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This recipe for Birria tacos shows you how to cook tender shredded Birria meat, fry the taco shells in a Mexican broth (consomé), and assemble it all into delicious tacos with fresh toppings.
Looking for more Mexican recipes? Try one pot taco pasta, shredded beef enchiladas, or authentic carne asada tacos.
If you enjoy this Birria taco recipe, be sure to check out our recipe for tender Birria beef (birria de res) or Birria ramen.
You’ve probably seed Birria Tacos on social media because they went viral on TIkTok in the last couple of years. And for good reason! The tender beef, flavorful sauce and gooey cheese make these quesabirria tacos look just as good as they taste!
What Is Birria?
Birria is a traditional Mexican stew, often made with beef, goat meat, or lamb. It’s slow-cooked in a rich broth flavored with dried chilies, spices, onions, and tomatoes.
It’s traditionally slow-cooked over low heat, allowing the meat to absorb the flavors of the marinade and become incredibly tender. Birria is often associated with special occasions, like weddings and festivals, where it is prepared to feed large groups of people.
Birria Consomé
The cooking liquid from Birria is often used as a flavorful dipping sauce called “consomé.”
The rich Birria consomé is so good you’ll want to drink it right out of a bowl thanks to the authentic dried peppers, fresh garlic, and tomatoes.
When serving Birria on tacos, the tortillas are often dipped in the consommé before being griddled, giving them a reddish hue and a rich, savory flavor. Then the tender meat is shredded or chopped and then placed inside corn tortillas.
While it’s commonly served in the form of tacos, there are so many ways to serve this recipe including the traditional Birria stew, enchiladas, or this delicious Birria ramen fusion dish.
Why You’ll Love These Quesabirria Tacos
- Filling: With its high protein content, low fat, and essential nutrients, the beef in these enchiladas packs a ton of flavor and nutrition.
- A Fiesta For Your Tastebuds: The flavorful Birria broth is often rich, aromatic, and spicy, thanks to the blend of dried chilies, spices, and slow-cooked meat, where the fat renders off and adds rich flavor.
- Versatile: You’ll likely have leftover Birria beef and consomé, so use the leftovers in more Mexican dishes like Birria ramen. Or use put them inside of shredded beef enchiladas.
Ingredients You Need
Here are the simple ingredients for these beef birria tacos. Most are pantry staples and easy (and affordable) to find in grocery stores. Jump down to the recipe card for exact measurements.
Birria Beef
- Chuck roast: cut into 3 to 4-inch large chunks; You could also use a mix of chuck roast and short ribs.
- Guajillo peppers: Guajillo peppers are the most popular dried chili peppers in Mexican cooking and are known for their rich, smoky flavor with a moderate to mild heat level.
- Ancho chili peppers: Ancho peppers are dried poblano peppers and are known for their deep red color, and rich, fruity flavor
- Arbol peppers: Arbol chilis are pretty spicy, ranging between 15,000 and 30,000 Scovlle Heat Untils (SHU). At 30,000 SHU, it’s 6 times hotter than the average jalapeño pepper.
- White onion: With a milder and sweeter flavor, white onions make a great base for stews and broths. Red onions are a good substitute.
- Roma tomatoes: Add a touch of sweetness.
- Aromatics: Bay leaves, garlic, pepercorns.
- Mexican cinnamon sticks: This is also called Ceylon cinnamon. Mexican cinnamon sticks are softer and easier to blend, which is necessary for this recipe. You can use 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground Ceylon cinnamon or Cassia cinnamon instead. Do not use Cassia cinnamon sticks as they are too hard to blend.
- Black peppercorns: Using whole black peppercorns in a stew is a great way to infuse the dish with a subtle, aromatic spiciness.
- Spices: Ground cumin, Mexican oregano, cloves, salt, and pepper.
- Beef broth: Substitute with beef stock or chicken broth.
- Apple cider vinegar: Adds acidity to balance the richness of the meat.
- Corn tortillas: Corn tortillas can stand up better to the liquid from the broth than flour tortillas can.
- Oaxaca cheese: The stringy and melty texture of the cheese pairs well with the flavorful and spicy Birria stew, adding a rich and creamy texture.
Birria Tacos (Quesabirria)
- Corn tortillas: Corn tortillas can stand up better to the liquid from the broth than flour tortillas can.
- Oaxaca cheese: The stringy and melty texture of the cheese pairs well with the flavorful and spicy Birria stew, adding a rich and creamy texture.
