Description
A simple and authentic birria tacos recipe made in a crockpot with tender, juicy beef and a rich, spicy consommé perfect for dipping quesabirria tacos.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3–4 lbs beef chuck roast
- 5–6 dried guajillo chilies
- 2–3 dried ancho chilies
- 1–2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce plus 1 tbsp sauce
- 1 medium white onion, roughly chopped
- 4–5 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground oregano
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2–3 cups beef broth or water
- Salt and pepper to taste (start with 1½ tsp salt)
- 12–16 flour tortillas
- 2 cups shredded Oaxaca or mozzarella cheese (about 200g)
Instructions
- Remove stems and seeds from guajillo and ancho chilies. Soak them in hot water for about 15 minutes until softened.
- In a blender, combine soaked chilies, chipotle peppers with adobo, chopped onion, garlic cloves, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, cumin, oregano, cinnamon, salt, and about 1 cup (240 ml) of the soaking liquid or beef broth. Blend until smooth. Add more broth if needed to reach a saucy consistency.
- Place the beef chuck roast in the crockpot. Pour the blended sauce over the meat. Add bay leaves and enough beef broth (about 1-2 cups / 240-480 ml) to partially cover the meat. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours until the meat is fork-tender and shreds easily.
- Remove the beef and shred it with forks or tongs, discarding any large chunks of fat. Strain the cooking liquid through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl to use as consommé for dipping.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. Dip a flour tortilla into the consommé, then place it in the skillet. Sprinkle shredded cheese on half the tortilla, add a generous pile of shredded meat on top, fold, and cook until the cheese melts and the tortilla is crispy and golden, about 2-3 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Serve with warm consommé for dipping.
Notes
Soak dried chilies before blending to avoid gritty sauce. Use full-fat cheese for best melting. Keep consommé warm for dipping. Adjust salt after cooking. Press tacos with spatula for extra crispy edges. Assemble tacos fresh for best texture. Leftovers freeze well.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 taco
- Calories: 320
- Fat: 14
- Carbohydrates: 25
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 22
Keywords: birria tacos, quesabirria, crockpot birria, slow cooker tacos, Mexican tacos, beef birria, spicy tacos, cheesy tacos