Say hello to our family’s favorite birria tacos recipe (aka quesabirria). These popular pan-fried shredded beef tacos are crispy, cheesy, and incredibly delicious!
There’s a special kind of sparkle in my kid’s eyes when these birria tacos are on the menu, and I really can’t blame him. These tacos made with tender, shredded beef and lots of melty cheese are next-level delicious. If you’ve already tried making birria with us, you’re in for a treat, because now we’re showing you how to turn that amazing stew into the crispiest, cheesiest tacos ever (aka quesabirria!).
Birria is a savory Mexican stew that comes from the state of Jalisco. It’s all about slow-braising meat in a rich, spiced chile sauce (in our case, beef). You can serve it as a stew, or make the famous tacos by tucking that tender beef into tortillas, pan-frying them until crispy, and serving with a bowl of the flavorful braising liquid (called consomé) for dipping. They are outrageous.
Key Ingredients
- Beef Chuck: While authentic birria recipes usually call for goat or lamb, our family uses beef chuck. It’s more readily available where we live and turns out really well. Beef chuck has a good amount of marbling, which breaks down over time and helps the beef become really tender (which is also why we use it for beef stew, shredded beef, and pot roast).
- Dried Chiles: The base of our birria consomé (cooking liquid) is dried chiles. Our basic recipe calls for California and Ancho dried chiles, which make this dish mild. For a spicier result, add a few arbol chiles (see our tips below the recipe for how many). I buy dried chiles at a local Mexican market, but you can also find them in larger grocery stores, natural food stores, or online. I also use them to make homemade enchilada sauce.
- Onion, Garlic, and Tomato: These are blended into our consomé. I like fresh tomatoes for this and use roma tomatoes (any fresh tomato is fine, though).
- Spices: Our favorite birria spices are coriander seeds, black peppercorns, ground cinnamon, and dried oregano. No need for any birria spice mix!
- Apple Cider Vinegar: This cuts through the savoriness of the cooking liquid, helps break down the beef, and adds flavor.
- Tahini: Toasted sesame seeds are a popular ingredient for birria, but we’ve found that tahini does the trick nicely (a ground paste made from toasted sesame seeds). It’s an ingredient we use a lot in our kitchen, so it made sense for us to add it here. Buy it or make your own, here is our tahini recipe.
- Beef Broth: This thins out our cooking liquid. Use homemade beef stock, or your favorite store-bought option.
- Tortillas: The classic choice here is corn tortillas, which I am here for because I love the nutty corn flavor with the savory beef. I love homemade (although I usually go with store-bought if I am making this dish for a crowd, since it’s less work for me!). If you are interested in our recipe, here’s our recipe for corn tortillas.
- Toppings: We stick pretty close to the classic and scatter raw chopped white onions and cilantro over the tacos for serving. You can even open each taco and scatter them inside if you’d like. You also want a generous amount of lime wedges for serving!
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Birria Tacos (aka Quesabirria)
Tip 1: Rehydrate the dried chiles. To prepare dried chiles for birria, remove the seeds and rehydrate them. I use kitchen shears to snip the top and then tap the chiles until all (or most) of the seeds fall out. Then, so they blend easily into our cooking liquid, add the dried chiles to a saucepan and cover them with water. Bring the pot to a simmer, then turn off the heat and leave them alone for about 20 minutes to soften.
Note: If your skin is sensitive, consider wearing food-safe gloves while working with the peppers.
Tip 2: Brown the beef. Cut the beef into large chunks, then season them all over with salt and pepper. Then, brown them on all sides in some oil in a large pot. Be patient while the beef browns, and do this in 2 batches so it really has a chance to pick up some color. When the beef is well browned on all sides, transfer it to a plate.
Tip 3: Make the braising liquid. Cook the onions and garlic until they begin to sweat, then stir in your tomatoes, spices, and a little chile-soaking water from rehydrating the chiles. This helps deglaze the pan so you can scrape up all the flavorful fond (or browned stuck bits) at the bottom of the pot. Add a bit of beef broth and the rehydrated chiles, then simmer for a few minutes before blending into a smooth sauce.
