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Slow Cooker Birria Tacos

Slow Cooker Birria Tacos with a silky, smoky chile sauce and fall-apart beef. Dip crispy corn tortillas in reserved red consommé fat for a classic quesabirria-style crunch-and-cheese pull.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Birria braise
  • 3 lb beef chuck roast Cut into 3-inch pieces.
  • 4 dried guajillo chiles Stemmed and seeded.
  • 2 dried ancho chiles Stemmed and seeded.
  • 1 each chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) fire-roasted tomatoes
  • 1 large onion Quartered.
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • 2 cup beef broth
  • 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp salt
Taco assembly
  • 0.5 corn tortillas Use shredded Oaxaca or mozzarella cheese and serve with diced white onion and fresh cilantro.
  • 0.5 shredded Oaxaca or mozzarella cheese Diced.
  • 0.25 diced white onion
  • 0.25 fresh cilantro

Equipment

  • 1 slow cooker
  • 1 cast iron skillet
  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Toast, soak, and blend the chiles
  1. Toast the guajillo and ancho chiles in a dry skillet for 30 seconds per side until fragrant, using a light press to keep them flat and moving so they don’t burn.
  2. Soak the toasted chiles in hot water for 15 minutes, then drain thoroughly so the sauce blends smoothly.
  3. Blend the soaked chiles, chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, fire-roasted tomatoes, onion, garlic, beef broth, apple cider vinegar, cumin, oregano, paprika, and salt until completely smooth, scraping down the jar as needed.
Slow-cook the birria
  1. Place the beef in the slow cooker with the cinnamon stick and bay leaves, spreading it out so it braises evenly.
  2. Pour the blended chile sauce over the beef so everything is well coated.
  3. Cook on low for 8–10 hours until the beef is completely fall-apart tender, checking once near the end for tenderness with a fork.
Shred, skim, and cook the tacos
  1. Remove the beef and shred with two forks, then discard the cinnamon stick and bay leaves.
  2. Skim the red fat from the surface of the consommé and reserve it in a bowl for frying the tortillas.
  3. Dip corn tortillas into the reserved fat, fill with shredded beef and shredded cheese, fold, and cook on a hot griddle until crispy on both sides, flipping once they release easily.
  4. Serve with warm consommé for dipping, diced white onion, and fresh cilantro.

Notes

For the crispiest quesabirria, use tortillas that are flexible but not cold from the fridge, and cook them on a truly hot griddle so the fat sizzles on contact. Refrigerate leftovers in the consommé and shredded beef separately for up to 4 days; freeze beef (without assembling tacos) for up to 3 months. For a lighter option, use reduced-fat cheese and skim more fat from the consommé after chilling so you can discard an extra layer.