Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you click on the link and make a purchase.
This Birria Tacos (tacos de birria aka quesatacos) recipe is juicy, cheesy, delicious—a true showstopper. It begins with braising a birria de rez and then making a consomé and frying up tacos with Oaxacan (or mozzarella) cheese. Instructions for oven, Instant Pot and slow-cooker methods are all included! With this recipe you can then make my Beef Birria and Birria Ramen.
Notes from Adrianna
Birria tacos first came onto my radar when they went viral on TikTok— I kept seeing them everywhere and finally thought, okay, I need to try these. I got in my car and ended up a food truck in The Valley and omggg, they were incredible. I knew I *had* to recreate them for all of you!
This recipe has been live for over four years and it has almost 400 5-star reviews! People love them for good reason.
- Super flavorful. The meat is tender and delicious.
- Yet they’re not overly complicated nor are they difficult to make.
- They’re authentic. We’re using all Mexican ingredients found at your local Latin market.
- They serve a crowd. People have served these to their teenager’s football team, for a bridal shower or Game Day. You can make these ahead, serve them warm and people will go crazy for them!
What Is Birria
First let’s start the basics: What is Birria? Hailing from Jalisco, Mexico, birria is a rich stew that’s typically made with either goat, lamb or beef. It’s traditionally served in a consomé broth along with a mixture of cilantro and white onion. There are no tacos involved! Birria is truly the best – it’s so delicious on a cold day.
What Are Birria Tacos
Birria Tacos (tacos de birria or quesabirria tacos) are made with braised meat inside a corn tortilla pan-fried in the rich fat skimmed from the birria. Are they spicy? Not really — though I should mention I’m Peruvian, so my spice tolerance is pretty high.
They’re filled with melty Oaxacan cheese (quesillo), cilantro, lime, and white onion, and served with a small bowl of consomé for dipping. Truly a magical meal!
Ingredients for Birria Tacos
Where to find these ingredients: All of these ingredients can be found at your local Latin market and you’re truly not making tacos de birria without these dried peppers. They are essential!
- Dried chiles – I like using a mix of three dried chiles: guajillo for a slightly fruity and tangy flavor; ancho chiles which have a deep, rich and more earthy flavor profile; and lastly, chiles de arbol for a bit of a sharp, smokey and spicy kick.
- Mexican oregano – Mexican oregano is more fragrant and delicious. It’s very different than Italian oregano but of course, in a pinch, use what you have on hand.
- Mexican cinnamon – Phew. Maybe my favorite version of cinnamon. It’s much more brittle and snappy. It’s easy to break in two. If you’re using regular cinnamon, I would say just add it to the mixture to boil and then remove it and discard. No need to add it to the blender!
- Cuts of meat – I like using two types of meat: chuck stew meat and bone-in short ribs. You can use ALL chuck stew if you want. I like to use short rib because it gives the sauce more flavor and fat, which we need at the end for pan-frying the tacos.
How to Make Birria Tacos
- Salt the meat. Bring meat to room temperature and then salt it liberally.
- Sear the meat. In a large pot that has an oven-proof lid, sear the meat on all sides. You’ll have to do this in batches. This takes about 15 minutes to do all the pieces.
- Boil the chiles. In another pot, add the chiles, tomatoes, onions, spices and garlic to a pot. Cover everything with water and simmer for 20 min. We want the tomatoes and chiles very softened.
- Drain it the chiles and spices. I like to discard this liquid because I’ve always found it to be quite bitter.
- Transfer to a blender. Along with beef or chicken broth.
- Blend the sauce until smooth.
- Add meat back to pot. Pour the sauce over the meat.
- Pour 1 cup of broth in the blender and swish it back in forth (to pick up any extra sauce). Pour it into the pot.
- Transfer the pot to the oven to braise for about 3 to 3 1/2 hours, until the meat is super tender.
- Braise until meat is tender.
Assemble the Birria Tacos
- Shred the meat. Remove the meat from the sauce and using two forks, shred up the meat.
- Mix up the cilantro and onion. In a bowl, mix up the cilantro, onion, squeeze of lime and pinch of salt.
- Dip a tortilla into the top of the sauce. This should be mostly fat. And add it to a non-stick skillet, set over medium-high heat.
- Fill the taco. Add a tablespoon or two of the shredded meat with a small handful of Oaxacan cheese or mozzarella.
