These Birria Tacos are crispy, cheesy and stuffed with tender chile-flavored shredded beef. Dunk them in the iconic rich glossy red consommé for the ultimate taco night at home!
Stovetop, Slow Cooker and Instant Pot instructions included.
Love Birria? Try also our Birria Stew and Chicken Birria Tacos!
Birria Tacos
These Birria Tacos are our favorite tacos to make at home (right after some Deep Fried Fish Tacos hehe). You get to stuff them with *ALL* the cheese and have lots of consommé for each person to dunk every taco into!!!
These Birria Tacos are:
- Easy to make.
- Packed with slow-braised, deeply spiced flavor
- Crispy with each tortilla fried in beef fat from the consommé.
- Cheesy and juicy.
- Perfect for taco night!
- Delicious as leftovers!
- Naturally gluten-free.
Birria Tacos Ingredients
Beef. The traditional pick for Birria is goat, beef or lamb but lots go for a classic chuck roast nowadays because it cooks into that perfect fall-apart tender meat that you need for these Birria Tacos! You can also do a mix of short ribs + oxtail.
Onion, white onion. Make sure you have enough white onion for the beef, the tacos and to top the consommé.
Garlic, fresh.
Chiles: Guajillo chiles, Ancho or Pasa chiles, and Chiles de Arbol. You want to do a mix of different ones for that traditional rich and smoky flavor. Chile de Arbol is the spicy one so feel free to add as much as you want or skip it.
Spices: cinnamon, peppercorns, oregano, cloves, cumin, coriander, bay leaves. I prefer using whole spices for best flavor but I'll provide both whole and ground amounts in the recipe card below!
Vinegar, to add brightness, vinegar also makes the beef even more tender! I recommend white or apple cider vinegar!
Tortillas, we like small 4-inch (10 cm) corn tortillas for these.
Cheese, we use classic mozzarella cheese so it gets melty and you have a delicious cheese pull!
Cilantro, fresh, for topping.
Limes, for topping.
How to make Birria Tacos at home
STEP ONE: Sear the meat. Pat the meat dry with some paper towels then season with salt and pepper to taste. Place a large pot over medium-high heat, add a splash of vegetable oil. Once the oil is hot, add the meat and sear on all sides until browned, do not move the meat while it's searing. Once you're done remove from the pot and set aside.
STEP TWO: Prepare the stew base. In the same pot, add another splash of oil, then add the tomatoes, onions, garlic, and spices. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the tomatoes and onions have charred a bit. Add any ground spices and chiles towards the end so they don't burn. Add the water, cover, and cook for 10-15 minutes.
Add the charred veggies and spices with the liquid to a blender, discarding whole cinnamon, then the vinegar, and salt. Blend until smooth then pour back into the pot through a strainer for a smooth texture.
STEP FOUR: Cook the meat. Add the meat into the liquid with the remaining water and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 2-3 hours or until the meat is fall-apart tender then turn off the heat, remove the beef from the consommé and shred using two forks. Allow the consommé to rest so the fat layer will sit on top.
STEP FIVE: Prepare the tortillas. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Dip both sides of each tortilla in the top layer of the consommé where the fat is sitting, do not dip the tortillas deeper or they will absorb all the other liquid too and won’t fry until crispy. Add the dipped tortillas to the skillet and heat for 15-30 seconds then place into a clean plate.
STEP SIX: Assemble the tacos. Add a thick layer of cheese then top with the shredded beef and more cheese (if desired), close in half and return to the skillet. Fry on high heat on both sides for 15-30 seconds or until the tortillas are crispy.
Open the fried tacos and sprinkle with fresh onions and cilantro, top with lime juice (if desired) and dunk in the consommé! Enjoy!
Instant Pot and Slow Cooker
Instant Pot Birria Tacos: Sear the meat and char the veggies (step 1 and 2) in your instant pot then follow the recipe through step 4 and set to "High Pressure" and select "Stew Meat" and cook for about 50 minutes and do a natural release.