Note: When you blend hot liquids, make sure that you remove the middle insert from the lid. Then, firmly cover that hole with a dishcloth and your hand. The dishcloth lets some steam escape as you blend, which prevents the blender from exploding (such a mess, trust me, I know!).
Tip 4: Cook the beef low and slow. Place all the browned beef into your pot, cover with the blended liquid, add a bit more broth, then put on the lid, slide the pot into the oven, and cook slowly until the beef is fork-tender. Expect 3 hours in a 325°F oven (about the same as our beef ribs recipe).
Tip 5: Shred the beef. Once it’s out of the oven, let the pot sit for 20 minutes or so to cool a bit, then use forks or your fingers the pull the meat into shreds. As you shred the meat, pull away any larger chunks of fat or connective tissue and discard them.
Tip 6: Make the tacos. You’ll see a thick layer of fat on top of the liquid in the pot. Use this fat to cook the tortillas in your skillet. Quickly dip each tortilla into the fat (you only need to dip one side), let the excess drip off, and place it, oil side down, in a hot skillet. Add some shredded beef and cheese, then fold the tortilla in half to make a taco. Cook both sides until the outside is crispy and the cheese has melted inside.
Note that quite a bit of oil will remain in the skillet after cooking a batch (or two) of tacos, so either scrape it back into the cooking liquid or use it to cook the next batch (adding a little extra from the pot as needed).
Serving Suggestions
We stay pretty classic and serve our tacos with chopped raw onion (white onion is my favorite), fresh cilantro, and lots of lime wedges for spritzing over the top.
You can also skim the the cooking liquid left in the pot of excess fat, and serve it on the side of the tacos as a dipping sauce (often called consomé). Our cooking liquid turns out a little thicker than others, so feel free to thin it with a bit more beef broth.
These birria tacos are rich and filling, so we usually don’t add too much to the table, but a few dips and tortilla chips are always welcome. Try homemade guacamole, pico de gallo, pineapple avocado salsa, or queso dip (although, maybe we have enough cheese…haha).
Alternate Cooking Methods for the Birria
To use a slow cooker: Brown the beef and make the braising liquid as directed in the recipe below, but instead of slowly braising in the oven, add everything (the browned beef, blended liquid, and broth) to a 6-quart slow cooker. Cook until fork-tender, on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 5 hours.
To use an Instant Pot: Use the sauté function to brown the beef and prepare the braising liquid. Once you have the browned beef, blended liquid, and broth in the Instant Pot, make sure the liquid does not pass the fill line. Seal the lid and cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 80 minutes, then release naturally for about 15 minutes before releasing the remaining pressure.
Epic Birria Tacos
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PREP
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Our birria tacos recipe starts with the real thing, slow-braised meat in a savory, chile sauce. We use the oven, but check the article above for making birria in a slow cooker or Instant Pot.
While traditional recipes from Jalisco, Mexico, often call for goat or lamb, we’re using beef (birria de res) for a version that is every bit as delicious and a bit easier to find at your local grocery store. Feel free to substitute goat or lamb if you have it!
8 to 10 Servings, 6 cups shredded beef, 24 to 30 tacos
You Will Need
For the Birria
4 ½ to 5 pounds boneless beef chuck (2 kg to 2.3 kg)
2 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt, plus more as needed
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
3 tablespoons avocado oil
6 dried California chiles
3 dried Ancho chiles
1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
6 garlic cloves, smashed
2 roma tomatoes, quartered
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
3 cups beef broth, plus more as needed (720 g)
1 tablespoon well-stirred tahini
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the Tacos
24 corn tortillas, 6-inch to 8-inch, try homemade corn tortillas
4 cups shredded Oaxaca, Monterey Jack, or Mozzarella cheese (16 ounces or 450 g)
1 white onion, finely chopped
1 bunch cilantro, leaves and tender stems chopped
3 to 4 limes, quartered, for serving
Directions
1Prep: Arrange an oven rack so a large Dutch oven (at least 6 quarts) fits, then preheat to 325°F (162°C).
