Go Back

Crockpot Birria

Crockpot birria with deeply red, smoky chile consommé and fall-apart beef cooked low and slow. The beef braises in a smooth ancho-guajillo sauce for a rich birria stew that’s ideal for birria tacos.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Calories: 430
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Birria beef and chile consommé
  • 3 lb beef chuck roast Cut into large chunks.
  • 3 dried guajillo chiles Stems and seeds removed.
  • 2 dried ancho chiles Stems and seeds removed.
  • 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce Use 1 chipotle pepper.
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
  • 1 medium onion Roughly chopped.
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • 2 cup beef broth
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.25 salt To taste.
  • 0.25 black pepper To taste.
  • 1 lime wedges For serving.
  • 1 cilantro For serving.
  • 1 diced white onion For serving.

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Toast and soften the chiles
  1. Toast the guajillo and ancho chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat for 1–2 minutes, until fragrant, then transfer to hot water and soak for 10 minutes to soften.
Blend the consommé base
  1. Blend the soaked chiles with the diced tomatoes, onion, garlic, chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, apple cider vinegar, cumin, dried oregano, smoked paprika, cinnamon, and 1 cup beef broth until completely smooth.
Braise in the slow cooker
  1. Season the beef chunks generously with salt and black pepper, then place them in the crockpot.
  2. Pour the chile sauce over the beef, add the remaining beef broth, and stir to coat every piece.
  3. Cook on low for 8 hours (or high for 4–5 hours) until the beef is completely fall-apart tender, with the consommé turning a vivid red.
Shred and serve
  1. Shred the beef directly in the consommé until evenly broken up, then serve with lime wedges, cilantro, and diced white onion.

Notes

For the smoothest consommé, blend while the chile soaking liquid is still hot and scrape the blender jar thoroughly. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container up to 4 days; freeze up to 3 months. This is naturally gluten-free if you keep the adobo chipotle and broth gluten-free; for a dairy-free option, serve with toppings only (no cheese).