- Garnishes: Fresh cilantro, diced white onion, and fresh lime wedges for serving
How to Make Birria Tacos
The full printable recipe is below, but let’s walk through the steps with some photos and a video so you have a clear idea of what to expect. This Birria tacos recipe is really easy and these step-by-step instructions will make sure they turn out every time.
Birria Beef
Prep the peppers. Wash the peppers then dry them and use a pair of kitchen shears to cut off the stems and slice down the side. Open the peppers and scrape out the seeds.
Pro tip: Don’t forget to wash your hands after working with peppers!
Boil the sauce ingredients. Add the dried peppers to a medium saucepan with the onion, Roma tomatoes, bay leaves, garlic, cinnamon stick, and peppercorns. Cover entirely with water, bringing it to a boil for 10 minutes.
Sear the Birria beef. Season each piece of the chuck roast generously with salt and pepper. Sear each side in olive oil for 2-3 minutes, until they form a crispy. Work in batches, placing the first batch on a plate or cutting board while you finish.
Blend the sauce. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the peppers and the rest of the boiling ingredients, including the cinnamon stick and bay leaf, to a large high-speed blender. Add 1 cup of the soaking liquid along with the cumin, ground cloves, and beef broth. Blend on high until completely smooth.
Note: if you don’t have a strong blender, pour the sauce through a fine mesh strainer before adding it to the beef.
Cook the Birria beef: Bring the beef Birria to a boil over high heat then cover, turn the heat down to low, and braise (just below a simmer) for 3 ½ -4 hours (3 hours minimum). Check the beef once or twice toward the end off cooking and add chili stewing liquid, hot water, or broth to keep the beef halfway covered with cooking liquid.
Shred the beef. Transfer the beef to a rimmed baking sheet or large plate and shred using two forks.
Birria Tacos
Fry the tortillas in the consomé. Heat a medium skillet, like a cast iron skillet, over medium-high heat. Working one at a time, dip both sides of the tortilla in the leftover broth (consomé). Transfer it directly to the hot skillet. Fry for 1-2 minutes then carefully flip it over.
Top and serve. Sprinkle 2 Tablespoons of cheese on one half and top with shredded Birria beef. Fold it in half over the filling and continue to fry until crispy. Serve with cilantro, onion, and a squeeze of lime juice.
Recipe FAQs
To make the Birria beef in the pressure cooker, follow instructions to simmer the chiles and aromatics then blend until smooth. Sear the beef in the Instant Pot in batches then pour the sauce over the beef. Close the lid and cook on high pressure for 55 minutes. Natural release (do nothing) for 15 minutes then turn the valve to the venting position to release the remaining pressure. Follow the instructions to shred beef and assemble the tacos.
Follow the Birria instructions to simmer the chiles and aromatics then blend the sauce until smooth. Sear the beef in a large skillet and transfer to a large slow cooker. Pour the sauce on top and slow cook for 10 hours, until the beef falls apart with a fork. Follow the instructions to shred and serve the tacos.
Birria sauce is made from a mixture of dried chiles, onion, tomatoes, bay leaves, Mexican (Ceylon) cinnamon, peppercorns, oregano, cumin, and beef broth. Simmer it all together and blend until smooth!
Birria beef has a rich and complex flavor profile that is deeply savory, aromatic, and often described as spicy, earthy, and smoky. The taste of Birria beef can vary depending on the specific recipe, the spices and chilies used, and whether it’s made with beef, goat, or lamb.
Expert Recipe Tips
- Wash your hands after working with the peppers
- Use kitchen scissors to cut off the tops and cut them in half. Scrape them out with a knife or use your fingers to pull the membrane out—it will pull the seeds out with it.
- Make sure to use Mexican cinnamon sticks because they’re much softer and easy to blend.
- If you have a high-powered blender like a Vitamix, you don’t need to strain the consomé.
- Save the boiling liquid from the peppers to add more as needed if the consomé reduces too much while it’s braising.
- Make the birria in advance or make a double batch and freeze.
What to Serve Alongside Birria Tacos
- Salsa: Fresh or store-bought salsa adds a bright, tangy flavor to tacos. We love our pineapple salsa with pork tacos.
- Avocado: Easy healthy guacamole, avocado crema or sliced avocado add fat and fiber.
- Mexican Pickled Onions: Are the perfect tangy, crunchy bite to your favorite Mexican-Inspired meals.
- Top with fresh cilantro: Follow our easy steps for how to store and keep cilantro fresh.
- Rice and refried beans.
Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions
Birria beef is one of the most freezer-friendly meals you can make. Freeze the meat and flavorful broth separately to make all of your favorite Birria recipes.
