Description
Authentic Mexican Birria Tacos featuring tender, slow-cooked chuck beef simmered in a rich, flavorful adobo sauce made from dried guajillo, ancho, and arbol chillies. The beef is shredded and combined with a spicy consommé, then folded into corn tortillas with melted cheese, onion, and cilantro before being pan-fried to crispy perfection. Served with a savory consommé for dipping, these tacos deliver a perfect balance of smoky, spicy, and cheesy flavors, ideal for a festive gathering or comforting meal.
Ingredients
Chilli Adobo Paste
- 25 g (0.9 oz) guajillo chillies, dried (~4 pieces, heaped 3/4 cup once chopped)
- 45 g (1.6 oz) ancho chillies, dried (~2-3 pieces, 1 cup once chopped)
- 6 g (0.2 oz) chillies de arbol, dried (~6 pieces, 2 tbsp once chopped)
- 1/2 cup chilli soaking water (reserved after simmering)
- 5 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 small onion, roughly sliced (~tennis ball size)
- 1 medium tomato, roughly sliced (180g)
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 10 cloves (or 1/4 tsp ground cloves)
- 1 cinnamon stick (or 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder as substitute)
- 3 bay leaves (preferably fresh)
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (or white/red wine vinegar)
- 2 1/2 tsp cooking salt/kosher salt (halve if using table salt, +30% for flakes)
Beef and Cooking
- 5 tbsp vegetable oil (or canola oil)
- 1.3 kg (2.6 lb) chuck beef, cut into 6 large pieces (or 1.8 kg/3.6 lb boneless beef short ribs)
- 2 cups beef stock / broth (low sodium)
- 1/2 tsp cooking salt/kosher salt
For Assembly
- 20 – 25 corn tortillas (14.5cm / 6″ wide)
- 1 white onion, diced
- 1/2 cup finely chopped coriander/cilantro leaves
- 3 1/2 cups (350 g) shredded cheese (Colby, Monterey Jack, or Oaxaca cheese)
- Lime wedges (optional)
- Your favorite salsa or hot sauce (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare Chillies: Put on gloves if sensitive. Deseed the guajillo, ancho, and arbol chillies by trimming stems and removing all seeds. Roughly chop the chillies into 1 – 1.5 cm pieces.
- Simmer Chillies: Place chopped chillies in a large saucepan of boiling water and simmer rapidly for 10 minutes until the flesh is soft and mushy but skins are intact. Reserve 1/2 cup of the chilli-soaking water before draining the chillies in a sieve and lightly pressing out excess liquid.
- Make Birria Adobo Paste: Combine the softened chillies, reserved soaking water, garlic, onion, tomato, oregano, cumin, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, vinegar, and 2 1/2 tsp salt in a tall jug or blender container. Blitz for 20 seconds until smooth but not completely pureed. Set aside.
- Sear Beef: Heat 5 tbsp oil in a large heavy-based pot or Dutch oven over high heat. Brown half of the beef pieces aggressively until dark golden brown (about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes per side). Remove to a bowl and repeat with remaining beef pieces.
- Cook Off Adobo Paste: Lower the heat slightly and add the prepared adobo paste to the same pot. Stir and cook for 2 minutes to cook off the raw flavors in the oil.
- Slow Cook Beef: Add the beef stock, 1/2 tsp salt, cloves, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, and seared beef pieces to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to very low simmering (small gentle bubbles), cover with a lid and cook for 2 1/2 hours (or 3 to 3 1/2 hours if using bone-in short ribs), until beef is extremely tender and shreds easily.
- Shred Beef: Remove the cooked beef to a clean pan and shred thoroughly with forks. Toss in 1/2 tsp salt to season and distribute evenly.
- Skim Birria Oil: Carefully skim off the reddish oil layer floating on top of the braising liquid (aim for 6 tablespoons or more) and reserve it separately as the flavorful Birria Oil.
- Prepare Birria Consommé: Pour 1 cup of the braising liquid into a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat and let it simmer for 15 seconds. Add the shredded beef and toss in the sauce until fully absorbed with minimal liquid remaining. Transfer beef back to the shredding pan and scrape the pan clean.
- Check Seasoning: Taste the consommé and add salt if needed to achieve a slightly salty flavor suitable for dipping without being overpowering. Keep warm for serving.
- Prepare Red Tortillas: Heat 1 teaspoon of Birria Oil over medium-low heat in the same non-stick pan. Place a tortilla in the pan and quickly wipe the underside around with the oil to color it red; the tortilla will soften but does not need flipping. Remove after about 10 seconds. Repeat with two more tortillas using 1/2 teaspoon oil each.
- Assemble Tacos: On each prepared tortilla, spread shredded cheese on half, then top with a generous portion of beef, diced white onion, and chopped cilantro.
- Pan-Fry Tacos: Fold the tortilla over the filling and place 3 tacos at a time in the pan over medium-high heat. Fry each side for about 2 minutes until golden-red and crispy with melted cheese inside.
- Serve: Remove tacos and serve immediately with hot Birria Consommé for dipping. Optionally garnish with lime wedges and your favorite salsa or hot sauce. Enjoy the consommé also as soup!
Notes
- Use gloves when handling dried chillies to avoid irritation.
- The beef cut can be chuck or boneless short ribs depending on availability; short ribs require longer cooking time but add extra richness.
- Oaxaca cheese is traditional and gives excellent melt and stretchiness but Monterey Jack or Colby cheese work well if unavailable.
- Use low sodium beef stock to better control salt levels in the consommé.
- Birria Oil is the flavorful fat skimmed from the braising liquid, key to getting authentic taste and red color on the tortillas.
- For a slow cooker method, cook beef for 6-8 hours on low instead of stovetop simmer.
- Tortillas should be fresh, 6-inch corn tortillas for authentic texture and flavor.
- Consommé can be refrigerated and reheated gently; its rich flavor makes a fantastic broth or base for other dishes.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: Mexican
