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Beef Birria Tacos

Beef birria tacos with crispy-fried, cheese-filled tortillas and slow-braised beef. Dip tacos in a deep red consommé for classic quesabirria style.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours 15 minutes
Total Time 8 hours 35 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Calories: 720
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Birria beef (consommé)
  • 3 lb beef chuck roast Cut into chunks.
  • 3 dried guajillo chiles Stems and seeds removed.
  • 2 dried ancho chiles Stems and seeds removed.
  • 1 chipotle in adobo Use 1 chipotle and some adobo from the can.
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
  • 1 onion Roughly chopped.
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • 2 cup beef broth
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.25 salt To taste.
  • 0.25 black pepper To taste.
Tacos
  • 16 corn tortillas
  • 2 cup Oaxacan or mozzarella cheese Shredded.
  • 1 white onion Diced for serving.
  • 1 cilantro Fresh, chopped for serving.

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven
  • 1 cast iron skillet
  • 1 stand mixer

Method
 

Make the birria
  1. Toast the dried guajillo chiles and dried ancho chiles in a dry Dutch oven over medium heat just until fragrant, about 30–60 seconds, then remove.
  2. Blend the toasted chiles with the diced tomatoes, chopped onion, garlic, chipotle in adobo, beef broth, apple cider vinegar, cumin, oregano, cinnamon, salt, and black pepper until smooth.
  3. Pour the chile mixture over the beef chuck roast in a crockpot, cover, and cook on low for 8 hours.
Shred and prep the consommé
  1. Shred the beef until it breaks into bite-size pieces, then reserve the consommé separately.
Fry the tacos (dip and crisp)
  1. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
  2. Dip corn tortillas in the top layer of the red consommé fat for a quick coating, about 1–2 seconds.
  3. Cook the dipped tortillas in the hot skillet for 1 minute until they begin to crisp.
  4. Add shredded cheese and birria beef to one half of each tortilla, then fold in half.
  5. Cook 2–3 minutes per side, turning once, until the tacos are crispy and the cheese is melted.
Serve
  1. Serve the crispy birria tacos immediately with a cup of consommé for dipping, plus diced white onion and fresh cilantro on top.

Notes

Pro tip: keep the consommé and let the fat rise on top—dipping tortillas in that top layer is what gives the deep red, crisp texture. Store leftover beef/consommé in the refrigerator up to 4 days; freeze up to 3 months. Freeze tacos: no—best fried fresh for maximum crispness. Dietary swap: use gluten-free corn tortillas to keep the recipe gluten-free.