Birria Tacos
User Reviews
4.9
Birria Tacos
Description
The Birria Tacos recipe centers on braising large chunks of chuck roast in a sauce made by blending a variety of dried chiles—guajillo, ancho, and arbol—with roasted tomatoes, onion, and fragrant spices like cinnamon sticks, cloves, and Mexican oregano. After searing the meat to lock in juices, it is slowly cooked in this complex chile broth until tender. The chiles are softened by boiling then pureed with broth, vinegar, and spices to create a thick, flavorful sauce that infuses the beef during cooking.
The resulting meat is tender and richly flavored, with smoky, slightly spicy notes balanced by the acidity of vinegar and tomatoes. The tacos are assembled by filling warm corn tortillas with shredded birria meat and melted cheese, topped with diced onions, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime for freshness.
This dish is traditionally served as a comforting, hearty meal that pairs well with simple sides. The use of authentic Mexican dried chiles and fresh seasonings gives the birria a distinctive depth of flavor. The recipe provides adaptations for using an Instant Pot or slow cooker, making the dish accessible with different cooking methods.
Ingredients
For the birria
- 4 to 5 pounds chuck roast cut into large 4-inch chunks
- ½ tablespoon kosher salt
- ½ tablespoon black pepper
- 1 ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 12 guajillo chiles rinsed, stemmed, and seeded (about 2.5 oz
- 5 ancho chile rinsed, stemmed, and seeded (about 2 oz
- 5 arbol chiles rinsed and stemmed (about 0.1 oz
- 2 large Roma tomato
- ½ medium yellow onion
- 1 cinnamon stick Mexican
- 3 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon black peppercorns whole
- water as needed
- 2 cups beef broth
- ¼ cup white vinegar distilled
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon cumin ground
- 1 teaspoon oregano dried Mexican
- ½ teaspoon cloves ground
For the tacos
- corn tortillas (homemade or store-bought)
- 2 cups cheese see Notes for best options, shredded
- ½ onion diced, white
- ½ cup cilantro chopped
- lime wedges
Instructions
- Generously season the meat with salt and pepper on all sides, and heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Working in 2 batches, add the meat and sear on all sides until browned. Remove the pot from the heat, add the seared meat back into the pot, and set aside.
- While the meat is searing, add the guajillo chiles, ancho chiles, arbol chiles, tomatoes, onion, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, and peppercorns to a medium pot. Cover completely with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the softened chiles and all the other ingredients to a large blender.
- Add 1 cup of the chile-soaked cooking water, the beef broth, white vinegar, garlic, cumin, oregano, and cloves. Blend on high for a few minutes until completely smooth. (You may have to do this in 2 batches if your blender isn’t big enough.)
- Strain the blended sauce through a fine mesh strainer into the pot with the seared meat. Discard any solids left behind.
- Stir the meat and chile sauce together to combine and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 3 to 3 ½ hours until the meat is fall-apart tender.
- Transfer the meat to a large bowl and shred it with 2 forks.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly dip both sides of a corn tortilla in the layer of fat that sits at the top of the red chile birria broth (consomé), then place it in the hot skillet to begin frying. Top half of the tortilla with a generous amount of shredded cheese and shredded beef birria meat. Fold the other half of the tortilla over to create a taco, and cook for 1 minute on each side until the cheese has fully melted and the taco becomes crispy and browned. Repeat to make more tacos.
- Pour some of the birria consomé into a small ramekin or bowl. Stuff each taco with fresh cilantro and white onion and serve on a plate with lime wedges and the consomé as a dipping sauce.
Notes
- Make corn tortillas from scratch with just three ingredients for best texture and flavor.
- Traditional Mexican cheeses like Oaxacan, Chihuahua, or Asadero melt well in the tacos; Monterey Jack or Mozzarella can be used as substitutes.
- Mexican (Ceylon) cinnamon is preferable for the sauce; if unavailable, use a regular cinnamon stick but remove it before blending or use ground cinnamon.
- If you lack Mexican oregano, regular oregano can replace it.
- For Instant Pot preparation, sear the meat with 'Saute,' add sauce, then pressure cook on high for 60 minutes with natural release.
- To use a slow cooker, brown meat and cook with sauce on low for 7-8 hours or high for 5 hours.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 8servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 839 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1serving | |
| Calories | 839kcal | 42% |
| Carbohydrates | 46g | 15% |
| Protein | 68g | 136% |
| Fat | 45g | 69% |
| Saturated Fat | 19g | 95% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 5g | 29% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 21g | 105% |
| Trans Fat | 2g | 100% |
| Cholesterol | 218mg | 73% |
| Sodium | 1003mg | 42% |
| Potassium | 1774mg | 38% |
| Fiber | 12g | 48% |
| Sugar | 13g | 26% |
| Vitamin A | 7623IU | 152% |
| Vitamin C | 13mg | 14% |
| Calcium | 264mg | 26% |
| Iron | 9mg | 50% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.9
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