Instant Pot Birria Tacos
User Reviews
5
258 reviews
Excellent
-
Total Time
1 hr 30 mins
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Servings
8 - 12 tacos
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Calories
263 kcal
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Course
Main Course, Snacks
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Cuisine
South American, Mexican
Instant Pot Birria Tacos
Report
These Instant Pot Birria Tacos feature richly flavored, tender meat cooked with a blend of toasted dried chiles and aromatic spices. The meat is browned first, then pressure-cooked with a thick, smoky chili sauce, resulting in a moist, savory filling for corn tortillas. The recipe offers a mild to medium spice level, adjustable by chile amount, and serves as a great option for a satisfying taco meal.
Description
Instant Pot Birria Tacos combine cuts of beef (or lamb or goat) browned and pressure-cooked with a sauce made from a mixture of dried chiles—ancho, guajillo, New Mexican, and optional chile de árbol—and aromatic spices including oregano, cumin, cinnamon, and coriander. The sauce also includes tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, onion, garlic, and chicken stock. The preparation begins by toasting the dried chiles to enhance their smoky aroma, then searing the meat for added flavor before pressure cooking.
The end result is tender meat infused with complex, slightly spicy, and smoky flavors from the chiles and spices. This thicker birria sauce coats the meat well and provides a rich dip for the tacos. The dish is assembled by placing the meat into warm corn tortillas, often topped with melting cheese, diced onion, cilantro, and lime slices, offering textural contrast and brightness.
Serving these birria tacos with garnishes enhances the flavor and adds freshness, while frying the corn tortillas before assembly provides a pleasant crispness. The recipe notes highlight that the sauce is thicker than consommé-style birria, concentrating its flavor, and suggest frying tortillas in a non-stick pan or cast-iron skillet. Adjusting the chile de árbol amount allows the diner to control heat level.
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Ingredients
- 3 pounds beef chuck roast, beef shank, short ribs, oxtail; or lamb; or goat meat
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) vegetable oil
- 3 (47.5g) dried ancho chili very mild, smoky, 1000 - 2000 SHU
- 3 (13.5g) dried guajillo chili sweet, smoky, not very spicy, 2500-5000 SHU
- 1 (8g) dried New Mexican chile (mild, sweet 800 - 1400 SHU)
- dried chile de árbol quite spicy, 15000 - 30000 SHU, optional, 1 (0.7g
- 1 (200g) onion , sliced
- 6 (27g) garlic chopped, cloves
- 2 bay leaf
- ½ (2.4g) cinnamon stick or ½ teaspoon (1g) cinnamon powder
- 2 teaspoons (2g) dried Mexican oregano or oregano
- 1½ teaspoon (3g) cumin seeds , ground
- 1 teaspoon (1.8g) Coriander , ground
- 2 teaspoons (10g) tomato paste
- 2 cups (500ml) chicken stock unsalted, or high-quality unsalted beef stock
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) apple cider vinegar
- soy sauce optional, 1 tablespoon (15ml), regular
- fish sauce optional, 1 tablespoon (15ml
- salt
- ground black pepper
Garnish:
- 8 - 12 corn tortillas
- melting cheese freshly grated, e.g. Oaxaca cheese or mozzarella cheese
- white onion , diced
- cilantro , finely chopped
- lime slices
Instructions
- Prepare Dried Chiles: Remove stems and seeds from dried chiles, then cut chiles into smaller pieces. *Tip for Adjusting Spiciness: This birria is mild to medium spicy. Reduce spiciness by skipping the Chile de árbol; make it spicier by adding 1 more Chile de árbol.
- Toast Dried Chiles in Instant Pot: Put all dried chiles in Instant Pot. Press “Saute” button to “Sauté More” to heat up the Instant Pot. Stir occasionally. Once you smell the chiles' aroma (~4 to 5 mins), remove and set aside the toasted chiles.
- Brown Meat in Instant Pot: Wait until the Instant Pot says "HOT". Pat dry your meat. Season one side of beef with salt & black pepper. Add 1 tbsp (15ml) vegetable oil in inner pot, and ensure to coat the oil all over the whole bottom of the pot. Carefully place the seasoned side of beef in Instant Pot. Season the other side of beef with more salt & black pepper. Brown one side for 5 minutes before flipping the meat, then brown the other side for another 5 minutes. Set aside the browned meat.
