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Birria Tacos Recipe
4.5 from 24 votes

Birria Tacos Recipe

These Birria Tacos are a slow braised beef that is cooked then shredded and fried in corn tortillas with cheese. These flavors will blow your mind!

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
4 hrs 30 mins
Servings: 24 tacos
Calories: 341 kcal
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients

For the Birria
  • 3 guajillo chile or 2-3 ancho chiles, if they're easier to get in your local grocery store, dried
  • 1-2 dried chiles de arbol optional; see notes below
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3.5 pounds chuck roast cut into large pieces
  • 3 pounds short ribs bone-in
  • black pepper to taste
  • salt to taste
  • 1 medium white onion
  • 4 cloves garlic crushed
  • 2 jalapeno pepper seeded and chopped
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground clove
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 2 teaspoons oregano dried
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons cumin ground
  • 2 1/2 cups beef stock
  • 1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar
  • 14.5 oz fire roasted tomatoes
  • 2 large bay leaf
for the tacos
  • 24 corn tortillas
  • 16 oz Oaxaca cheese grated
  • onion
  • lime
  • cilantro for serving, chopped (cilantro and onion), wedges (lime

Instructions

toast & reconstitute dried chiles-
    Cup of Yum
  1. Cut open dried guajillo chiles and chiles de Arbol (if using; see notes below) using scissors and remove seeds and dried stems. Add to a dry skillet and toast over medium heat for 3-4 minutes.
  2. Once they start becoming fragrant, add water to cover and bring water to a boil. Once water has boiled, turn off completely and let the chiles sit for 15-20 minutes. Discard water and reserve reconstituted chiles.
  3. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
brown the meat-
  1. In a large dutch oven pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Pat all pieces of meat dry with paper towels and sprinkle all sides with salt and pepper.
  2. Brown meat in batches, searing a few pieces at a time as not to crowd the pan. Place browned meat onto a plate and continue browning until all meat has been seared.
make the sauce-
  1. Cut 3/4 of the white onion into large chunks. Finely dice the remaining 1/4 onion and reserve for serving. Crush the garlic. De-seed the jalapeno peppers and chop roughly.
  2. In the same hot pot, reduce heat to medium and add in onion, jalapeno and garlic. Sprinkle with salt and cook for 2 minutes to brown slightly and get a little color.
  3. Add in cinnamon, ground clove, smoked paprika, oregano and cumin. Stir and cook for another minute.
  4. Add beef stock to the pot and scrape bottom with a wooden spoon to deglaze the pan. Add the apple vinegar. Remove from heat.
  5. Spoon pot contents into a blender. Add in reconstituted peppers and can of fire roasted tomatoes. Blend until smooth. Taste sauce and season with salt if needed.
braise the birria-
  1. Add browned meat back to the dutch oven and pour sauce overtop. Add bay leaves. Bake covered 3-3.75 hours or until meat is very tender.
shred the birria for tacos-
  1. Remove meat from braising liquid and shred using two forks. Remove bones (if using bone-in meat), excess fat, and gristle and discard. Meat should be moist, but feel free to add in a little extra cooking liquid.
  2. Spoon off excess fat from the top of the cooking liquid and reserve for frying tacos. Remove and discard bay leaves. Add extra beef stock to thin out the consommé, if desired. Set aside and keep warm.
make birria tacos-
  1. Place a 8" nonstick skillet over medium heat. Brush both sides of the corn tortilla with reserved fat. Place the tortilla onto a hot skillet. Top tortilla with 3-4 tablespoons of shredded oaxaca cheese and warm shredded birria.
  2. Once cheese has melted completely and tortilla is starting to get crispy, fold into a taco and remove from the pan. Continue frying tacos.
serve birria tacos with consommé-
  1. Top birria tacos with reserved white onion and cilantro. Ladle warm consommé into a bowl (for dipping) and serve tacos on the side with lime wedges.

Notes

  • Dried Chiles de Arbol are very spicy peppers- they run around 15,000-30,000 Scoville Units. This is six times hotter than jalapeños or chipotle peppers. I marked them as optional. 
  • Dried Chiles de Arbol are very spicy peppers- they run around 15,000-30,000 Scoville Units. This is six times hotter than jalapeños or chipotle peppers. I marked them as optional. 

Nutrition Information

Calories 341kcal (17%) Carbohydrates 15g (5%) Protein 27g (54%) Fat 20g (31%) Saturated Fat 10g (50%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g (6%) Monounsaturated Fat 7g (35%) Trans Fat 0.5g (25%) Cholesterol 77mg (26%) Sodium 338mg (14%) Potassium 491mg (10%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 1g (2%) Vitamin A 263IU (5%) Vitamin C 2mg (2%) Calcium 61mg (6%) Iron 3mg (17%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 24 tacos

Amount Per Serving

Calories 341

% Daily Value*

Calories 341kcal 17%
Carbohydrates 15g 5%
Protein 27g 54%
Fat 20g 31%
Saturated Fat 10g 50%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g 6%
Monounsaturated Fat 7g 35%
Trans Fat 0.5g 25%
Cholesterol 77mg 26%
Sodium 338mg 14%
Potassium 491mg 10%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 1g 2%
Vitamin A 263IU 5%
Vitamin C 2mg 2%
Calcium 61mg 6%
Iron 3mg 17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.