Make-Ahead: Follow the recipe instructions to make the Birria beef (Birria de res). Shred the beef and store the beef and consomme separately in an airtight container. When you’re ready to make the tacos, warm the meat on the stovetop and add it to the corn tortillas, add toppings, and enjoy!
Storage: You can store leftover Birria in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. After that, transfer it to the freezer to save for up to 3-4 months.
Freezer: Allow it to cool completely. Transfer the beef and consomme to separate storage containers or freezer bags. If you’re using a freezer bag, double up on the broth to ensure it doesn’t leak. Lay them both flat in the freezer and freeze until solid, then you can stand them up to save space. Thaw overnight in the fridge and use them in your favorite Birria recipes like ramen, tacos, quesadillas, and more.
If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a star rating ★ below. You can also tag me on Instagram so I can see it!
More Mexican Cuisine Recipes
Don’t wait for Taco Tuesday to make delicious tacos. Love taco recipes? Next time try chorizo tacos, ground pork tacos, or authentic carne asada tacos.
This recipe for pork tenderloin tacos with corn salsa has half the calories of traditional carnitas thanks to the leanness of the pork tenderloin.
Our one-pot taco pasta is a one-pot meal that’s great for busy weeknights. The best part is it makes for easy cleanup!
Birria Tacos (Quesabirria)
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Ingredients
Birria Beef
- 4 lb chuck roast cut into 3 to 4-inch chunks (Note 1)
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 10 Guajillo peppers washed, stemmed, and seeded
- 5 ancho chili peppers washed, stemmed, and seeded (5 came in a pack)
- 1-2 arbol peppers washed, stemmed, and seeded (Note 2)
- 1 medium white onion roughly chopped
- 3 large Roma tomatoes whole
- 2 bay leaves
- 6-8 cloves garlic
- 1/2 Mexican cinnamon sticks (Ceylon cinnamon) (Note 3)
- 1 Tablespoon whole black peppercorns
- 3 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano (Note 4)
- 3 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 5-6 cups beef broth
- 3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt
- Black pepper to taste
Birria Tacos
- 12 corn tortillas (Note 5)
- 1 1/2 cups Oaxacan cheese
- Fresh cilantro diced white onion, and lime wedge for serving
Instructions
Birria Beef
- Wash the peppers then dry them and use a pair of kitchen shears to cut off the stems and slice down the side. Open the peppers and scrape out the seeds.
- Add them to a medium saucepan with the onion, Roma tomatoes, bay leaves, garlic, cinnamon stick, and peppercorns. Cover completely with water and bring to a boil. Cover and continue to boil over medium-high heat for 10 minutes.
- While it’s boiling, sear the beef. Season each piece of the chuck roast generously on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear each side of the beef for 2-3 minutes, until they form a crispy crust on the outside. Work in batches, placing the first batch on a plate or cutting board while you finish. Working it batches helps sear the beef rather than steaming it if the pot is overcrowded.
- When all of the beef is seared, turn off the heat and place all the beef back in while you finish the sauce.
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer the peppers and the rest of the ingredients, including the cinnamon stick and bay leaf, to a large high-speed blender. Add 1/2 cup of the boiling liquid along with the cumin, ground cloves, and 4 cups of beef broth. Blend on high until completely smooth, 1-2 minutes.
- Pour the sauce over the beef, making sure it comes about halfway up the meat. Bring the beef Birria to a boil over high heat then turn the heat down to low and braise (just below a simmer) for 3 1/2 -4 hours.
- Remove the beef to a rimmed baking sheet or large plate and shred using two forks.
Birria Tacos
- Heat a medium skillet, like a cast iron skillet, over medium-high heat. Working one at a time, dip both sides of the tortilla in the leftover broth (consomé). Transfer it directly to the hot skillet.
- Fry for 1-2 minutes then carefully flip it over. Sprinkle 2 Tablespoons of cheese on one half and top with shredded birria beef. Fold it in half over the filling and continue to fry until crispy. Serve with cilantro, onion, and a squeeze of lime juice.
- You will likely have leftover Birria beef and consomé. Freeze the beef and consomé separately to make tacos another day. Or use the beef in shredded beef enchiladas or Birria ramen.
Notes
Equipment
- Large stockpot (Note 6 Slow Cooker)
- Medium Saucepan
- Kitchen shears for cutting dried peppers
- High speed blender or food processor
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
We made Molly’s beef birria recipe, so we of course had to try it in these tacos. So delicious! We will definitely be having these again.
The birria is my favorite! If you have leftovers, try my birria ramen too!