A detailed recipe for making crispy lamb birria tacos, featuring tender braised lamb, a rich chile sauce, and instructions for making lime crema and toasted pepitas to complete the dish.
Season lamb with salt and pepper. Sear 2–3 min per side, then transfer to a slow cooker. Toast dried chiles 20–30 sec per side, then soak in 1 cup hot broth for 15–20 min. Char onion and garlic in the same pan. Blend soaked chiles, soaking broth, onion, garlic, tomatoes, chipotle, adobo, vinegar, tomato paste, honey, and spices until smooth. Strain if desired. Pour sauce over lamb. Add 2 cups broth, bay leaves, Worcestershire, soy sauce, and orange peel. Cook low for 7–8 hours or high for 4–5 hours until tender. Shred lamb. Season consommé with salt, lime, vinegar, or honey to taste. For crispy tacos, spoon off the red fat from the consommé. Warm tortillas, dip one side in the fat, place fat-side down in a skillet, add Oaxaca cheese and lamb, fold, and cook 2–3 min per side until crispy and golden. Top with cilantro, lime crema, avocado, salsa verde, toasted pepitas, and a squeeze of lime. Dip in consommé and enjoy. To make Lime Crema: Mix ½ cup crema or sour cream, zest of 1 lime, juice of ½ lime, pinch of salt, and a tiny drizzle of honey. To make Pepitas: Toast ⅓ cup pepitas with salt, cumin, and smoked paprika for 3–5 min.