- Cook until cheese is melty. The outside should be browned and crispy and the cheese should be melty.
- Add consomé to a small bowl. Thin it out with a few splashes of beef broth, if needed.
How to Eat Birria Tacos
- Open up the cooked and cheesy Birria Taco. Add a spoonful of the cilantro lime mixture to the center.
- Dip it in the consomé. They’ll be drippy, a little messy and so cheesey and delicious. Enjoy!
Tips and Tricks
- Cuts of meat – You can substitute in goat, lamb or you can choose oxtail instead of short ribs.
- To Make Birria Tacos Ahead: Make the birria first, shred the meat and store the meat and sauce in the fridge for up to three days or in the freezer for up to 6 months. The fat will solidify on the top. Scoop that off and use that to pan-fry the tacos. Warm up the meat and sauce and assemble as per the instructions above.
- Keeping the Tacos Warm: These are perfect for a crowd. I like to assemble these, cook them on a flat top or griddle and then keep them warm in a 200F oven until I’m ready to serve them.
Can I Make This In an Instant Pot OR slow cooker?
- Instant Pot Instructions: To make it in the Instant Pot, you would simply make the sauce as stated in the recipe. And sear the meat in the Instant Pot. Pour in the sauce atop the meat and set it to Stew Setting. It should be High Pressure for about 50 minutes.
- Slow Cooker Instructions: You would make the sauce as stated in the recipe. Sear the meat (if your slow cooker has this option – most do). And then pour in the sauce and broth. Set it to “high” and cook for 6 to 7 hours.
What to Serve with Birria Tacos
Birria Tacos
This Birria Tacos recipe is juicy, cheesy, delicious—a true showstopper. It begins with braising a birria de rez and then making a consomé and frying up tacos with Oaxacan cheese.
Equipment
- 1 Dutch oven
- 1 blender
Ingredients
Birria de Rez:
- 2 pounds boneless chuck
- 1 pound oxtail or bone-in short ribs
- 1 teaspoon neutral oil, (avocado or vegetable oil)
Sauce:
- 7 (31g) ancho chiles, (ends trimmed and de-seeded)
- 7 (35g) guajillo chiles, (ends trimmed and de-seeded)
- 3 (2g) chiles de arbol, (ends trimmed and de-seeded)
- 1 white onion, (peeled and halved)
- 6 garlic cloves, (peeled)
- 4 roma tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 Mexican cinnamon stick, (See note if not using Mexican cinnamon)
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 3 cups beef broth or water, (divided)
Tacos:
- 1/4 cup minced cilantro
- 1/4 white onion, (minced)
- Juice from 1 lime
- Kosher salt
- Corn tortillas
- 3 ounces Oaxacan cheese, (or mozzarella)
Instructions
To Sear the Meat:
- Bring the meat to room temperature, about 30 minutes and then sprinkle liberally on all sides with kosher salt. In a large Dutch oven (or a pot with an oven-proof lid), set over medium-high heat, add the neutral oil. When hot, add the meat and sear on all sides until browned. I like to do a hard sear. You’ll have to do this in batches. Transfer to a bowl.
To Make the Sauce:
- Meanwhile, in another medium pot, add the dried chiles, halved white onion, garlic cloves, tomatoes, spices, bay leaves and add cold water until it covers everything. Place over medium heat and simmer gently for about 15 minutes. Pour through a strainer and transfer the solids (including the whole spices) to a blender. If your blender is small you may need to do this in batches.
- Add the apple cider vinegar and about 1 cup of beef broth or water and blend until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Add salt to taste (I added about 1 tablespoon of kosher salt).
- *Note: I have a high-powered blender and it resulted in a super smooth sauce. If you have a blender that is meh, you may want to run the sauce through a strainer to discard any big bits the blender didn’t puree. Very optional!
To Braise the Meat:
- Preheat the oven to 300F. Add the meat back to the pot and pour the sauce over it. To the blender, add the remaining 2 cups of broth or water and swish it around to pick up any leftover sauce and pour it into the pot. Place over medium heat until it reaches a gentle simmer and then immediately cover and transfer to the preheated oven. Cook for about 3 hours, until the meat is tender.
To Assemble the Tacos:
- Mix together the cilantro, white onion, lime and salt.
