Description
Switch up taco night with these beef birria tacos (quesabirria). Their crispy tortilla, melty cheese, slow-cooked birria, and flavorful consommé dipping sauce will have you going back for seconds, and likely thirds.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 pounds beef chuck roast, cut into 3-inch chunks
- 10 guajillo chiles
- 5 ancho chilies
- 3 arbol chilies
- 2 Roma tomatoes
- 1 white onion, quartered
- 6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 2 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 3 bay leaves
- corn tortillas (or cassava flour tortillas)
- diced white onion
- roughly chopped cilantro
- Oaxacan cheese
Instructions
- Deseed and simmer the chilies: Slice the stems off the chilies and shake out the seeds. Then, give them a quick rinse to remove any dust or dirt from the outside. In a medium pot, add the Guajillo chilies, Ancho chilies, and Arbol chilies. Cover completely with water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer for 15 minutes, until the chilies have softened.
- Roast the veggies: While the chilies are simmering, add the tomatoes, onion, and garlic cloves to a quarter sheet pan. Broil them for 4 to 6 minutes, until lightly charred.
- Make the sauce: Transfer the chilies and 1 cup of the remaining water to a high-powered blender. Remove the garlic from it’s peel and add it to the blender along with the tomatoes, onion, broth, vinegar, cumin, oregano, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger. Blend on high for 1 to 2 minutes, until completely smooth.
- Slow cook the birria: Place the beef chunks in the slow cooker. Pour the birria sauce on top, and add the bay leaves. Use tongs to gently mix it all together. then cover. Cook on low for 8 to 9 hours, or on high for 4 to 5 hours.
- Shred the meat and combine it with the sauce: Discard the bay leaves. Remove the beef to a cutting board and use two forks to shred it. Place the shredded beef back in the slow cooker, stir it, and let it absorb the liquid (aka consommé).
- Dip the tortillas: Dip the tortillas in the birria liquid (consomme).
- Fry: Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the wet tortilla, and cook on one side until lightly crispy, then flip over with tongs. Top with a sprinkle of cheese across the whole tortilla. Add a portion of birria on half the tortilla, along with a sprinkle of onion and cilantro. Once the cheese has melted, fold the tacos in half, continuing to fry for 2 to 3 minutes each side, until crispy.
Notes
If you can’t find Oaxacan cheese, you can substitute a Mexican cheese blend. To store leftover birria: keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 taco
- Calories: 513 kcal
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 902 mg
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 16 g
- Trans Fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 8 g
- Protein: 48 g
- Cholesterol: 156 mg
Keywords: beef birria tacos, quesabirria, Mexican cuisine, slow cooker beef, consommé