Looking to kick back next to your grill for the day and enjoy an absolutely freakin’ delicious meal at the end of it? Birria ramen is calling your name. I’m going to be real with you: this birria ramen recipe requires some commitment. But know that it is 1,000 percent worth it. And since it’s another ramen recipe inspired by my friend Michael Duarte, who got me to try my hand at surf and turf ramen, you know it’s going to be off the charts.
So, settle in and get ready to combine the comfort of ramen noodles with the flavors of Mexican birria. Literally the best of all worlds in a bowl.
Why You’ll Love Birria Ramen
With a combination of three different Mexican chiles and a flavor-packed braise, this beef birria takes any recipe up a notch. Birria originated in the same city that gave us tequila and mariachi music, so you know anything with birria meat is going to be so freakin’ delicious! I’ve made everything from birria pinwheels to birria tacos, egg rolls and burgers. So, it was only a matter of time before I went full send on this ramen fusion dish.
Speaking of time, make sure you leave yourself 4-5 hours for the birria braise. But good news, the braise is a mostly hands-off recipe. You could also braise the meat ahead of time if you want, since the ramen bowl itself can come together quickly. Overall, it’s a fun and delicious recipe that is guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser.
Got time and want some other long, leisurely cooks? Check out my recipes for Braised Osso Buco, Foil Boat Brisket or Smoked Pulled Pork Sandwich.
Birria Ramen Ingredients
- Beef: To make our beef birria, we’ll cube a whole beef chuck roast and season it with kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder and my FYR BLK Hot Sauce.
- Chiles: This combination of chiles — ancho, guajillo, chipotle — plus garlic cloves is what gets us the right amount of kick in this recipe.
- Braising & Seasonings: Our flavorful birria broth comes together thanks to beef broth, cubed tomatoes, sliced white onion, Mexican oregano, black pepper, sea salt, cinnamon sticks and bay leaves.
- Ramen: For the noodles, similar to my surf and turf ramen recipe, make sure to get Buldak Ramen in the carbonara flavor. This ramen pack has a creamy, smooth taste that’s perfect for the birria ramen. To finish the flavorful broth for our noodles, we’ll stir in mayonnaise, minced garlic and egg yolks, then garnish everything with chopped cilantro, diced red onion and soft-boiled eggs.
What Exactly IS Birria?
Yes, here’s the question that’s on everybody’s minds: Derek, why are you so obsessed with birria? Well, because it’s a culinary masterpiece! This bold, flavor-packed dish comes straight out of the state of Jalisco in Mexico. It’s quickly become one of my favorite Mexican dishes because of its rich flavors and insane versatility.
Traditionally, birria is made with goat meat or lamb, braised in a smoky adobo with dried chiles, garlic, and warming spices. That combo gets you a deep, flavorful stew with just the right amount of kick. It’s perfect for tacos, dunking into consommé, or straight-up devouring with a warm tortilla. For most of my recipes, I’ve swapped in chuck roast to make beef birria. If you want to swap in one of the traditional proteins in a birria recipe, go for it! Let me know in the comments how it turns out.
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How to Make Birria Ramen
Ready for a flavor bomb in a bowl? Buckle up and LET’S GOOOOOO!
Prepping the Birria
First, preheat your fire to medium-high heat (around 375 degrees Fahrenheit). Slather 1 whole chuck roast, cubed, with oil and liberally season with 1.5 tablespoons kosher salt, 1.5 tablespoons black pepper, 1.5 tablespoons garlic powder and FYR BLK to taste. Place on the grill to sear for 1-2 minutes per side until completely browned on all sides. Pull off once done.
Next, place a large Dutch oven over the fire to preheat for 3-4 minutes. Add in your 3 ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded; 3 guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded; and 3 chipotle peppers, stemmed and seeded; 1/2 white onion, sliced; 2 cubed tomatoes and 8-10 garlic cloves. Let those ingredients char in the Dutch oven for 30-45 seconds per side. Once charred, add 2 cups water and let simmer over the fire for 7-8 minutes.
Once everything has simmered, pull the Dutch oven off heat. Place your sauteed chiles and veggies in a blender and blend until completely smooth. Then, pour your paste into a bowl.
Braising the Birria
To braise the birria, add all your chuck roast cubes to the Dutch oven, along with the chile paste, 2-3 cups beef stock and all of the braising seasonings — 1.5 tablespoons Mexican oregano, 2 tablespoons black pepper, 1 tablespoon sea salt, 2 cinnamon sticks and 2 bay leaves. Cover the Dutch oven and let that birria simmer over medium-high heat, until the beef is fork tender (about 3.5-4.5 hours). Make sure to skim the top of the sauce of fat as needed.
Once the birria beef is tender, pull it off and dispose of the bay leaves, onions and cinnamon sticks. Strain your braising birria sauce from the tender meat and any fat until it is a clean consomme. Add the consomme to a new bowl. Begin to shred your beef, then place in the fridge to cool for 30 minutes.
Soft Boiling the Eggs
It’s not really ramen without soft-boiled eggs, right? To make these delicious garnishes, bring enough water to cover 2-3 eggs to a rolling boil. Then, add the eggs to the water and cook for 6.5 minutes. When they’re done, remove them from the water with a slotted spoon and place in an ice water bath for 2-3 minutes. Peel the eggs so they’re ready to slice and serve when we assemble our ramen.
