The Best Birria-Style Smash Burger Taco

Today we are making the Best Birria-Style Smash Burger Taco. Birria tacos are everywhere these days. And I love ’em. I am a sauce guy. So anytime I can dip something in a sauce or gravy (ie. fries in gravy a la poutine or a seasoned french dip), I’m a happy guy! Smash Burgers are another dish that everone is enjoying out at restaurants and at home. So we are going to combine the best aspects of two great dishes!

Combining the best aspects of a Birria Taco and a Smash Burger to make the

Best Birria-“Style” Smash Burger Taco! So Good!!

What is Birria?

There are a lot of people out there who will criticize me and say that this recipe is not a traditional birria taco. That is correct. I don’t claim it to be traditional. A traditional birria would be made braising goat over a long period of time to tenderize it and to intensify the flavors. However I did develop this recipe with a traditional birria taco in mind. This taco is made in the “Style” of a Birria Taco. Maybe I should say it’s in the Style of a French Dip Sandwich. Either way, this dish will be so savory as we dip our taco in our prepared consomé / au jus.

If you are looking for a more traditional recipe for a Birria Taco, check out my recipe here! Am I using goat? No I’m not. It’s not that easy to find goat at my local grocery store. I am however using oxtail and bone marrow to bring some extrordinary flavor to the dish.

Why Combine Smash Burgers and Tacos?

Smash burgers have really become popular and can be found in most local areas. Or, make them at home since they aren’t hard to make. This type of burger is “smashed” really thin. You can produce a burger that is well seasoned, a little crispy and you won’t feel guilty if you have one too many! Check here for my recipe on smash burgers!

Who wants a Smash Burger??

So why combine smash burgers and tacos? The two dishes are great individually. If you can’t decide whether it’s Taco or Burger Night, the decision is easy! Why not combine the two! The basic thought is to make your smash burger and layer on the cheese (Just like you would if you were making burgers for the family.) Now is the time to veer off in the birria direction. Take your tortilla and dip it lightly in your consomé and crisp it up on a large sauté pan. Take your burger layered with cheese and drop that in the middle of your tortilla. Then fold it over and your are ready to dip and go!

I hope you enjoy my version of a smash burger taco. Let me know what your thoughts are in the the comments below. As always, thanks for Spending Time In My Kitchen!

The Best Birria-Style Smash Burger Taco

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Recipe by David Frank – Spending Time In My Kitchen

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Ingredients

• 1 Lb 1 80/20 ground beef

• 2 tsp 2 Guajillo chile pepper, powdered

• 2 tsp 2 Ancho chile pepper, powdered

• 2 tsp 2 Salt

• 8 0z 8 Swiss cheese, shredded

• 4 Oz 4 Gruyere cheese, shredded

• Consomé
• Veggies

• 4 Cloves 4 Garlic, minced

• 1 Large 1 Shallot, minced

• 1 1 Fresno chile, minced

• Other Consomé Ingredients

• 3 Tbl 3 Beef tallow (ghee, butter)

• 2 tsp 2 Tomato paste

• 32 oz 32 Homemade/store-bought beef broth

• Better than Bouillon Brand-Beef (optional)

• 1/2 Cup 1/2 Worcestershire sauce

• 1/4 Cup 1/4 Horseradish sauce

• 1/4 Cup 1/4 Red wine vinegar

• 2 tsp 2 Mushroom powder (porcini, shiitake)

• 2 tsp 2 White pepper

• 3 tsp 3 Guajillo pepper ( flakes or ground)

• 3 tsp 3 Ancho chile powder

• 1 Tbl 1 Dijon mustard

• Salt, if needed

Directions

• Season the Ground Beef
• Place the ground beef into a large bowl.
• Add gualjillo powder, ancho powder, and salt to the meat. Lightly combine. Do not overwork the meat. Set aside.
• Making the Consomé
• Mince your veggies. Add beef tallow to your sauté pan. Add veggies to the pan and cook for 2 minutes over medium heat. Add tomato paste to your sauté pan. Cook for another 2 minutes until veggies are soft and transparent and paste has mixed well. Then pull off of heat and set it aside. Note: It may seem like a lot of fat to sauté your veggies in. However, we need that fat in the consomé when we brush it on the tortilla to make it crispy.
• Add your broth to a saucepan (See Note Below). Add cooked veggies mixture to your broth.
• Add remaining consomé ingredients to your saucepan. Turn heat on the stove to medium and cook consomé until it has reduced about 1/4 (about 10 minutes)
• Taste consomé and add additional salt, and white pepper to taste. If not beefy enough, add some “Better than Bouillon” – Beef (be careful not to oversalt…adding additional Better than Bouillon will add additional salt.)
• Taste consomé. Add additonal chile powder if you want a little more spice. Other good varieties of chile powder would be chipotle, cayenne, or habenero.
• Making the Taco
• Separate your burger mixture into 4 – 1/4 lb balls. Set them aside.
• Let’s brush some of the fat that has risen up to the top of your consomé onto both sides of the tortilla. See Note below on making a homemade broth.
• Take your tortilla and place it in a pan to crisp it up only to the extent to bring some color. Continue to flip the tortilla so that it does not burn. Remember we are going to fold that tortilla to make our taco so don’t make it too crispy. Repeat this with the other tortillas and set them aside.

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• Place your cast iron pan on the stove over a medium-high heat. (Option is to cook the burgers on a griddle.)
• Take one patty and smash it down with your largest spatula to a 1/4″ thickness. Flip only once. Cook til you achieve the amount of crispness you prefer. (Once smashed, do not smash the burger any more while it is cooking. Continuing to smash the burger while it’s cooking will press out all the moisture and give you a dry burger.)

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  • 

• Layer some cheese onto your burger. Those crispy bits of cheese on the outside are the best!

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• Place cheese covered burger on the tortilla.

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• Fold, dip, and enjoy!

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Recipe Video

Notes

• If you want to make a fairly quick homemade broth pick up some beef bones and roast them in the oven at 400° until nicely browned. Place them in a pressure cooker with carrots, celery, and onions. Add some salt, pepper, Tbl of tomato paste, and a little red wine. Add enough water to get to your max level. Cook on high pressure for 2 hours. (Use any beef bones you can find at the store – oxtail, shank, marrow) You will save the liquid in your pressure cooker to make your broth. Do not skim off the fat from the broth. That is good tasting and we will use it to brush on the tortilla when we crisp them up before making the taco.

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