Birria Tacos – Downshiftology – Cooking Madamechiic

Beef birria tacos (quesabirria) have become a huge fan favorite with their crispy tortilla, melty Oaxacan cheese, and juicy slow-cooked birria with a sprinkle of fresh onion and cilantro. Serve up the tacos with a small bowl of the flavorful consommé dipping sauce for the best ever taco night!

Birria tacos on a plate. — Photo: Gayle McLeod

Why Everyone Loves Birria Tacos

Yes, you can make a simple beef birria taco with shredded beef, onions, cilantro, and lime juice, and call it a day. But what’s become popular as of late is quesabirria tacos — an authentic Tijuana, Mexico recipe that’s changing the taco game. It takes Jalisco, Mexico’s favorite birria recipe, dips the tortilla in the consommé before adding the filling, and then fries it up for the ultimate crispy taco loaded with flavor. You can even find them in Mexican food trucks across the United States! Here’s what’s so great about them:

They’re like mini cheesy quesadillas. The process is similar, but you’re folding tacos on a flat-top grill with a cheesy, meaty filling instead of a large tortilla. A quesadilla enthusiast’s new favorite.
They’re served with the best dipping sauce. Also known as consommé, this is the rich and spicy broth made with my easy crockpot birria recipe, and boy does it taste SO good.
They’ve got a more kick than barbacoa. I typically love making barbacoa tacos for Mexican shredded beef. But birria de res is a great alternative when you want a meal with extra deep flavor and texture.

Birria Tacos Recipe Ingredients

For the birria: I’m using beef chuck roast for meat that will become ultra-tender and juicy when slow-cooked.
For the birria sauce: This sauce is incredibly flavorful! It consists of three dried Mexican chiles, tomatoes, onion, garlic, beef broth, and apple cider vinegar. Add to that spices such as cumin, Mexican oregano, ground cloves, cinnamon, ginger, bay leaves, salt, and black pepper.
For the birria tacos: Grab your favorite tortillas, along with chopped onions, cilantro, and Oaxacan cheese. If you can’t find Oaxacan cheese, I’ve got substitutes below.

Find the printable recipe with measurements below.

How To Make Birria

Deseed and simmer the chilies. Slice the stems off the chilies and shake out the seeds. Then, give them a quick rinse to remove any dust from the outside. In a medium pot, add the guajillo chilies, ancho chilies, and arbol chilies. Cover completely with water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer for 15 minutes, until the chilies have softened.
Roast the veggies. While the chilies are simmering, add the tomatoes, onion, and garlic cloves to a quarter sheet pan. Broil them for 4 to 6 minutes, until lightly charred.
Make the sauce. Transfer the chilies and 1 cup of the remaining water to a high-powered blender. Remove the garlic from it’s peel and add it to the blender along with the tomatoes, onion, broth, vinegar, cumin, oregano, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger. Blend on high for 1 to 2 minutes, until completely smooth.

Slow cook the birria. Place the beef chunks in the slow cooker. Pour the birria sauce on top, and add the bay leaves. Use tongs to gently mix it all together. then cover. Cook on low for 8 to 9 hours, or on high for 4 to 5 hours. The beef should be tender and fall apart easily when shredded with a fork. If it doesn’t shred easily, cook it a bit longer.
Shred the meat and combine it with the sauce. Discard the bay leaves. Remove the beef to a cutting board and use two forks to shred it. Place the shredded beef back in the slow cooker, stir it, and let it absorb the liquid (aka consommé).

How To Make Birria Tacos

Dip the tortillas. Dip the tortillas in the birria liquidy broth (consommé). The top layer of the consommé has more fat, which is perfect for frying and making the tortilla crispier.
Fry. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the wet tortilla, and cook on one side until lightly crispy, then flip over with tongs. Top with a sprinkle of cheese across the whole tortilla. Add a portion of birria on half the tortilla, along with a sprinkle of onion and cilantro. Once the cheese has melted, fold the tacos in half, continuing to fry for 2 to 3 minutes each side, until crispy. Serve with a side of the consommé for dipping.

Ingredient Substitutions

If you want to reduce the spiciness of the birria, reduce or omit the arbol chiles.
If you can’t find Oaxacan cheese, you can substitute a Mexican cheese blend. Oaxacan cheese is like a Mexican mozzarella, it’s very stretchy.
While corn tortillas are traditionally used, you can use your favorite tortillas.

More Taco Recipes

I’m so excited for you to try these birria tacos! If you make them, I’d love your feedback on the recipe in the comment box below. Your review will help other readers in the community.

Description

Switch up taco night with these beef birria tacos (quesabirria). Their crispy tortilla, melty cheese, slow-cooked birria, and flavorful consommé dipping sauce will have you going back for seconds, and likely thirds. Watch the video below to see how I make them in my kitchen!

For the beef birria and birria sauce

To Make Birria

Deseed and simmer the chilies. Slice the stems off the chilies and shake out the seeds. Then, give them a quick rinse to remove any dust or dirt from the outside. In a medium pot, add the Guajillo chilies, Ancho chilies, and Arbol chilies. Cover completely with water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer for 15 minutes, until the chilies have softened.
Roast the veggies. While the chilies are simmering, add the tomatoes, onion, and garlic cloves to a quarter sheet pan. Broil them for 4 to 6 minutes, until lightly charred.
Make the sauce. Transfer the chilies and 1 cup of the remaining water to a high-powered blender. Remove the garlic from it’s peel and add it to the blender along with the tomatoes, onion, broth, vinegar, cumin, oregano, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger. Blend on high for 1 to 2 minutes, until completely smooth.
Slow cook the birria. Place the beef chunks in the slow cooker. Pour the birria sauce on top, and add the bay leaves. Use tongs to gently mix it all together. then cover. Cook on low for 8 to 9 hours, or on high for 4 to 5 hours. The beef should be tender and fall apart easily when shredded with a fork. If it doesn’t shred easily, cook it a bit longer.
Shred the meat and combine it with the sauce. Discard the bay leaves. Remove the beef to a cutting board and use two forks to shred it. Place the shredded beef back in the slow cooker, stir it, and let it absorb the liquid (aka consommé).

To Make Birria Tacos

Dip the tortillas. Dip the tortillas in the birria liquid (consomme). The top layer of the consomme has more fat, which is perfect for frying.
Fry. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the wet tortilla, and cook on one side until lightly crispy, then flip over with tongs. Top with a sprinkle of cheese across the whole tortilla. Add a portion of birria on half the tortilla, along with a sprinkle of onion and cilantro. Once the cheese has melted, fold the tacos in half, continuing to fry for 2 to 3 minutes each side, until crispy. Serve with a side of the consommé for dipping.

If you’re corn-free, I highly recommend you make my homemade cassava flour tortillas. They’re a reader favorite!
If you can’t find Oaxacan cheese, you can sub a Mexican cheese blend.
To store leftover birria for the week: Let the meat come to room temperature before placing it in an airtight container. It’ll stay good for 4 to 5 days in the fridge.
To store the taco ingredients for the week: You can prep each taco ingredient and store them in individual containers in the fridge. This will make assembly easy throughout the week!
To freeze birria for later: Store any leftovers in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, let it thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in the microwave until warmed through.

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Birria Tacos – Downshiftology