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My Beef Birria Tacos recipe is amazing! It has all the flavors you're looking for in a birria recipe! They're earthy and mildly spicy, with fall-apart tender chuck roast beef and Mexican cheese.
Whether you call them Birria tacos, Quesabirria tacos, or Quesatacos, this recipe is amazing! One bite into the crispy shell dipped in the delicious sauce and you'll never go back.
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The Best Birria Tacos Recipe
It all begins with the Beef Birria recipe! Beef Consomme is one of my favorite dishes to make. It's rich and earthy with just the right amount of spice, and perfect for use in dishes like these tacos de birria!
If you have yet to try birria tacos, you've probably heard about them or seen them on a menu! They're all the rage right now on social media and are popping up in food trucks and restaurants internationally. Quesabirria tacos are especially popular in North America, and if you've ever had them, you know why.
They are so delicious. There is nothing like tender beef birria tacos, with their earthy, mildly spicy flavor that goes so well with melty Mexican cheese, cilantro, and lime. Dip them in birria consome - it's the best taco dipping sauce - and you will know why they're so popular!
The trick to making these incredible beef birria tacos is dipping your tortillas in the birria consome fat, then frying them in a pan! Crisp fried taco shells are a life-changer.
Quesabirria Tacos Ingredients
- Beef birria meat: I use chuck roast beef in my recipe, but you can also use beef shank, short ribs, or sirloin roast.
- Dried guajillo chiles: Dried Mexican peppers offering mild heat and a fruity, smoky, sweet flavor. You can generally find these peppers in the international aisle of your local grocery store, near Mexican foods. New Mexico, Pasilla, and California peppers can be used instead if necessary.
- Dried ancho chiles: Ancho chiles are dried poblano peppers. They have a smoky, fruity flavor and offer a mild spice level. You can find them in the same place as the dried guajillo chiles.
- Mexican melting cheese: Look for Oaxaca cheese to use in your quesabirria tacos. If you can't find oaxaca, try mozzarella or Monterey Jack.
This was really good!
Shauna on Pinterest
How to Make Birria Tacos
How to Make Birria Stew
- Place a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add olive oil. When hot, season beef with salt and pepper and add to pot. Sear on all sides. Add half of the onion to the pot and cook two minutes more. Remove dutch oven from heat and set aside while you make the sauce.
- Remove the stems and seeds from the dried chile peppers.
- In a medium pot, add the chiles, tomatoes, half onion, garlic cloves, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf. Pour in enough water to cover all ingredients, about 4 to 5 cups. Place on stove over medium-high heat and bring to boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
- Add remaining seasonings to the sauce pot: dried oregano, cumin seeds, dried thyme, and salt and peppercorns. Give it a stir and simmer for 10 minutes more. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a couple minutes.
- Strain the contents of the sauce pot into a large wire-mesh strainer over a large bowl. Remove the bay leaf and cinnamon stick and discard. Place remaining solids into a blender.
- Add 2 cups of the broth from the sauce into the blender, plus 1 cup of beef broth. Whirl until well blended. Taste and add more salt if needed and blend just until mixed in.
- Place the pot with the beef and onion back on the stove at medium heat. Pour the contents of the blender over the beef. If the sauce is not enough liquid to cover the beef, pour in enough beef broth to cover. Bring to a simmer, then cover and lower heat. Simmer until meat is tender and shreds easily, about 2½ to 3 hours.
Making the Birria tacos
- Turn off heat, remove beef from the sauce, and shred.
- Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Using tongs, dip a tortilla into the top of the stew (where the fat floats), then place in the hot skillet. Top with some shredded beef, cheese, and cilantro.
- Fold tortilla over and fry for about one minute on each side, until crispy. Remove taco to plate or baking sheet and keep warm. Repeat above steps with remaining tortillas.
- Serve warm with a small bowl of the birria stew for dipping. This is key!
- Serve with lime wedges and sliced jalapenos if desired. Top tacos with diced onion, more cilantro and more cheese if desired.
Birria Meat FAQs
Birria tacos are made of delicious Mexican Stew and Mexican cheese such as oaxaca (my personal favorite). The secret to what makes birria tacos so incredible is dipping the tortillas in the fat from the stew to fry them in a pan. You then dip the tacos in the birria consome.
