What are birria tacos?

Birria tacos are a Mexican dish made from slow-cooked spicy shredded meat. They are typically made from beef or goat meat, but can also be made from pork or a few different types of meat. An iconic part of any birria taco meal is the spicy dipping sauce it is served with, which is called consomme (or consomé). Think of it kind of like a taco version of the French dip sandwich.

Can I make this in an instant pot?

Yes, you can make birria in the Instant Pot. Here’s how: 1. Select the ‘Saute’ function on the Instant Pot. When the pot is hot, add the oil. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the beef roast and cook until it is golden brown on one side, 2-3 minutes. Flip over and brown the other side. Press ‘Cancel’ and turn the roast over again. 2. Add the torn dried chiles, salsa, beef broth, canned chipotle chile, garlic powder, cumin, Mexican oregano, ginger, cinnamon, and paprika. Stir, as best you can, to combine. 3. Lock the lid into place and cook at high pressure for 40-60 minutes (aim for 20 minutes per pound). When the cooking time is up, allow for 5 minutes of natural pressure release before flipping the vent valve to ‘venting’ to release any residual pressure. 4. Remove the roast to a baking sheet. Using two forks, shred the beef. Add the tomato paste and apple cider vinegar to the cooking liquid in the Instant Pot. Using an immersion blender, blend the liquid directly in the pot (or transfer the liquid to a regular stand blender.) 5. Ladle 1 cup of the blended sauce over the shredded meat. Store the meat and remaining sauce until you’re ready to make tacos, then make the tacos as directed in the recipe card.

Slow Cooker Birria Tacos

Servings: 20-30 tacos 1x

Ingredients

For the Birria:

1 boneless beef chuck roast (2 ½ to 3 lbs)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon avocado oil or olive oil
6–10 dried red chiles, seeds removed and torn into pieces (see Notes)
1 16-ounce jar mild to medium salsa (any brand)
32 ounces beef broth
1–2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (store the rest for another use)
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

For the Tacos:

Cooking spray
20–30 6-inch white corn tortillas
1–2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese, shredded Oaxaca cheese, or crumbled queso fresco
½ medium white onion, diced
Chopped fresh cilantro
Fresh limes, cut into wedges

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Instructions

Season the boneless beef chuck roast on all sides with salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the roast on both sides for 5 minutes per side.
Meanwhile, tear off the top of each dried chile and shake out the seeds into a pile; discard the seeds and chile tops. Chop or tear the chiles into pieces. You should have about ½ cup (tightly packed) of torn chile pieces.
Transfer the roast to a large slow cooker. Top with the torn dried chiles, salsa, beef broth, canned chipotle chile, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, ginger, cinnamon, and paprika. Stir, as best you can, to combine.
Cover the slow cooker and cook on high heat for 5-6 hours or on low heat for 8 hours.
Remove the roast from the slow cooker and place it on a sheet pan. Using two forks, shred the beef.
To the liquid in the slow cooker, stir in the tomato paste and vinegar.
Using an immersion blender, blend all of the liquid and ingredients directly in the slow cooker to make a sauce (the consommé). If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can transfer the liquid to a blender. Blend until smooth.
Ladle 1 cup of the sauce over the shredded beef and toss it together.
If not making tacos right away, store the shredded beef and sauce in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To make birria tacos (Quesabirria): Heat a tabletop griddle to high (400 degrees) or use a large griddle pan or skillet over high heat. Working in batches, lay a few tortillas flat on the griddle or skillet. Top each tortilla with 1-2 tablespoons shredded cheese, about 2 ounces shredded birria, some diced white onion, and cilantro.
Heat for 2 minutes, then fold each taco over and heat for 3-5 minutes more. Then flip each taco over and heat for an additional 3-5 minutes. If you like the tacos crispy, keep them on the griddle for longer.
Continue this method, cooking as many tacos as you’d like. Serve with additional cheese, diced onion, cilantro, and lime wedges.
Ladle the consommé into small dishes and serve with the tacos for dipping.
Store leftover birria meat and consommé in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Notes

Look for bags of dried chiles in the Mexican/Latino section of grocery stores. Most medium spiced dried red peppers will work, such as chiles labeled “Guajillo Chiles” “Chile de Ristra” or “New Mexican Chiles”. Since chiles come in different sizes, you will need between 6-10 dried chiles to get about ½ cup of packed torn chile pieces.

This recipe makes 5-7 cups of shredded meat, depending on the size of your roast. It is enough birria to make a big batch of tacos, or enough for several meals spaced out. You can also use leftover flavorful birria meat to make quesadillas, burritos, ramen, salads.

This recipe makes 8 cups of sauce, which is far more sauce than you will need. I use 1 cup of the sauce to pour over the shredded meat and reserve 3-4 cups of the sauce to serve with the tacos as a dipping sauce. The remainder of the sauce can be discarded or used as a soup base, added to ramen, or used as the liquid to cook dried beans.

Nutrition Information

Serving Size: 1 taco with sauce
Calories: 225
Fat: 10 g
(Sat Fat: 4 g)
Sodium: 53 mg
Carbohydrate: 11 g
(Fiber: 1 g
Sugar: 0 g)
Protein: 14 g
Cholesterol: 50 mg

Dietary

Egg-Free Gluten-free Nut-free

Recipe By: Jessie Shafer