In this recipe I made birria style braised beef, and slapped it on a pan pizza! The takeaway is definitely the Oaxaca cheese and all its cheese pull glory!
INGREDIENTS
For the dough:
3.5-4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 pkg active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
For the toppings:
3 lb boneless beef chuck roast
1 1/2 lb boneless short rib
1 diced onion
1/4 cup tomato paste
6 cloves of roughly chopped garlic
3 cups beef stock
6 guajillo peppers
4 chile de arbol
2 ancho chilis
3 bay leaves
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp dry thyme
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp marjoram
2 cups shredded Oaxaca cheese
1/2 cup small diced onions
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
limes
Tools
pressure cooker
INSTRUCTIONS
Start with the pizza dough:
In a bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, combine all purpose flour and salt.
In a small bowl, combine the yeast with half the warm water, sugar and olive oil. Wait until the yeast gets frothy (about 5 minutes)
Start the stand mixer and slowly add the yeast and water mixture. Then add the remaining water until a dough forms.
Place the dough into a sheet pan with olive oil, and cover for about 45 minutes or until it’s doubled in size.
For the beef:
Heavily season the meats with salt. Heat a cast iron pan to smoking hot.
Sear the meats on all sides for roughly 3 minutes or until a dark crust forms. Set meat aside.
On medium heat, and leaving the fond left over in the pan from the meat, add the onions and garlic and saute for 3 minutes or just until the onions start to soften.
Add the tomato paste and combine well, then add the beef stock, and chilis and bring to a boil.
In the meantime, make the spice packet by combining the bay leaves, thyme, cumin seeds, and marjoram in a coffee filter. Tie it using some cooking twine and add it to the pot.
Add the contents of the pot to a pressure cooker and drop in the meats. Cook on high for 40 minutes.
When the pressure has released, extract the meat from the liquid and, using a fork and a pair of tongs, pull the meats apart, mixing the chuck roast and the rib together.
Add about 1 cup of the consommé to the meat to keep it moist, reserving the remaining to dip the pizza in.
Pizza dough continued:
Preheat the oven to 500ºF. Stretch out the dough using a Detroit style pan or a 13 inch deep sheet pan.
Using a basting brush, brush on some of the reserved consommé onto the base of the dough.
Evenly spread the shredded beef on the dough making sure to add enough to the edges and corner of the pan.
Evenly add all the shredded cheese. Don’t be afraid to add more to the perimeter for the added Detroit style pizza effect.
Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the top is golden brown and bubbling.
Garnish with chopped cilantro and onions. Dip in reserved consommé.