Description
These flavorful Birria Tacos feature tender, slow-simmered beef in a rich, smoky chili sauce, served crispy on corn tortillas with melted cheese and fresh cilantro. Perfectly accompanied by lime wedges and a warm consomé for dipping, this recipe brings traditional Mexican street food right to your kitchen.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat and Marinade
- 2 lbs beef chuck roast or short ribs
- 2 dried guajillo chilies, seeds removed
- 2 dried ancho chilies, seeds removed
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
- 4 Roma tomatoes, chopped
- 1 onion, quartered
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- Salt and pepper to taste
Tacos
- 12 corn tortillas
- 1 cup Oaxaca or mozzarella cheese, shredded
- Fresh cilantro, chopped (for garnish)
- Lime wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Prepare the Birria Base: Toast the dried guajillo and ancho chilies in a dry skillet over medium heat for 1-2 minutes until fragrant, being careful not to burn them. Then soak the toasted chilies in warm water for 15 minutes to soften.
- Blend the Sauce: In a blender, combine the soaked chilies, chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped Roma tomatoes, quartered onion, garlic cloves, apple cider vinegar, cumin, oregano, ground cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth, adding beef broth gradually to achieve a smooth sauce consistency.
- Cook the Meat: Heat a Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat. Sear the beef chuck roast or short ribs until browned on all sides, then pour in the blended chili sauce and any remaining beef broth. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. Simmer gently for 2 to 3 hours until the meat is very tender and easily shredded.
- Shred the Beef: Remove the cooked beef from the pot and shred it using two forks. Return the shredded beef to the pot with the cooking liquid (consomé). Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper if needed.
- Prepare the Tacos: Dip each corn tortilla into the warm birria sauce to coat it. Heat a skillet over medium heat and place the dipped tortilla on it. Sprinkle a generous amount of shredded Oaxaca or mozzarella cheese on one side, add a portion of shredded beef, then fold the tortilla in half. Cook until the tortilla is crispy and the cheese has melted, flipping carefully as needed.
- Serve: Garnish the crispy birria tacos with fresh chopped cilantro. Serve immediately with lime wedges on the side and a small bowl of the birria consomé for dipping the tacos.
Notes
- Use a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot for best results while simmering the beef.
- Adjust the number of chilies according to your preferred spice level.
- For extra authentic flavor, serve tacos with chopped white onion and additional lime wedges.
- Leftover consomé makes a delicious soup or base for cooking rice.
- Oaxaca cheese melts better and has a mild flavor, but mozzarella is a good substitute.