- Remove the meat from the sauce and shred using two forks. Ladle the broth into a bowl and add a handful of diced cilantro.
- Add a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Dip the tortilla into the top of the broth (this should be fat) and add it to the skillet. Pan fry on one side for about 30 seconds and then flip over. Add a some of the shredded meat and the shredded cheese. Fold over and cook until pan fried on both sides, about 1 minute. Transfer to a plate and serve alongside the broth.
Notes
Tips and Tricks:
- Cuts of meat – You can substitute in goat, lamb or if you can choose oxtail instead of short ribs.
- To make this ahead: I actually think this is a great make-ahead meal. You can make the birria first, shred the meat and store the sauce in the fridge. The fat will solidify on the top. You can use that to the pan with the tortillas if you like. Or you can warm it back up when you’re ready to serve.
- Most of these ingredients like Mexican cinnamon, dried chiles and Mexican oregano at a Latin supermarket.
- If you’re not using Mexican cinnamon, remove it and discard it when you’re done boiling all of the chiles. Mexican cinnamon is very brittle and will easily blend up. But if it’s from say Saigon or somewhere else, it tends to be very hard. I wouldn’t put your blender through that!
- To Make it in the Slow-Cooker – You can make this recipe in the slow-cooker by adding the meat and sauce to a slow cooker. Add the broth and set it to high and let it braise for 6-7 hours.
- To Make it in the Instant Pot – Sear the meat in the IP. Pour the sauce in, along with the broth. Close the seal, set the setting to “high pressure” and press the “Stew Meat” option. This should be about 50 minutes. Do a natural release. And it should be perfect!
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 250kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 46mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this Recipe? Please Rate & comment below!
Awesome recipe! Wish I would have cut the roast into smaller chunks because it took quite a bit longer to cook whole. Otherwise, great recipe. Thank you!
so glad you loved it! definitely next time feel free to cut it smaller. definitely will help with the cooking time.
I would like to know how can I make this less spicy? What can be changed on the ingredients?
the chiles de arbol are the spicy chiles so feel free to leave those out all together for a less spicy dish.
too many commercials on your site.
Don’t rate a recipe because you don’t like the adds!
Wonderful recipe. Made as written. Thank you so much. Going to put this in my regular rotation
I am planning on making these tacos, I know it says 10 servings, but how many tacos does it make ? Like only 10 tacos or ?
definitely more tacos than 10. i would say it makes about 20 to 25 tacos, depending on how much meat you put in each and the size of tortillas.
Absolutely delicious, thank you! I used chuck round steak because that’s what the store had, along with the short ribs. Made the sauce a day ahead and cooked everything in my slow cooker. Seared the meat as recommended. I will be making this again for my son when he comes home for Thanksgiving break.
This sounds smart! So glad you loved it!
I don’t know if I did something wrong or what happened, but the sauce was INCREDIBLY thick out of the blender. Two cups of broth did not help to thin it out much either. But, at the end of the day, no complaints at all! It wound up being so flavorful and savory and unctuous… just insanely delicious!
These were incredible! Made with both flour tortillas and corn. Family’s new favorite tacos!
i wasnt clear from the beginning that the oxtail shouldve been included in the “meat” directions…. my sauce and roast are simmering before putting into the oven…. is this just a oxtail-less recipe now or shoudl i try and cook them and add them in somehow last minute?
hi! i’m confused as to what you’re asking. it should either be short ribs OR oxtail. and yes those would go in place of the short ribs if you’re using oxtail instead. 🙂
These turned out excellent, far better than the birria tacos we had at our local Mexican spot. Couple of changes: one small, I used a slightly different mix of chilis, with guajillo, ancho, and Oaxaca chilis. The other one could help some of the other commenters – I deseeded and deveined the chilis, toasted in a warm pan, then put them in a bowl covered with hot water. I then toasted the whole spices for a minute until fragrant, then added two cups beef broth and the vegetables. I drained the chili water into the sink, added the chilis to the slow simmering broth. Getting rid of the chili soaking liquid further avoids bitterness, and then this allows you to use the simmering liquid when blending. Thank you for the recipe!
This recipe was great and easy to follow. Only thing is did different was I used venison roast and a flank steak. I also cooked it in an instapot! Fantastic and will make it again! Thank you for the recipe
Wow amazing. Venison birria tacos sounds amazing. Thanks for the feedback, glad you loved them.