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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!
Amazing reciepe! the flavours were amazing. However, my meat didn’t seem to want to get tender at all, i let it cook for 3 hours and it was still tough, left it for another hour with an higher tempertaure and it still remained tough. No worries though we used the birria broth for noodles later but is there something i could change next time to fix this?
Thank you!