The traditional Mexican beef stew used in birria tacos used goat meat. But these tacos have evolved over the year and now it is common to also use beef. I use beef chuck roast to make my beef birria stew, then remove it from the stew to shred and use in tacos. You can use any kind of stew meat you prefer, but I like chuck roast for its affordability and how easy it is to shred with a fork.
Mexican cheese, like oaxaca, works best. You can also use another melty cheese like Monterey Jack or Mozzarella.
As long as you check your beef broth making the stew is gluten-free, and you use corn tortillas as in this recipe, quesabirria tacos are totally gluten-free.
What to Serve with Birria Tacos
- Use the stew broth from our Beef Birria Recipe as a dipping sauce
- Serve with Portuguese rice on the side
- Elote are a perfect side dish for quesabirria tacos!
Mexican Beef Recipes
Try more of my favorite Mexican Beef Recipes!
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📋 Recipe
Amazing Beef Birria Tacos Recipe
Equipment
- Blender or food processor
- Kitchen scissors
- Medium pot
- Skillet
- Tongs
Ingredients
- 2 to 2 ½ pounds boneless chuck roast cut into large chunks
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 dried guajillo chiles
- 2 dried ancho chiles
- 2 roma tomatoes quartered
- 1 medium onion halved
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 ½ inch cinnamon stick up to 2-inch
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds or ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 to 2 cups beef broth
For Tacos
- 12-15 corn tortillas
- 1 cup diced onion
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- ½ cup Mexican melting cheese such as oaxaca
- 1 lime cut into wedges
Instructions
- Place a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add olive oil. When hot, season beef with salt and pepper and add to pot. Sear on all sides. Add half of the onion to the pot and cook two minutes more. Remove dutch oven from heat and set aside while you make the sauce.2 to 2 ½ pounds boneless chuck roast, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black peppercorns, 1 medium onion
- Remove the stems and seeds from the dried chile peppers.3 dried guajillo chiles, 2 dried ancho chiles
- In a medium pot, add the chiles, tomatoes, half onion, garlic cloves, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf. Pour in enough water to cover all ingredients, about 4 to 5 cups. Place on stove over medium-high heat and bring to boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.3 dried guajillo chiles, 2 dried ancho chiles, 2 roma tomatoes, 1 medium onion, 1 ½ inch cinnamon stick, 1 bay leaf, 3 cloves garlic
- Add remaining seasonings to the sauce pot: dried oregano, cumin seeds, dried thyme, and salt and peppercorns. Give it a stir and simmer for 10 minutes more. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a couple minutes.1 teaspoon dried oregano, ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, ½ teaspoon black peppercorns, 1 teaspoon salt
- Strain the contents of the sauce pot into a large wire-mesh strainer over a large bowl. Remove the bay leaf and cinnamon stick and discard. Place remaining solids into a blender.
- Add 2 cups of the broth from the sauce into the blender, plus 1 cup of beef broth. Whirl until well blended. Taste and add more salt if needed and blend just until mixed in.
- Place the pot with the beef and onion back on the stove at medium heat. Pour the contents of the blender over the beef. If the sauce is not enough liquid to cover the beef, pour in enough beef broth to cover. Bring to a simmer, then cover and lower heat. Simmer until meat is tender and shreds easily, about 2½ to 3 hours.1 to 2 cups beef broth
Making the tacos
- Turn off heat, remove beef from the sauce, and shred.
- Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Using tongs, dip a tortilla into the top of the stew (where the fat floats), then place in the hot skillet. Top with some shredded beef, cheese, and cilantro.12-15 corn tortillas
- Fold tortilla over and fry for about one minute on each side, until crispy. Remove taco to plate or baking sheet and keep warm. Repeat above steps with remaining tortillas.
- Serve warm with a small bowl of the birria stew for dipping. Serve with lime wedges and sliced jalapenos if desired. Top tacos with diced onion, more cilantro and more cheese if desired.1 cup diced onion, ¼ cup chopped cilantro, ½ cup Mexican melting cheese, 1 lime
Amanda Anderson says
This was SO GOOD. I'm going to make it again soon, I need to add more dried chiles de árbol to make it more spicy!! 🥵
Em Beitel says
Amanda, we're so glad you enjoyed it! Adding more chile peppers sounds incredible. We do love the spice!