Ever since the beginning of 9th grade, a food that has stayed with me while learning new recipes is Birria. When I first tried Birria, I was really shocked at the flavor—the combination of onions, Chile peppers, chuck roast beef and cheese was incredibly tasty.

The first time I tried Birria was on a random September Thursday after school. A few friends and I were walking through downtown Puyallup and decided to stop for food. We didn’t really know what to get, so after looking for a place to eat for around an hour, we finally agreed on Chicanos, a bright green food truck located on the right-hand side of City Hall.

After looking at the menu, the Birria pizza stood out to us the most. So, $30 and 15 minutes later, our meal had arrived. In under five minutes, the whole pizza was gone. When I got home that night, I looked up recipes on how to make Birria pizza.

I didn’t actually attempt to make Birria until October of 2025, over a year later. My first attempt wasn’t bad, but it could have used a lot of improvement. The actual Consommé wasn’t as liquid and had more of a chunky look from the peppers. Since I didn’t deseed them, there were way too many seeds, which made it hard to enjoy.

On my second attempt in late January, things were a little better. The Consommé was more liquid, but the color still leaned more toward red. The tortillas were definitely a downgrade from the last time, not retaining that crisp golden-orange color on the outside.

Finally, on my most recent attempt on May 1st, the Consommé had a nicer orange tone, the tacos had a much better golden-orange cook on the outside, and the chuck roast was soft and tender.

I personally think that when it comes to cooking, I usually do a pretty good job, often getting close to what I’m trying to make on my first attempt. But with Birria, it was a multi-month process of trying to get my recipe to taste and look like the Birria I had seen and eaten at different Mexican food trucks.

Overall, the process of making Birria has become very meaningful to me. I remember being frustrated that my first attempt wasn’t perfect and trying even harder on my second attempt, which I don’t think was my best. After a few more tries, I finally reached May of 2026, where I think I’ve been able to recreate that first taste I had of Birria.