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Beef Birria Tacos

Beef birria tacos with slow-cooked braised beef and a deeply red consommé for dipping. Crisp-fried quesabirria tacos are filled with melted cheese and beef, then served with a steaming cup of consommé.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours 15 minutes
Total Time 8 hours 35 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Calories: 620
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Birria
  • 3 lb beef chuck roast Cut into chunks.
  • 3 dried guajillo chiles Stems and seeds removed.
  • 2 dried ancho chiles Stems and seeds removed.
  • 1 chipotle in adobo Use as-is.
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
  • 1 onion Roughly chopped.
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • 2 cup beef broth
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
  • salt and black pepper To taste.
Tacos
  • 16 corn tortillas
  • 2 cup Oaxacan or mozzarella cheese Shredded.
  • diced white onion and cilantro For serving.

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven
  • 1 stand mixer
  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Make the birria (slow cooker)
  1. Toast the dried guajillo chiles and ancho chiles in a dry Dutch oven over medium heat until fragrant, about 30-45 seconds, then transfer to a blender.
  2. Blend the toasted chiles with diced tomatoes, chopped onion, garlic, chipotle in adobo, beef broth, apple cider vinegar, cumin, oregano, and cinnamon until smooth.
  3. Place the beef chuck roast chunks in the crockpot, pour the red chile mixture over top, and cook on low for 8 hours.
Shred beef and prep consommé
  1. Shred the cooked beef and reserve the consommé separately so the fat can be used for dipping tortillas.
Crisp-fry the quesabirria tacos
  1. Dip corn tortillas in the top layer of the red consommé fat, coating lightly, then heat a hot skillet over medium-high heat.
  2. Cook each dipped tortilla in the hot skillet for 1 minute until it begins to crisp, then flip or move to filling-ready position.
  3. Add shredded cheese and birria beef to one half of each tortilla, fold in half, and cook for 2–3 minutes per side until crispy and cheese is melted.
  4. Serve immediately with a cup of consommé for dipping, topped with diced white onion and fresh cilantro.

Notes

For best texture, keep the consommé warm so the fat stays fluid when you dip the tortillas. Store leftover birria and consommé in the refrigerator up to 4 days; freeze in portions up to 3 months. To make this lighter, use corn tortillas labeled low-sodium and reduce the cheese amount by half while still folding the tortilla around the beef.