, peeled, cloves they're getting blended up anyway.
- A Large White Onion - you can also use a yellow onion!
- Coriander seeds, cumin seeds, whole cloves, black pepper and a cinnamon stick - We're toasting these in a dry pan before simmering in the sauce. This helps release so much of their flavor and gives them even more depth. Sure you can just dump them in, but the extra step is quick and easy!
- Tomatoes - If you've got some fresh roma tomatoes from the garden, go ahead and use them! But I love canned pureed fire roasted tomatoes for this.
- Beef Stock - This makes the consomme looser and gives more richly-flavored liquid for braising.
- Apple Cider Vinegar - Brightens it up with some tanginess. You could also use regular white vinegar or white wine vinegar.
Birria Ramen
- Fresh ramen noodles - you can also use dried or frozen. Find Japanese ramen noodles at your local Asian market!
- White miso paste - savory, salty, with plenty of umami. This is made of fermented soybeans and is now found in some big grocery stores! If you can't find it, a local Asian market will have this.
- Dashi - another umami bomb that brings some funk and flavor to our ramen broth. I found dried dashi at a local Asian market, and it only needs water! Here's a link to the dried dashi stock I used.
- Shredded birria and consomé. It's not birria ramen without it!
Toppings
Here are a few ideas for tasty toppings on your ramen!
- Ramen eggs - jammy soft boiled egg!
- Sesame seeds
- Furikake seasoning
- Cilantro
- Avocado
- Green onion
- Limes and lime juice
Aroma Oil
An aroma oil is a secret that only true ramen lovers know about. So keep the secret safe, y'all.
It's often made from animal fat (the same animal as the meat, so in this case I used homemade beef tallow) but only using plant-based oils is great as well.
This oil is put at the bottom of the bowl, then add your miso-consomé broth on top of it before adding the rest of the ingredients.
- High-heat fat - I used beef tallow but you can use canola or avocado oil as well.
- Toasted sesame oil - this has so much flavor! But it degrades easily, so add it at the end of cooking the aromatics.
- Aromatics - I used garlic, ginger, and green onion, but you can add chilis, sesame seeds, cumin seeds, fresh herbs (basil, sage, thyme, all work here!).
How to Make Birria Ramen
Step 1 | This step is optional, but I love bringing out the flavors in the spices by toasting them in a dry pan over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes.
Step 2 | Season the chuck roast and short ribs with salt and pepper on all sides over medium-high heat. The maillard reaction (where the meat turns brown from high heat) is important for good flavor.
Step 3 | Rehydrate the dried chili pods with the onion, toasted spices, and garlic in a pot with just enough water to cover the chilies.
Step 4 | Strain all the solids out of the pot into a mesh sieve and dump the water. Blend them in a high powered blender with the oregano, chipotle peppers in adobo, tomatoes, and a little beef stock until you have a nice, smooth chili sauce.
Step 5 | Pour the chili sauce over the seared beef, add the cinnamon stick and bay leaves, and the beef broth. Braise your birria stew all day long until the meat is tender, honey.
Step 6 | Shred the now fork-tender beef in a large bowl and keep all the liquid separately to make the ramen broth.
If you're using leftover birria, start at Step #7! If starting here, this literally takes only 10-15 minutes!
Step 7 | Make the dashi as per the package instructions, then blend the dashi, your leftover birria broth, and white miso together until well combined.
Step 8 | Heat up the ramen broth and beef in a pot over medium heat, while boiling the ramen noodles in a separate pot.
Step 9 | To make the aroma oil, melt the beef tallow or high heat fat over medium high heat, then add your garlic, ginger, and green onion. Fry for a few minutes until the garlic turns golden brown, then add in the sesame oil and turn the heat off. Careful not to burn the garlic, burnt garlic is the worst!
Step 10 | Add the aroma oil to the bottom of your ramen bowl, then add the flavorful birria broth, cooked noodles, shredded birria beef, and all of your toppings (don't forget a squeeze of lime!)
Variations and Substitutions
- Use instant ramen noodles instead of fresh noodles if you can't find them.
- Fry up strips of corn tortillas dipped in the birria fat for a fun topping.
- Make birria with goat meat instead of with beef!
Storage and Reheating
Store the broth and meat separately from the other ingredients in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Cooked noodles will not store as well in the broth, they'll soak it up and become mushy and soggy.
Warm the leftover broth and meat on the stovetop over medium-low heat until warmed through and boil uncooked noodles according to package directions in a separate pot.