2Rehydrate chiles: Use kitchen scissors to cut the stems off the dried chile peppers, then shake or scrape the seeds from each pepper. (If you have sensitive skin, wear gloves to prevent the oils from getting on your hands.) Add the deseeded dried chiles and 3 cups of water to a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, turn off the heat, and let steep for 20 minutes.
3Brown the beef: Cut the beef chuck into 10 similar-sized pieces. Then, season them all over with the salt and ground black pepper. Heat the avocado oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches to avoid overcrowding the pot, brown the beef pieces on all sides, then transfer to a plate.
4Make the braising liquid: With the pot still over medium-high heat, add the onion and garlic cloves, then cook for 2 to 3 minutes before stirring in the tomatoes, coriander, and peppercorns. Stir them around and cook until the onions are slightly browned, then pour in 1 cup of the chile water (from rehydrating the chiles).
5Add 1 cup of the beef broth (reserving 2 cups for later), tahini, cider vinegar, oregano, cinnamon, and rehydrated chiles (discard the remaining chile-soaking water). Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
6Blend the braising liquid: Transfer the contents of the pot to a high-powered blender and puree until smooth. Caution: When blending hot liquids, remove the plastic vent from the lid and use your hand to press a towel over the hole to prevent pressure buildup. If you do not have a high-powered blender, the spices may not completely break down. Leave them for a more textured sauce, or use a fine-mesh strainer to strain the sauce back into the pot.
7Braise the beef: Add the browned beef back to the pot and cover with the blended sauce, scraping the blender to get out every last bit. Add the remaining 2 cups of beef broth. Cover with a lid and bring to a simmer, then transfer the Dutch oven to the oven and cook for about 3 hours, or until the beef is fork tender (check more than one piece of beef for doneness).
8Remove from the oven, taste and adjust with more salt if necessary, and let rest for 20 minutes before removing the beef and shredding it.
9Shred the meat: Transfer the beef to a cutting board and pull with forks or your fingers. Depending on your preference, you can separate the meat into larger chunks or smaller shreds (we like smaller for the tacos). Discard any connective tissue and larger clumps of fat (a few smaller bits of fat are fine).
10Make tacos: Heat a wide skillet over medium heat. Working in batches that fit your skillet, quickly dip each tortilla into the fat sitting at the top of the cooking liquid (you only need to dip one side), let the excess drip off, and place it, oil side down, in a hot skillet. Add 3 to 4 tablespoons of shredded beef and a bit of cheese, then fold the tortilla to make a taco. Cook, flipping as needed, until the tortillas are crisp and the cheese has melted. Transfer to plates or a baking sheet while you cook more. To keep warm, slide the baking sheet into a 200°F oven.
11After cooking a batch or two of tacos, you’ll notice there’s still a lot of oil left in the skillet. You can scrape this oil back into the cooking liquid or use it for the next batch, adding more from the pot if needed. If you run out of oil on top, just add a bit of avocado oil to the braising liquid and mix it with the consomé at the bottom to get the red oil you want for cooking the tacos.
12Prepare the consomé: If a thick layer of fat remains at the top, skim it. As written, the consomé (or braising liquid) is on the thicker side. It is common to serve the tacos with a small bowl for dipping. Use as is, or if you prefer a thinner consomé for dipping, add 1 cup of extra broth at the end to thin.
13Serve: Place two to three tacos onto a plate, then scatter over chopped onion and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges and a small bowl of the consomé for dipping.
Adam and Joanne’s Tips
- Storing: Keep leftover shredded beef in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat slowly in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Spice level: As written, the beef and consomé turn out mild. For more spice, use New Mexico dried chile peppers (look like California chiles, but pack more heat) or add arbol chiles (2 to 3 for medium, or more for spicy).
- Tahini: Use 1 to 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds as a substitute.
- The nutrition facts provided are estimates.
Nutrition Per Serving
Serving Size
2 tacos, assumed 24 total
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Calories
509
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Total Fat
21g
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Saturated Fat
6.6g
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Cholesterol
119.2mg
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Sodium
942.7mg
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Carbohydrate
35.2g
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Dietary Fiber
7g
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Total Sugars
3g
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Protein
46g
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