- Saute Onions and Garlic: Add another 1 tbsp (15ml) vegetable oil to Instant Pot. Add in sliced onions, then saute for 3 minutes. Add in garlic cloves, 2 bay leaves, ½ (2.4g) cinnamon stick, 2 tsp (2g) dried Mexican oregano, 1½ tsp (3g) ground cumin seeds, 1 tsp (1.8g) ground coriander, and 2 tsp (10g) tomato paste, then saute for another minute.
- Deglaze Instant Pot: Pour in 1 cup (250ml) unsalted chicken stock, then deglaze by scrubbing all the flavorful brown bits off the bottom with a wooden spoon. Give it a quick mix.
- Pressure Cook Birria: Add in 2 tbsp (30ml) apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp (15ml) regular soy sauce, 1 tbsp (15ml) fish sauce, and another cup (250ml) of unsalted chicken stock, then give it a quick mix. Add in toasted dried chiles (make sure all chiles are submerged in the cooking liquid). Layer browned beef on top. With Venting Knob in Venting Position, close the lid, then turn Venting Knob to Sealing Position. Pressure Cooking Methods:a) Beef Shank & Chuck Roast Pieces (1.5" - 2" thick): Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 40 minutes, then Natural Release for 15 minutes. b) Beef Short Ribs (1.5" - 2" thick): Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 42 minutes, then Natural Release for 15 minutes. c) 3lbs Bone-in Lamb Shoulder (3.25" thick): Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 2 hours, then Natural Release for 15 minutes. Remove the lid carefully.
- Blend and Shred Beef: Transfer beef to a large mixing bowl. Find and discard the bay leaves & cinnamon stick. Keep all the chiles in Instant Pot. Blend the birria sauce with an immersion hand blender. With two forks, shred the beef, then transfer the shredded beef back to the Instant Pot.
- Season Birria: Taste and adjust the seasoning by adding more salt (for reference: we added roughly 4 - 6 large pinches of salt).
- Garnish & Serve Birria: This birria is epic tasty with freshly grated melting cheese. Place some of the flavorful birria sauce in a ramekin. Garnish with diced white onion and finely chopped cilantro.
- Optional - Make Birria Tacos: Heat up a skillet over medium heat. Dip corn tortillas in the birria sauce. *Pro Tip 1: Make sure the birria sauce is fully covering both sides of corn tortillas because the tortillas will break if they're too dry.*Pro Tip 2: If you're using a cast-iron skillet, grease pan with oil to prevent tortillas from sticking. You can use a bit of oil for a non-stick pan. *Pro Tip 3: It's important your skillet is hot enough before you start to pan fry the tortillas.Place corn tortilla on the heated skillet. Layer a handful of grated melting cheese on corn tortilla, then let the cheese melt. Once the cheese has melted and the corn tortilla is a bit crisped, layer some birria meat on the cheese. Fold corn tortilla in half.Serve these deliciously epic birria tacos immediately with dipping sauce and lime slices.
Equipments used:
Notes
- Use a large enough Instant Pot or brown the meat in batches to avoid overcrowding the pot.
- There is no need to rehydrate dried chiles beforehand since they soften during pressure cooking.
- The birria sauce is intentionally thick for concentrated flavor, differing from thinner consommé styles.
- Frying the corn tortillas before assembly adds texture; a non-stick skillet is easier to use than cast iron for this step.
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Calories
263kcal
(13%)
Carbohydrates
8g
(3%)
Protein
24g
(48%)
Fat
16g
(25%)
Saturated Fat
8g
(40%)
Cholesterol
78mg
(26%)
Sodium
119mg
(5%)
Potassium
570mg
(12%)
Fiber
2g
(8%)
Sugar
3g
(6%)
Vitamin A
1574IU
(31%)
Vitamin C
4mg
(4%)
Calcium
40mg
(4%)
Iron
3mg
(17%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 8- 12 tacos
Amount Per Serving
Calories 263 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 263kcal | 13% |
| Carbohydrates | 8g | 3% |
| Protein | 24g | 48% |
| Fat | 16g | 25% |
| Saturated Fat | 8g | 40% |
| Cholesterol | 78mg | 26% |
| Sodium | 119mg | 5% |
| Potassium | 570mg | 12% |
| Fiber | 2g | 8% |
| Sugar | 3g | 6% |
| Vitamin A | 1574IU | 31% |
| Vitamin C | 4mg | 4% |
| Calcium | 40mg | 4% |
| Iron | 3mg | 17% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
258 reviews
Excellent
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