Birria Tacos with Consommé
User Reviews
4.8
186 reviews
Excellent
Birria Tacos with Consommé
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Birria Tacos are juicy, cheesy, crispy, and incredibly popular! Birria de res stew is slow cooked with spices and chiles, shredded and put into corn tortillas with cilantro, onion, and Oaxaca cheese, and fried in a pan until crispy, melty, and absolutely delicious. Don't forget the consomme dipping sauce, it's bursting with rich, savory flavor.
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Ingredients
Birria de Res
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 4 lbs boneless chuck roast
- 2 lbs bone-in short ribs English cut*
- 1 large white onion peeled and quartered
- 1 head garlic peeled
- 2 dried Guajillo peppers deseeded and stems removed
- 2 dried ancho chile peppers deseeded and stems removed
- 1 tbsp whole black peppercorns
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 4 whole cloves
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo
- 1 tbsp Mexican oregano fresh or dried
- 1 28 oz can tomatoes
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 10 cups beef broth or stock
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick
Tacos
- corn tortillas
- 1/2 medium white onion small diced
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- limes for serving
- Oaxacan cheese
- Reserved stewing liquid consommé, for serving
Instructions
- Making the Birria de Res
- Bring the meat to room temperature for about 30 minutes and then sprinkle liberally on all sides with kosher salt.
- In a large Dutch oven over medium high heat, add your vegetable oil. When the oil is shimmering hot, carefully place the chuck roast and short ribs in. Don't crowd the pan, do it in batches if needed, and sear on all sides until browned. Repeat with all the pieces of chuck roast and the short ribs until every piece of meat is well browned. Set meat aside on a plate or in a large bowl for later.
- in a large pan or skillet, dry toast the whole spice: the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cloves, black peppercorns, and cinnamon stick over medium heat. Place all the spices in an even layer across the pan, then give the pan a nice, gentle shake to ensure the spices get evenly toasted. They're done once they smell super fragrant, about 3 minutes. Set the spices aside.
- In a large pan (you can use the pan from toasting the spices), add the dried guajillo and ancho chiles, the large white onion quarters, garlic cloves, all the spices except the bay leaves and cinnamon stick, and pour enough cold water in to cover everything. Place over medium heat and simmer gently for about 15 minutes.
- Pour the chilies, onion, garlic, and spices through a mesh strainer and discard the liquid, then transfer all the solids and toasted spices, chipotle peppers, oregano, pureed tomatoes, apple cider vinegar, and a cup of the beef broth to a high powered blender. Blend until smooth.
- Add the seared meat, the blended chili sauce, the bay leaves and cinnamon stick, and 9 cups of beef broth to the dutch oven and stir well. Let simmer over medium-low heat, covered, for 3 to 4 hours or until the meat is fork-tender, stirring to ensure the bottom doesn't burn every hour or so.
- Serving Birria Tacos
- Remove the meat from the consomme, shredding all of it with forks and removing the bones.
- Use a large spoon to skim some of the fat off the top of the braising liquids and into a shallow dish. This fat is what you'll dip the tortillas into to fry them with.
- Pour some of the consomme into a small serving bowl and add the chopped cilantro.
- Heat a plancha or cast iron skillet to medium heat. Use tongs (or clean fingers) to dip both sides of a tortilla into the fat in your shallow dish. Place it flat onto the skillet and add a little birria meat and Oaxaca cheese to one side of the tortilla. Fold the tortilla, and let cook for about 30 seconds to a minute, then flip and cook for another 30 seconds so the other folded side gets crispy as well.
- Move the cooked birria quesataco to a serving plate and repeat until you have enough tacos for serving immediately with consomme, diced onions, limes, and cilantro.
- Reserve the rest of the birria meat, the consomme, and the fat in their own separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to five days. This can also be done as a make ahead meal. Simply do Step 4 and Step 5, melting some of the cooled fat in the nonstick pan and cooking the tortillas and meat as written.
Notes
- Store the birria meat and consommé in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Reheat the stew in a microwave or in a saucepan over medium heat until warmed through.
- To reheat birria quesatacos using an airfryer to keep the tacos crisp: Air fry at 400 degrees for 8 minutes, flipping at 4 minutes.
- Or reheat the tacos in the oven on a wire rack over a large baking sheet at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes.
- The bay leaves and cinnamon stick do not get blended up. Throw them into the pot when making the birria stew and fish them out with the beef bones before serving.
- Use an oil with a high smoking point. Grapeseed, peanut, vegetable, canola, and avocado oils all work great.
- Season, season season! Taste the birria meat as well as the broth and season with salt if needed.
- If you find the birria broth is getting thick while simmering, add more beef broth or even cups of water. You want it very brothy, very soupy.
- You can make the birria de res ahead of time. In fact, I insist on it! The fat will solidify at the top of the stew, so you can easily scoop it out, warm it up in a small saucepan, and dip the corn tortillas into it without risking the tortillas soaking up the broth. No soggy tacos here!
- Can't find Oaxaca cheese? Substitute mozzarella cheese or monterey jack.
- You can totally use goat, lamb, or chicken to make the birria stew instead of the beef.
- You could substitute the short ribs for oxtail or beef shank, which I absolutely love for their amount of collagen.
- You can also use a different type of protein in general: chicken thighs work exceptionally well here. Just braise them for less time, about an hour to an hour and a half, until they're fork tender. You can even go old school and use lingua, goat, or mutton!
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Serving
1taco
Calories
506kcal
(25%)
Carbohydrates
7g
(2%)
Protein
46g
(92%)
Fat
33g
(51%)
Saturated Fat
14g
(70%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
18g
Trans Fat
2g
Cholesterol
153mg
(51%)
Sodium
724mg
(30%)
Fiber
1g
(4%)
Sugar
2g
(4%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 16tacos
Amount Per Serving
Calories 506 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1taco | |
| Calories | 506kcal | 25% |
| Carbohydrates | 7g | 2% |
| Protein | 46g | 92% |
| Fat | 33g | 51% |
| Saturated Fat | 14g | 70% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 18g | 106% |
| Trans Fat | 2g | 100% |
| Cholesterol | 153mg | 51% |
| Sodium | 724mg | 30% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 2g | 4% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.8
186 reviews
Excellent
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