Pimento Birria Grilled Cheese Recipe

Toast the dried chiles briefly in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 30–45 seconds per side. Remove to a bowl and cover with hot water; soak 15 minutes until softened.

Meanwhile, pat the beef chunks dry and season lightly with 1 tsp kosher salt and the black pepper.

In a blender, combine the softened chiles (drain but reserve soaking liquid), chipotle in adobo, quartered tomato, half the onion, 4 garlic cloves, oregano, cumin, apple cider vinegar and 1/2 cup of the reserved chile soaking liquid. Blend until very smooth, adding a tablespoon or two of water if necessary to get a purée.

Heat a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat and add 1 tsp oil. Sear the beef chunks in batches until browned on all sides, about 6–8 minutes total. Remove beef and set aside.

In the same pot, add the remaining onion and garlic and sauté 2–3 minutes until softened and lightly browned. Pour in the chile-tomato purée and cook, stirring, 3–4 minutes to bloom the flavors.

Return the seared beef to the pot. Add beef stock, bay leaves, remaining 1 tsp kosher salt and enough water (about 1–2 cups) to just cover the meat. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, cover and cook gently for 2.5–3 hours until beef is very tender and falling apart. Alternatively, cook on low in a slow cooker 6–8 hours.

When beef is tender, remove meat to a cutting board. Skim or strain the cooking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing on solids to extract liquid; reserve the strained consommé. If desired, skim excess fat from the top. Shred the beef with two forks into bite-size shreds and return to a small amount (about 1/2–3/4 cup) of the consommé to keep it moist for assembling sandwiches; reserve the remainder of consommé for dipping.

Taste consommé and adjust seasoning with additional salt if needed. Keep consommé warm (low simmer) while assembling sandwiches.

In a medium bowl combine shredded sharp cheddar and monterey jack cheeses with chopped pimentos, mayonnaise, smoked paprika, horseradish (if using), hot sauce and 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Mix until evenly combined and spreadable. Chill briefly if it seems too loose; it should be thick enough to hold between bread slices.

Taste and adjust for salt, heat or acidity (more hot sauce or a squeeze of lemon if you prefer brighter flavor).

Lay out 4 slices of Texas toast as bottoms. Generously spread about 1/4–1/3 cup of the pimento cheese mixture onto each bottom slice, leaving a small border.

Top each with about 3/4 cup shredded birria beef, pressing slightly to compact. If you like extra juiciness, drizzle a tablespoon of warm consommé over the beef before topping with an additional 1/4 cup shredded cheddar (reserve a little cheese for the outside if desired).

Place the top slices of Texas toast on each sandwich. Lightly butter the outside faces of each sandwich (about 1 tbsp butter per face).

Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Add a small teaspoon of oil to help prevent burning. Cook sandwiches 3–4 minutes per side, pressing lightly with a spatula, until bread is deep golden brown and cheese inside is melted. If bread browns too quickly before cheese melts, lower heat and cover the pan for a minute to trap heat.

Remove sandwiches and let rest 1 minute. Cut each sandwich in half diagonally.

Serve each grilled cheese with a small wide-mouthed bowl of warm birria consommé for dipping. Garnish sandwiches with chopped cilantro and pickled red onions as desired.