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Beef Birria Tacos

Beef birria tacos with slow-cooked braised chuck beef, then crispy dip-style frying for melty quesabirria tacos. Serve with a dark, smoky consommé cup for dipping, plus onion and cilantro on top.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
low slow-cook + frying 15 minutes
Total Time 8 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dinner, Main Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Calories: 560
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Birria (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
  • 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 tsp salt to taste
  • 0.25 tsp black pepper to taste
Tacos
  • 16 corn tortillas
  • 2 cup Oaxacan or mozzarella cheese shredded
  • 0.5 cup white onion diced, for serving
  • 0.25 cup cilantro fresh, for serving

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Make the birria
  1. Toast the guajillo and ancho chiles in a dry skillet until fragrant, about 30–60 seconds, then remove and set aside with a visible change in color.
  2. Blend the toasted chiles with diced tomatoes, chopped onion, garlic, chipotle in adobo, beef broth, apple cider vinegar, cumin, oregano, cinnamon, salt, and black pepper until smooth and deeply red.
  3. Place the beef chuck roast chunks in a crockpot, pour the red chile mixture over top, and cook on LOW for 8 hours until the meat is braised and fork-tender.
Shred and prepare the consommé
  1. Shred the braised beef, then reserve the consommé separately so you have dark dipping liquid and pullable meat.
Fry crispy dip tacos
  1. Warm a skillet over medium-high heat and dip corn tortillas in the top layer of the red consommé fat until coated, about 1–2 seconds per side.
  2. Cook the dipped tortillas in the hot skillet for 1 minute until the edges begin to crisp, watching for a dry, blistered surface.
  3. Add shredded cheese and birria beef to one half of each tortilla, fold in half, and cook 2–3 minutes per side until crispy and the cheese is melted, flipping when deeply browned.
Serve
  1. Serve the tacos immediately with a cup of consommé for dipping, then top with diced white onion and fresh cilantro.

Notes

For the richest consommé fat, let the birria rest briefly after cooking so the red fat rises; skim the top layer before dipping the tortillas. Store leftover birria (with consommé) in the refrigerator up to 4 days; freeze up to 3 months. For a lighter option, use reduced-sodium beef broth and keep the cheese to 1 cup total per 8 tacos to reduce calories.