Birria Tacos

Beef birria tacos are made with corn tortillas dipped in a flavorful broth, filled with tender braised beef and melty cheese then pan fried until crispy quesabirria taco perfection!

The Best Beef Birria Tacos

Authentic beef birria tacos are crispy, cheesy, and packed with juicy, mouthwatering braised beef. Unlike regular shredded beef tacos or ground beef tacos, they are dipped in a rich, smoky broth, then pan-fried to golden perfection.

Made popular by taco trucks, making a homemade birria tacos recipe starts with slow-braised birria beef in a spicy, savory sauce until fall apart tender. The beef folded into corn tortillas with cheese, crisped in a skillet, and served with extra consomé on the side.

Ingredients

A birria tacos recipe may look like a lot of work, but the end result is more than worth it!

Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.

• Two kinds of meat: Traditionally, birria stew was made with goat. These days it is more widely made with a combination of beef chuck roast cut and bone-in short ribs. You can use in combination with bone-in back ribs, oxtail or even lamb, too.
• Aromatics: Onion, garlic, and bay leaves give the broth beautiful aromatic flavors.
• Dried guajillo chiles: Dried chili peppers are one of the signature ingredients in any birria recipe. It’s what delivers the smoky, spicy element and adds deep red color. You can use ancho chiles or chipotle peppers in adobo.
• Chicken bouillon: I like to use chicken rather than beef broth so that it doesn’t overpower the flavor of the actual beef in this birria tacos recipe.
• Herbs & spices: Salt, ground cumin, chili powder, dried oregano. Use Mexican oregano if you can find it!
• Olive oil: Used for the pan when crisping up the tortillas.
• Corn tortillas: White corn tortillas or yellow corn tortillas, whichever you prefer.
• Cheese: Monterey Jack cheese is my go-to but mozzarella, Mexican Oaxaca, fresco, or cotija cheese are great, too.
• Toppings for birria tacos: Onions, fresh cilantro, lime juice (and additional lime wedges for serving), and salt.

How to Make Birria Tacos

• Combine ingredients for the first simmer. In a large stockpot or Dutch oven add beef, aromatics, bay leaves, and dried chiles. Cover with water, then add bouillon and spices. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then simmer for 30 minutes.
• Puree peppers and add chili powder to the broth. Transfer softened peppers to a blender and pulse until smooth. If you need liquid, add 1/4 cup of broth. Add puree back into the stew along with chili powder.
• Second simmer until the beef falls apart. Cover the pot and simmer for 3 hours, stirring occasionally. The beef should be tender and shredded easily when it’s done. Skim grease from the top of the broth, place in a bowl and set it aside.
• Shred the beef. Transfer all the beef pieces to a cutting board to shred. Discard any bones from the meat and discard the onion, garlic, and bay leaves from the consomme. Save a cup of broth for dipping.
• Assemble quesabirria tacos. Dip 1 tortilla at a time into the reserved grease then place in a non-stick skillet for 15-20 seconds, then flip. Add beef and cheese to one-half of the tortilla, topped with onion, cilantro, lime juice, and salt.
• Fry birria tacos until crispy and serve! Fold the tortilla in half and press down with a spatula. Fry until both sides are crisp and then transfer to a plate while you repeat with the remaining tortillas. Serve with the cup of warm broth for dipping. Enjoy!

Tips and Variations

• Flavor add-ins: Add tomatoes for a bit of acidity or try apple cider vinegar. A cinnamon stick and coriander also pairs well with the other spices in birria de res.
• Avoid soggy tacos: If your tortillas are thin, double up on them! Also, don’t dip them into the consomé too long are they will soak up too much broth, dipping is just to add flavor not soak them!
• Slow cooker: Add the chiles, onions, aromatics, bouillon and spices to a large pot. Cover with water, bring to a boil and simmer until softened. Puree sauce in the blender. Add beef and chile sauce to the slow cooker with the chili powder and additional water to cover the beef. Cover and cook on low until tender about 6-8 hours. Assemble tacos as directed.
• Instant Pot: Make your chile sauce first, then add it to the Instant Pot with spices and water to cover the beef. Cook on High Pressure for 45 minutes. Natural Release pressure for 10 minutes before using Quick Release to release remaining pressure. Shred beef and assemble quesabirria tacos.

