Birria de Borrego (Mexican Lamb Stew) 

Birria de Borrego is a beautiful, smoky, and flavorful Mexican lamb stew. Simmered long and low on the stove, this dish is perfect for your next family gathering. 

I teamed up with American Lamb to bring you this post. As always, all opinions are my own. 

“Birra” is a warm Mexican dish with stewed meat and chili peppers. While this dish can include any type of stewed meat, often goat, veal, cow, or pork, “de Borrego” means “of lamb”. Mexican lamb stew has a deep red color and smokey spicy aroma that will have your mouth watering as it simmers away on the stove.

You can use either leg of lamb or lamb shoulder for this recipe, but regardless of which cut you choose, I highly recommend cooking with American Lamb. Here’s why: 

  • By choosing American Lamb, you’re supporting local farmers and ranchers throughout the US.
  • Raising lamb in the US is a family affair with more than 80,000 family owned operations.
  • Sheep improve pasture quality by recycling vital nutrients back into the soil, minimizing erosion and encouraging plant growth.
  • The majority of sheep in the states graze pastures for most of their lives.
Three bowls of birria de borrego with toppings.

🥘 Birria de Borrego ingredients

  • Leg of lamb or lamb shoulder – Use either boneless leg of lamb or lamb shoulder. Trim the excess fat from the lamb and cut it into 1 ½ inch pieces.
  • Chipotles in adobo sauce – The peppers in adobo sauce add a little heat and a sweet, smoky flavor to the stew. 
  • Olive oil – Use light olive oil instead of extra virgin olive oil. Light olive oil has a higher smoke point and works better for browning meat over medium-high heat. 
  • Onion – Use white or yellow onions. 
  • Spices – Garlic powder, cumin and oregano help to flavor this dish.  
  • Salsa – Choose whichever type of salsa you prefer, smooth, chunky, mild, medium or spicy will all work! Just avoid salsa that’s flavored with fruit as this will change the flavor of the dish. 
  • Light beer – Use any light beer you have. Sol, Modelo, or Corona are all Mexican beers that work well here. If you’d prefer to not cook with alcohol, you can swap in some extra beef broth. 
  • Cilantro – Used for the stew, the lime crema, and perfect to sprinkle on just before eating!
  • Lime – You’ll want a couple of limes for this recipe. One for the lime crema and another to serve as wedges and squeeze on top!
  • Sour cream – The cool and tangy base for the lime cream. 
  • Tomato Paste
  • Beef Stock  
  • Salt & pepper
Overhead close up of bowl of birria de borrego topped with lime crema.

👩‍🍳 How to make it 

Add the oil to a large dutch oven or heavy pot and turn the heat up to medium-high. 

Season the lamb with salt and pepper, then add half the lamb and brown the outside, taking care not to overcrowd the pot. Set the browned lamb aside on a plate. Repeat with the remaining lamb. 

Add the onion to the empty pot and saute until softened, then stir in the chipotles, garlic powder, cumin and oregano and saute until fragrant, for around 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato paste, then add the salsa, beef stock and beer. 

Return the lamb to the pot. Bring everything to a boil and then reduce to a low simmer. Cover and cook for 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Uncover and simmer for an additional 20-30 minutes. Stir in cilantro and hot sauce, if desired.

While the stew simmers, make the lime crema. Combine sour cream, cilantro, lime zest and juice, and garlic. Season with salt, to taste and refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve the Birria de Borrego with rice, red onions, cilantro and a dollop of the lime crema.

Side view of bowl of mexican stew next to bowl of crema.

🥣 How to meal prep, store, and reheat

This special dish really can’t be prepped ahead of time, but it reheats amazingly well! By taking just fifteen minutes to prepare it, and allowing it to simmer on the stove for a few hours, you’ll be rewarded with an intensely flavorful and authentic Mexican dish. 

Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days. To reheat, place the stew in a small pot on the stove, covered, and warm over medium-low heat until warmed through. 

🍽 Recipe FAQs

What is birria typically made of?

Birria can be made of goat meat, lamb, beef, veal, or pork. 

How is birria served? 

Birria can be served as soup or in tacos. For this recipe, it’s served as a flavorful stew. 

What to serve with birria de borrego?

For a complete meal, serve Birria de Borrego with cooked rice, diced red onions, cilantro, lime wedges, and hot sauce. Don’t forget the lime crema! Also, be sure to check out 25+ Mexican Desserts!

🍷 Wine pairings for Birria

Overhead close up of bowl of lamb stew.

Did you try this recipe? 

If you loved this Mexican lamb stew, I would appreciate it so much if you would give this recipe a ⭐️star review⭐️! Also, be sure to snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #platingsandpairings and tagging me @platingsandpairings.

For more great Platings and Pairings recipes, be sure to follow me on  Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest and Facebook.

More Lamb Recipes

More Mexican-style Dishes 

If you loved this Mexican lamb stew, you’ll love these others:

More → 20+ best sides for stew.

Be sure to check out these 25+ Mexican Desserts too!

Overhead close up of bowl of lamb stew.

Birria de Borrego Recipe

Birria de Borrego is a beautiful, smoky, and flavorful Mexican lamb stew. Simmered long and low on the stove, this dish is perfect for your next family gathering.
5 from 3 votes
Print Pin
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 6 people

Ingredients

  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 pounds boneless leg of American lamb (or lamb shoulder, trimmed of excess fat, cut into 1 1/2" pieces)
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 large onion (diced)
  • 2 chipotles in adobo sauce (chopped)
  • 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 2 teaspoons oregano
  • 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 cups salsa (any style you prefer)
  • 2 cups beef stock
  • 12 ounces light beer
  • 2 Tablespoons cilantro (minced)
  • Hot sauce (to taste (optional))

Lime Crema:

For Serving:

Instructions

  • Season the lamb with salt and pepper.
  • In a large dutch oven or heavy pot, add the oil over and heat over medium-high heat.
  • Add half the lamb and brown, taking care not to overcrowd the pot. Set the browned lamb aside on a plate. Repeat with the remaining lamb.
  • Add the onion to the empty pot and saute until softened, 4-5 minutes.
  • Stir in the chipotles, garlic powder, cumin and oregano and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste and stir to combine.
  • Add the salsa, stock and beer. Return the lamb to the pot. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
  • Uncover and simmer for an additional 20-30 minutes. Stir in cilantro and hot sauce, if desired. USDA recommends lamb reach a minimum internal temperature of 145F with a 3 minute resting period.
  • While the stew simmers, make the lime crema. Combine sour cream, cilantro, lime zest and juice, and garlic. Season with salt, to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

To Serve:

  • Serve with rice, red onions, cilantro and a dollop of the lime crema. Enjoy!
Did you make this recipe?Mention @platingsandpairings or tag #platingsandpairings!

Equipment

Nutrition

Calories: 296kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 78mg | Sodium: 843mg | Potassium: 829mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 717IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 94mg | Iron: 3mg

4 thoughts on “Birria de Borrego (Mexican Lamb Stew) ”

  1. 5 stars
    This is a fantastic recipe. I halved it because I only had one pound of lamb, and it was perfect. This would be a great dish for the lamb-squeamish, because with the seasoning and low slow cook it actually tastes more like beef to me. Thank you!

    Reply
  2. 5 stars
    Had 1/2 a slow roast leg left over from a Sunday roast. Just made and reduced the sauce and added the cooked lamb at the end. A delicious meal that I will definitely make again.

    Reply

Leave a Comment

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.