Slow Cooker Birria Tacos: Sear the meat in a separate pan, following the instructions in Step 1, char the veggies in the same pan as the meat, following Step 2, then follow the recipe through Step 4 and cook for 6-7 hours in a slow cooker.
What to serve with Birria Tacos
We enjoy Birria Tacos with a side of rice and beans, if we want a richer meal. If you want to spice up the rice, these are so good with Cilantro Lime Rice, Mexican Red Rice or even Taco Bell Seasoned Rice.
If you love corn, try our Mexican Street Corn Salad.
For a refreshing side, we like a classic 4-Ingredient Guacamole, this Cilantro Lime Slaw (no heavy dressing) or this Coleslaw with Sour Cream or even a quick avocado, tomato, onion salad with some lime juice.
Make-Ahead and Storing Instructions
Make-Ahead Instructions: Birria is the perfect make-ahead dish because the flavors deepens as it sits so you can make the beef up to 1-2 days ahead of time. To do this, follow the recipe through step 4 and store the shredded beef in the consommé, cover and refrigerate. To reheat heat the consommé over medium-high heat until hot again (5-10 minutes).
Storing Instructions: I recommend storing the shredded beef separately so you can store it in the consommé in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. To reheat heat the consommé over medium-high heat until hot again (5-10 minutes). You can also store assembled tacos for up to 2-3 days in the refrigerator but the meat may dry out a bit and reheating cheesy tacos can be messy.
Other Recommended Taco Recipes
If you make this recipe, be sure to comment and rate it down below. Also, don't forget to tag us @itsdamnspicy on Instagram and use the hashtag #itsdamnspicy so I can see your creations and re-share them with my followers! ⭐️
Birria Tacos
Ingredients
For The Meat
- 4 lbs (1.8 kg) chuck roast
- Salt and pepper
- Vegetable oil
- 1/2 large white onion
- 2 medium tomatoes
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 stick Mexican cinnamon (or 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon)
- 1 tablespoon whole peppercorns (or 2 teaspoon ground black pepper)
- 1 teaspoon whole cloves (or 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves)
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (3/4 teaspoon ground cumin)
- 7 chiles guajillos
- 7 chiles anchos
- 3 chiles de arbol (these are spicy, you can add as many as you want or skip them)
- 1 cup (250 ml) water
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 3 bay leaves
For The Tacos
- 15 corn tortillas (we use small 4-inch or 10 cm ones)
- 4 oz (110 g) mozzarella cheese or Oaxaca cheese or a blend of both
- White onion (diced)
- Cilantro (minced)
- Limes (to taste)
Instructions
- Sear the meat. Pat the meat dry with some paper towels then season with salt and pepper to taste. Place a large pot over medium-high heat, add a splash of vegetable oil. Once the oil is hot, add the meat and sear on all sides until browned, do not move the meat while it's searing. Once you're done remove from the pot and set aside.
- Prepare the stew base. In the same pot, add another splash of oil, then add the tomatoes, onions, garlic, and spices. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the tomatoes and onions have charred a bit. Add any ground spices and chiles towards the end so they don't burn. Add the water, cover, and cook for 10-15 minutes.Add the charred veggies and spices with the liquid to a blender, discarding whole cinnamon, then the vinegar, and salt. Blend until smooth then pour back into the pot through a strainer for a smooth texture.
- Cook the meat. Add the meat into the liquid with the remaining water and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 2-3 hours or until the meat is fall-apart tender then turn off the heat, remove the beef from the consommé and shred using two forks. Allow the consommé to rest so the fat layer will sit on top.
- Prepare the tortillas. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Dip both sides of each tortilla in the top layer of the consommé where the fat is sitting, do not dip the tortillas deeper or they will absorb all the other liquid too and won't fry until crispy. Add the dipped tortillas to the skillet and heat for 15-30 seconds then place into a clean plate.
- Assemble the tacos. Add a thick layer of cheese then top with the shredded beef and more cheese (if desired), close in half and return to the skillet. Fry on high heat on both sides for 15-30 seconds or until the tortillas are crispy. Open the fried tacos and sprinkle with fresh onions and cilantro, top with lime juice (if desired) and dunk in the consommé! Enjoy!
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