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Birria Tacos Recipe

5 from 8 votes

↑ Click stars to rate now!

Author: Jamielyn Nye

Beef birria tacos are made with corn tortillas dipped in a flavorful broth, filled with tender braised beef and melty cheese then pan fried and served with consomé on the side.

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 3 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total Time: 3 hours hrs 50 minutes mins

Servings: 8

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Ingredients 

Birria Meat and Sauce

• ▢ 2 pounds chuck roast , cut into 4 pieces
• ▢ 1 pounds bone-in short ribs or bone-in back ribs
• ▢ ½ large white onion , peeled and halved
• ▢ 1 whole garlic bulb , unpeeled and top cut off
• ▢ 3 bay leaves
• ▢ 4 dried guajillo chiles , stems and seeds removed
• ▢ 5 cups hot water
• ▢ 1 ½ Tablespoons chicken bouillon
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Kosher salt , or to taste
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ 1-2 teaspoons chili powder , or to taste
• ▢ ½ teaspoon dried oregano

Tacos

• ▢ Olive oil , for the pan
• ▢ 12-16 white or yellow corn tortillas
• ▢ 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella , Monterey Jack, or Oaxaca cheese

Topping

• ▢ 1 medium onion , diced
• ▢ 1 bunch cilantro , chopped
• ▢ 1-2 limes , some cut into wedges
• ▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

Birria Meat and Sauce

• In large Dutch oven or large stockpot, add 2 pounds chuck roast, 1 pound short ribs, 1/2 large onion, 1 whole garlic bulb, 3 bay leaves and 4 dried peppers. Cover with 5 cups water. Stir in 1 1/2 Tablespoons bouillon, 1/2 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon cumin, and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer 30 minutes. Skim any impurities from the bone from the top of the broth.
• When the peppers are softened, transfer the sauce to a blender. Blend until smooth, adding up to 1/4 cup broth if needed. Strain the pepper mixture if any peel remains.
• Stir the pepper puree and 1-2 teaspoons chili powder into the birria stew. Cover and simmer, stirring every 40 minutes or so, for 3 hours, or until the beef is tender and shreds easily. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
• Skim any grease from the top of the broth and reserve in a shallow bowl for dipping the tortillas. Discard the onion, garlic, and bay leaves. Transfer the beef to a cutting a board and shred into small pieces, discarding any bones. Save a cup of broth for dipping.

Tacos

• Mix together the 1 medium diced onion, 1 bunch cilantro, juice from 1 lime and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl.
• Spray a large non-stick skillet with olive oil. Dip 1 tortilla into the skimmed broth and place in the skillet. Flip after about 15-20 seconds before it crisps and then quickly top one half of the tortilla with a spoonful of shredded beef and about 2 Tablespoons of cheese. You can add the topping now if preferred.
• Fold tortilla in half and press down with a spatula. Fry until both sides are crisp, about 1-2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate for serving. Repeat with remaining tortillas, beef, cheese, onion, and cilantro.
• Serve with topping, lime wedge and a cup of warm broth for dipping.

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Notes

Note: Traditional birria is made with goat or lamb. 

Bone in: I find this is an important ingredient to give the broth a rich and deep flavor. If you can’t find bone-in short ribs, use bone-in back ribs or beef bones. 

Guajillo peppers: These are a mild pepper typically sold dried in the Mexican section of your grocery store. You can adjust the heat level by starting with the guajillo and adding chili powder as the broth simmers. 

Make Ahead: The meat and sauce can be cooked up to 5 days in advance, and stored in the fridge in an airtight container. 

Storage: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 5 days.

Freeze: You can freeze the leftover meat in an airtight container in the freezer up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 2tacos | Calories: 444kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 119mg | Sodium: 734mg | Potassium: 705mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 775IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 180mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

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