These Crispy Beef Birria Tacos meet perfectly at the intersection of tender, juicy, cheesy, and crispy. Seriously, these are some of the most irresistible and delicious bites of food that you can make at home.
While the list of ingredients is fairly extensive, the actual process of putting these together is relatively easy - they just take a little bit of time. I promise you that it's worth it. This recipe also feeds a decent number of people, so grab your family and friends and prepare to dig in!
Another one of my crowd-pleasing dishes is my recipe for chicken thigh enchiladas. These are packed full of flavor and are another winner!
Beef Birria Taco Ingredients
The cornerstone of this recipe is the beef birria itself. If you are asking yourself what "birria" is, know you're not alone. Birria is a Mexican dish of spiced and slowly braised meat that is either served in the braising liquid or the meat is removed and the broth is served on the side. Typically, it is served at special occasions and holidays such as birthdays, weddings, or Christmas etc. With how delicious these are, I can almost promise that you'll be convincing yourself that any occasion is special enough to make these!
Historically, birria is made with goat meat; however, this recipe uses boneless beef chuck roast. The pepper varieties that are used are guajillos, anchos, chipotle, and chile de arbols. Feel free to mix things up with the chilis. This recipe isn't inherently "spicy", so feel free to add more chile de arbols if you want it hotter, or add other varieties to suit your tastes.
The other herbs are cumin, Mexican oregano, coriander, black pepper, bay leaves and a cinnamon stick. Take some cheesecloth and place all of the seasonings in the center. Next, gather the edges of the cheesecloth together and tie them to make a "spice packet". This makes it easy to remove later. If you can't find Mexican oregano, substitute for the same amount of regular oregano (find Mexican oregano here).
Basic Birria Cooking Process
After the meat is seared on all sides and the vegetables and chilis are cooked, everything is braised for one hour. At this point, remove the dried peppers and blend them together with a little bit of the braising liquid until smooth. Add the pepper mixture back to the pot, and continue to braise for another hour and a half to two hours. The meat should be ultra tender and falling apart at this point. Use two forks or tongs to pull the beef into smaller, bite-sized pieces to prepare for the tacos.
Tortillas
One other major component of this dish is the corn tortillas. I really recommend that you make your own using my recipe for the best homemade corn tortillas. Making them yourself really adds the perfect finishing touch to this dish. Quick tip: homemade corn tortillas are always best the same day you make them. They tend to dry out very quickly (I'm talking hours, not days) if you make them a day ahead of time.
Taco Assembly and Cooking
The next step for these beef birria tacos is to preheat a cast iron pan over medium heat, then you dunk a corn tortilla in the braising liquid (traditionally called consommé) to coat it in the beef fat that has risen to the top of the pot. Add a tortilla to the pan, place a small heap of the shredded beef on the tortilla, and top with a few pieces of Oaxaca cheese. (If you can't find Oaxaca cheese, Monterrey Jack is a good substitute.) Close the tortilla to make a taco, and continue to fry on both sides until crisp. This step should take about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Serve the tacos with a side of consommé topped with onions and cilantro as a dipping liquid.
I like to serve these with my Simple Corn Salsa (Chipotle Copycat), Restaurant Style Cheese Dip, and have my Mini Key Lime Pies for dessert!
(Pssst....don't forget the Classic Margarita too!)
Did you make this recipe for Crispy Beef Birria Tacos?
Let me know in the comments below how yours turned out, and don't forget to leave a rating!
Recipe
Crispy Beef Birria Tacos
Equipment
- Dutch Oven or Large Heavy Bottom Pot
- Blender or Immersion Blender
- Cheesecloth
- Kitchen Twine
Ingredients
Birria
- 5-6 lb. Boneless Beef Chuck Roast
- 2-3 Tablespoons Neutral Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Black Peppercorns Toasted
- 1 Tablespoon Whole Coriander Toasted
- 1 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds Toasted
- 1 Cinnamon Stick Toasted
- 1 Tablespoon Dried Mexican Oregano (Regular oregano can be used as a substitute)
- 5-6 Bay Leaves
- 1 Large Onion Finely Diced
- 6 Cloves Garlic Thinly Sliced
- 1 Tablespoon Tomato Paste
- 5 Dried Guajillo Chilies
- 5 Dried Ancho Chilies
- 1 Dried Chipotle Pepper
- 2 Dried Chile De Arbol
- 2 Quarts Beef Stock
- 3 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
Tacos
- Taco Sized Corn Tortillas
- Oaxaca Cheese Pulled into bite sized pieces or shredded (Substitute Monterrey Jack)
Garnishes
- Sweet Onion Finely Minced
- Cilantro Finely Minced
- Lime Wedges
- Reserved Braising Liquid/Consommé
Instructions
Beef Birria
- Cut chuck roast into 2 to 3-inch cubes and season generously with kosher salt.
- Heat a large Dutch oven or a large heavy bottom pot over medium high heat.
- Add oil until shimmering, then add the beef in batches and sear on all sides, approximately 10 to 15-minutes per batch.
- While the meat is searing, heat a small sauce pan over medium-high heat and add the black peppercorns, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and cinnamon stick. Toast for 1 to 2-minutes until fragrant, but not burnt. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- Add the toasted seasonings, oregano and bay leaves to the center of a large piece of cheesecloth. Bring the edges together to form a small "packet" and tie together with kitchen twine. Reserve for later.
- Remove the meat from the pot, reserving any juices that collect in the bottom.
- Add the minced onion to the Dutch oven and sauté until soft and beginning to turn translucent, approximately 5 to 8-minutes.
- Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, 30-seconds to 1-minute.
- Add the tomato paste, continually stirring and cooking until it begins to stick to the bottom of the pan, approximately 3 to 5-minutes.
- Add the dried peppers and sauté for an additional 2 to 3-minutes.
- Add the beef stock and apple cider vinegar and deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon.
- Return the meat and the reserved drippings to the pot. Bring to a simmer and braise for 1-hour, partially covered.
- After 1-hour, remove the chilies from the pot and place into a blender with a little bit of the braising liquid. Blend on high speed until smooth, 1 to 2-minutes.
- Add the blended chili sauce back to the pot, and simmer for an additional 1 ½ to 2-hours.
- Remove the beef from the pot and shred the beef into bite sized pieces with two forks or tongs, adding several splashes of the braising liquid.
- Season both the broth and the meat to taste with kosher salt and pepper.
Taco Assembly and Cooking
- Preheat a cast iron pan or skillet over medium high heat.
- Dunk a corn tortilla in the braising liquid to coat in the layer of fat that has risen to the top.
- Add the tortilla to the warm skillet. Place a portion of shredded beef and some cheese on top of the tortilla.
- Gently fold into a taco and continue to cook until crispy, about 3 to 4-minutes per side.
- Repeat with as many tortillas/tacos that will fit in the pan.
- Remove the tacos from the pan and garnish with a sprinkle of kosher salt, lime juice, and minced cilantro.
- Ladle a spoonful of the braising liquid/consommé into a small bowl and top with cilantro and minced onion. Serve on the side with the tacos.
Sybil says
Yummy!!
Michelle says
You won't find anything more delicious! Great recipe!