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In Episode 3 of Twisting The Classics, I am taking a culinary detour from the norm. Classic birria is usually enjoyed on its own or tucked comfortably into a taco. When I tasted the birria ramen dish at Disney 🏰, it was LOVE 🥰 at first bite! It was in this moment, I decided I had to put my own spin on the dish and the rest is history. Now, I know my birria isn’t exactly what you’d find in a traditional recipe (for the record, no me gusta con canela, ok?). But I guarantee it will impress!
Why You’ll Love Birria Ramen
This is one of those recipes that you prepare earlier in the day, pop in the oven and let the magic happen. The house is going to smell heavenly and everyone in the family is going to be so excited to finally sit down to dinner with this warm, comforting and delicious meal that they have been waiting for all day! You’ll take a bite into a rich and savory broth, filled with the smoky flavors from all those hours of being slow-cooked. As you slurp the noodles, you get a delightful blend of spicy🔥 and tangy flavors, perfectly balanced with the umami of the ramen. The corn, cilantro, scallions, onion, salsa macha and lime contrast wonderfully with the smooth, flavorful soup.
How to Prepare Birria Ramen
🍅 Sear Beef: Season and brown the chuck for a few minutes on all sides, then remove from the pan. Cook tomato paste in the same pan for about 3 minutes, then add 2 cups of beef stock.
🧅 Prepare Veggies: In another pot, cook onion, tomato, garlic, chiles, and bay leaf in water for 10 minutes until soft.
🌶️ Blend Sauce: Blend the veggies and chiles with 2 cups of their cooking water and 1 cup of stock. Mix in spices, vinegar, and Maggi. Strain this into the tomato paste pot.
🍲 Simmer Beef: Add the beef to the pot, along with more water if needed. Cover and cook for 4-4.5 hours on the stove until tender. Shred the beef and return it to the pot with additional water or stock.
🍜 Assemble Dish: Cook ramen and also top with birria, corn, cilantro, scallions, onion, salsa macha, and lime.
Substitutions and Variation
- If you can’t find campari tomatoes 🍅, you can substitute with grape tomatoes. They are sweeter in flavor than other tomatoes and closest to the campari’s taste.
- Marjoram is the best Mexican oregano substitute.
- Morita chiles🌶️ may be hard to find. Feel free to use chipotle meco peppers, guajillo pepper or ancho peppers.
🔥Chef Nadia’s Tip🔥
Make sure to add a cartouche while simmering for a tender perfect birria.
Recipes That Pair
Tacos/Tortillas
Tortillas de Harina
Butters
Chef Nadia’s Salsa Macha 💃
Tacos/Tortillas
Tortillas Recipe with Butter
Tacos/Tortillas
Cheese Tortilla
Common Questions
Maggi is a seasoning product from Switzerland that has an umami rich flavor. It’s traditionally used in ramen dishes. If you can’t find this product at your grocery store, you can always order Maggi from my Amazon storefront.
A cartouche is a parchment-paper lid that allows for some evaporation during braising while keeping the meat (or other food) submerged. You can buy them here but you can certainly just make your own by cutting out some parchment paper.
You can keep this delicious soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can heat it back up in the microwave or on the stove top. It is certainly great to make ahead for company and heats up well!
Yes, you can certainly use marjoram in the Mexican oregano’s place.
That’s no problem! Try my Spicy Ramen recipe instead.
Birria Ramen 🍜
Ingredients
- 2.5-3 lb chuck, cubed
- 1 large onion, quartered
- 3 large campari tomatoes, halved
- 5 garlic cloves
- 3 bay leaves
- 6 morita chiles
- 4 Chile de arbol
- 6-8 guajillo chiles
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 2.5 tsp Mexican oregano
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp clove
- 3 tbsp white vinegar
- 10 shots maggi
- 3 cups beef stock
- Water
- Ramen noodles to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
Toppings
- Corn kernels
- Cilantro
- Scallions
- Salsa macha
- White onion
- Lime
Instructions
- Season the chuck on all sides and sear until well browned. Remove from the pan and add in tomato paste and cook for 3 min. Add in 2 cups of the beef stock.
- In another pot, add the onion, tomato, garlic, all chilies and bay leaf. Coat in water and simmer for 10 min until soft.
- Blend the chilies and veggies, except for the bay leaf with 2 cups of the water it was cooked in and 1 cup of stock. Add in spices, vinegar and Maggi.
- Strain that into the tomato paste pot. Add in the beef and a bit more water as needed. Simmer. Cover with a cartouche and lid. Cook for 4-4.5 hrs on the stove or until tender.
- Shred the beef, add that back in the pot with a bit more water or stock.
- Cook the ramen and top with the birria, corn, cilantro, scallions, onion, salsa macha and lime and that is it!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
The spice level on this was perfect! I’m going to be moving this into my weekly rotation for sure. Thanks!