FAQs
Birria (pronounced beer-ria, with the rolling 'r') is a dish from the Mexican state of Jalisco. Its name translates to 'worthless', as it was a comfort food of the working class originally.
Traditionally, it's a savory, spicy stew made with goat meat or even mutton, a labor of love slow cooked fo a long time with herbs, chiles, and spices until the meat is fall apart tender. The flavor profile is savory, warmly spiced, and complex without being too spicy, despite all those chiles!
I find that tough cuts, ones full of fat marbling and connective tissue, are the best to use for birria ramen. These include the chuck roast and bone-in short ribs in this recipe. If you can find bone in chuck roast as well, grab it! Those bones give great body to your dish.
So this birria ramen is savory, slightly spicy, with warm spices from the birria, while there's a ton of umami from the white miso and dashi added to the broth. It also gains more flavor from the toppings and the aroma oil you add!
Antonio de Livier, a famous celebrity chef, invented the birria ramen in 2015, and added it to his menu at his chain restaurant in Mexico City, ¡Ánimo Ay Caldos!, where it's called Birriamen.
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📖 Recipe
Birria Ramen (Birriamen)
Ingredients
Birria de Res
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 4 lbs boneless chuck roast
- 2 lbs bone-in short ribs English cut*
- 1 large white onion peeled and quartered
- 1 head garlic peeled
- 2 dried guajillo peppers deseeded and stems removed
- 2 dried ancho chile peppers deseeded and stems removed
- 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 4 whole cloves
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo
- 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano fresh or dried
- 1 28 oz can tomatoes
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 10 cups beef broth or stock
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick
Birria Ramen Broth
- 6 servings ramen noodles
- ¼ cup white miso paste
- 2 tablespoon dried dashi
- 2 cups water
Aroma Oil
- ¼ cup beef tallow
- 1 inch knob ginger peeled and sliced
- 1 green onion sliced
- 3 garlic cloves smashed
- 2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
Suggested Toppings
- Diced avocados
- Lime wedges
- Lime juice
- Chopped cilantro
- Sliced green onions
- Fresh sliced chilies
- Furikake seasoning
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
- Making the Birria de Res
- Bring the meat to room temperature for about 30 minutes and then sprinkle liberally on all sides with kosher salt.
- In a large Dutch oven over medium high heat, add your vegetable oil. When the oil is shimmering hot, carefully place the chuck roast and short ribs in. Don't crowd the pan, do it in batches if needed, and sear on all sides until browned. Repeat with all the pieces of chuck roast and the short ribs until every piece of meat is well browned. Set meat aside on a plate or in a large bowl for later.
- in a large pan or skillet, dry toast the whole spice: the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cloves, black peppercorns, and cinnamon stick over medium heat. Place all the spices in an even layer across the pan, then give the pan a nice, gentle shake to ensure the spices get evenly toasted. They're done once they smell super fragrant, about 3 minutes. Set the spices aside.
- In a large pan (you can use the pan from toasting the spices), add the dried guajillo and ancho chiles, the large white onion quarters, garlic cloves, all the spices except the bay leaves and cinnamon stick, and pour enough cold water in to cover everything. Place over medium heat and simmer gently for about 15 minutes.
- Pour the chilies, onion, garlic, and spices through a mesh strainer and discard the liquid, then transfer all the solids and toasted spices, chipotle peppers, oregano, pureed tomatoes, apple cider vinegar, and a cup of the beef broth to a high powered blender. Blend until smooth.
- Add the seared meat, the blended chili sauce, the bay leaves and cinnamon stick, and 9 cups of beef broth to the dutch oven and stir well. Let simmer over medium-low heat, covered, for 3 to 4 hours or until the meat is fork-tender, stirring to ensure the bottom doesn't burn every hour or so.
- Remove the meat from the consome and shred the beef.
- Making the Ramen Broth
- Mix together the powdered dashi and water to make a dashi, then blend together the dashi, miso paste, and birria consomé until well blended.
- Pour the broth into a pot with the shredded beef and keep warm over medium low heat until ready to serve.
- While this is happening, boil the ramen noodles as according to package directions.
- Make the Aroma Oil
- In a frying pan over medium high heat, melt down the beef tallow (or add in the canola oil).
- Add the garlic, ginger slices, and green onions, and fry until the garlic turns golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Do not let the garlic burn.
- Turn the heat off and add the sesame oil. Give a stir and pour into a heat-safe container.
- Build the Ramen Bowl
- Pour in a spoonful of the aroma oil into your serving bowl, then pour in the ramen broth.
- Add the noodles, top with the shredded beef and choice of toppings.
- Serve hot!
