ORLANDO, Fla. — Thornton Park is welcoming F & D Cantina, a brand new Mexican joint led by a chef who's fusing his heritage to provide authenticity. 

Chef Alex Cornejo is stoked to show off his take on birria tacos.

“It's almost iconic for Mexican cuisine,” he says.

While the recipe usually calls for goat meat, Cornejo uses beef because it's “more familiar” to American palettes.

Inside his Thornton Park kitchen, Cornejo explains that he has played with lots of new recipes at F & D Cantina over the past several years. But he also gets inspiration from his family.

“My family's from Mexico," he says. "My mother's from Guadalajara, so I kinda grew up around some of this stuff as well."

Ready for some birria? Let's cook!

Birria Tacos by F & D Cantina, Thornton Park

Ingredients (for four servings)

  • 1 pound beef chuck shoulder, cut into large chunks
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1.5 cups water
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. chili powder
  • ½ each yellow onion, diced
  • 2 tsp. paprika
  • 2 tsp. oregano
  • 1 each bay leaves
  • 1 each cinnamon stick
  • 1 each guajillo pepper, seeds & stem removed
  • 1 each garlic, finely minced

To Plate:

  • 8 5.5-inch fresh white corn tortillas
  • 8 ounces fresh Chihuahua and mozzarella cheese (50/50)
  • ½ each yellow onion, diced
  • 2 cups birria consumé
  • 1 tbsp. cotija cheese

Directions

  1. Use a high-quality chicken broth or base that uses no MSG or preservatives. Preferably make a simple chicken stock of bones, fresh vegetables and herbs.
  2. Start with a small amount of cooking oil in a large pot on medium heat.
  3. Add the spices, cinnamon stick, and guajillo pepper to toast for about 1 minute.
  4. Add the beef and the rest of the ingredients, and pour the chicken stock and water over top.
  5. Braise on medium-low heat for about 4 hours, or until the beef is very tender.
  6. Remove the guajillo and onions, and mix in the blender. Add back to the saucepot.
  7. Season the consumé and birria beef to taste.
  8. Heat up a large sauté pan on medium heat. Dip the tortillas in the consumé, and lay four double-layered sets of tortillas on the sauté pan. Add cheese to taste, shredded birria beef and diced onion, and once the cheese is melted, fold over. 
  9. Add a small amount of birria liquid on top of each taco. Make sure to brown both sides.
  10. Plate with a side of hot birria consumé, garnish with cotija cheese and enjoy!