Assembling the Birria Ramen
To make the ramen noodles, place 2 packs Buldak Ramen noodles in a boiling pot of water to cook for 4-5 minutes until tender. Drain noodles when they’re done, but save ½ cup of hot noodle water.
In a bowl, mix together the Buldak Ramen sauce and seasoning packets, along with 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 2 egg yolks and 2 tablespoons minced garlic. Then, pour your hot noodle water into that bowl and stir until the rest of the ingredients are fully incorporated.
Add in the noodles to the sauce, then top with shredded beef birria, sliced soft-boiled eggs, chopped cilantro and diced red onions.
Serve and enjoy!
What to Serve with Birria Ramen
With Mexican flavors and Japanese ramen, you have so many options for sides with this fusion ramen. You could go with blistered shishitos, grilled bell peppers or Mexican street corn to lean into that flavor profile. Or, you could make something like the sesame cucumber salad in my surf and turf ramen recipe or a simple salad to have the meal feel like more traditional ramen.
Leftovers and Reheating
Store any leftover beef birria in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. To reheat, use the Dutch oven method on the grill or stovetop at medium heat, with a little of the cooking liquid to keep the beef from drying out.
If you make extra soft-boiled eggs, peel those and store them whole in the fridge in another airtight container for up to three days. For the leftover noodles, store them separately from the ramen broth and the sauce. That’s because the noodles will continue absorbing the water, so they can get mushy if they’re stored together. You can reheat them gently in the broth as well!
For More Birria
FAQs
Definitely! Birria stores really well and I’d say tastes even better the next day. So, feel free to make the beef braise ahead of time. You could also make the eggs ahead of time, then peel them and store them whole in the fridge. It’s better to go with fresh ramen noodles and cook those right before you eat because otherwise the noodles absorb the water and get mushy.
Absolutely! A pressure cooker or Instant Pot is a great way to speed things up while still getting that deep, rich flavor. Just sear the meat with your spices and then let the high pressure cooker work its magic for about 45-60 minutes.
Sure, but just know it won’t hit the same. Dried chiles bring heat and brightness to any birria seasoning, while chili powder adds a deeper, smokier vibe. If you have to go this route, start with a teaspoon per chile and tweak to taste!
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Birria Ramen
Ingredients
Beef:
- 1 Whole Chuck Roast cubed
- 1.5 tbsp Kosher Salt
- 1.5 tbsp Black Pepper
- 1.5 tbsp Garlic Powder
- FYR BLK Hot Sauce
Chiles:
- 3 ancho chiles stemmed & seeded
- 3 guajillo chiles stemmed & seeded
- 2 chipotle chiles stemmed & seeded
- 8-10 garlic cloves
- 2 cups of Water
Braising & Seasonings:
- 2-3 cups beef broth
- 2 tomatoes cubed
- 1/2 white onion sliced
- 1.5 tbsp mexican oregano
- 2 tbsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp sea salt
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 bay leaves
Ramen:
- 2 packs Buldak Ramen carbonara
- 4 tbsp Mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp Minced Garlic
- 2 Egg Yolks
- Chopped Cilantro garnish
- Diced Red Onions garnish
- 2-3 Soft Boiled Eggs sliced
Instructions
Birria:
- Preheat your fire to medium high temperature (around 375F)
- Slather your chuck roast cubes with oil and liberally season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add to the grill to sear for 1-2 minutes per side until completely browned on all sides. Pull off once done.
- Add a dutch oven over the fire to preheat for 3-4 minutes. Add your ancho chile, guajillo chile, chipotle chile, onion, tomatoes and garlic cloves to your dutch oven and let char for 30-45 seconds per side. Once charred, add your water to the skillet and let simmer over the fire for 7-8 minutes.
- Once simmered, pull the dutch oven off of the heat. Add your sauteed chiles and veggies to a blender. Blend until completely smooth. Pour your paste into a bowl.
- Finally, add all your chuck roast to the dutch oven along with the chile paste, beef broth and all of the braising seasonings. Cover the dutch oven and let simmer over medium high heat until the beef is fork tender (about 3.5-4.5 hours). Make sure to skim the top of the sauce of fat as needed.
- Once the beef is tender, pull it off, dispose of the bay leaves, onions and cinnamon sticks. Strain your braising sauce from the meat and any fat until it is a clean consomme. Add the consomme to a new bowl. Begin to shred your beef then place in the fridge to cool for 30 minutes.
Soft Boiled Eggs:
- Bring enough water to cover your eggs to a rolling boil.
- Add the eggs to the water and cook for 6.5 minutes. Once done, pull out and place in an ice water bath for 2-3 minutes.
- Break off the shell, slice and serve.
Ramen:
- Add your ramen to a boiling pot of water to cook for 4-5 minutes until tender. Pull out the noodles once done, but save ½ cup of hot noodle water
- In a bowl, add the buldak ramen sauce and seasoning packets, mayonnaise, egg yolks and minced garlic.
- Add to the bowl with all the ingredients your hot noodle water and stir until fully incorporated.
- Add in the noodles to the sauce then top with shredded birria, ramen eggs, sliced jalapeños and lime wedges. Serve and enjoy!
