The Best Beef Birria and Birria Tacos

Enjoy rich and flavorful slow-cooked (using a stove, slow cooker, oven, or Instant Pot) beef birria as a stew or in birria tacos (quesabirria) with tender shredded beef, cheese, onion, cilantro, and a side of the rich beef and tomato consommé! A true showstopper!

Taco Tuesdays will never be the same now that I’ve discovered how to make birria beef and tacos birria (aka quesotacos) at home. It uses super rich and melt-in-the-mouth home-cooked slow-cooked beef birria for this Internet-famous dish.

Even just as a stew, topped with onion and cilantro, this dish is well worth the effort. But as tacos de birria recipe – you’ll be blown away! Best of all, it’s freezer friendly, so you can prepare it once and enjoy it for months!

What Is Birria Tacos

There are three terms I’ll be using a lot within this post: birria, birria tacos, and quesabirria. But what exactly do they all mean?

Let’s start with Birria. Birria is a dish originating from Jalisco in Mexico. It is a slow-cooked (traditionally underground, but now often on a stovetop) soup/stew made with chilies, garlic, several herbs/spices, and meat.

While traditionally, it uses goat meat, there are now versions with beef, lamb, and even vegan options. Once cooked, the meat is shredded and served with rich, complex flavored consommé alongside tortillas or bread.

Quesabirria Vs Birria Tacos

While technically, any tacos containing birria meat could be called Birria tacos, the method of preparing quesabirria is particular. There are several names for this type of taco, including red tacos, quesotacos, and quesabirria. Plus, they have quickly become a firm favorite at restaurants, pop-ups, and street food trucks!

To prepare an authentic birria tacos recipe, the birria meat is first slowly stewed until complex, flavorful, and super tender. Once cooked, the tortillas are dipped in the “fat” on top of the stew broth and then gently fried. The red tacos are then loaded with cheese, the stewed meat, and sometimes onion and cilantro. Then finally, they are pan-fried until crispy with ooey-gooey melting cheese.

Once cooked, most serve Mexican bira tacos with the rich broth/stock left in the pot of stewed meat (aka consommé). It’s great for dipping – much like a French dip sandwich and its dipping jus. So you get to enjoy the combination of melt-in-the-mouth beef, melty cheese, and crunchy tortilla with the rich beef sauce.

As you’ll see below, I’ve pulled out all the stops to prepare a delicious beef birria recipe (birria de res). Plus it has a slightly thicker sauce than a traditional consommé, thanks to the addition of blended veggies and tomatoes. And let me just say, the time and effort are WELL worth it!

What Are Birria Tacos Made of

There are several elements we’ll be preparing when making this easy biria tacos recipe. This includes the birria meat and the birria tacos with cheese, and consommé. However, aside from the list of spices, this ingredient list is filled with primarily simple and inexpensive ingredients.

Beef Birria Ingredients

• Beef: While traditional birria stew is made with goat, I find beef (aka birria de res) a lot more accessible for all. However, feel free to use goat or lamb if preferred. Keep reading below for the best beef cuts for this beef birria recipe.
• Chilies: I use a selection of different dried chiles for barria tacos. I.e., Ancho chiles (dried Poblano pepper with a fruity and mild), Guajillo chilies (mild, fruity, smoky, and slightly sweet), and Chiles de Arbol (hot with a sharp flavor). These will provide some spice, smokiness, and color, too.

If you only want to use one, I recommend Guajillo peppers (found in the International aisle of most large grocery stores). New Mexico or Pasilla chilies would work as substitutes.

• Vegetables: To add depth and aromatic flavor to the birria recipe, you’ll need onion (white is best, but red onion works, too), garlic, carrot, and Roma tomatoes. Canned fire-roasted Roma tomatoes will work in a pinch.
• Broth: You can use homemade or store-bought liquid beef broth or broth powder mixed with water (like my Homemade Bouillon Powder).
• Seasoning: This authentic birria taco recipe is well seasoned with several popular pantry spices:
  • Salt,
  • Oregano (it’s best to use Mexican oregano for the authentic flavor),
  • Bay leaves,
  • Cumin powder,
  • Coriander seeds,
  • Smoked paprika,
  • Peppercorns,
  • Cinnamon (stick),
  • Ginger,
  • Cloves.

The Remaining Birria Tacos Ingredients

• Tortillas: Small corn tortillas work better than flour ones for this quesabirria tacos recipe.
• Onion: White or red onion will work.
• Cilantro: If you’re a cilantro hater, you could use flat-leaf parsley, though the flavors are vastly different.

Alternatively, substitute the onion and cilantro with fresh salsa. Other toppings that could work well with the tacos birrias include sliced avocado or guacamole, pickled red onions, or jalapeños.

• Cheese: I recommend Mexican cheese like Oaxaca cheese or Chihuahua cheese as the best cheese for birria tacos. But you could also use Monterey Jack or mozzarella.
• Lime: Lime wedges or fresh lime juice to serve with the birria de res or beef birria tacos for added bright flavor and balance.

How to Make Beef Birria and Quesabirria Tacos?

While the number of steps in this recipe may seem intimidating, don’t worry. The actual method is simple, and the hands-on prep time is minimal. Just plan enough time to stew the beef to melt-in-the-mouth perfection.

How to Make Beef Birria

First, trim the ends of the chilies with kitchen shears and de-seed them (the seeds should just fall out). Then, roughly chop the meat into a few smaller sections to fit a large saucepan or Dutch oven.

For extra flavor, toast the coriander seeds and peppercorns in the pan first, until fragrant (2-3 minutes).

Chop the carrot into 2-3 pieces, peel and cut the onion in half, and peel the garlic, adding them to the saucepan. Also, add all the spices and the water/broth.

Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Then reduce the temperature to a simmer and cook for between 3-4 hours, or until the meat is tender, stirring occasionally.

If you cut the meat into bite-sized pieces, it can become tender in as little as 2 hours. However, it could take up to 6 hours if it’s in very large pieces.

As it cooks, use a skimmer or spoon to skim the scum that forms at the top of the liquid.

Preparing the Birria Sauce

About 30 minutes into cooking the birria meat, char the tomatoes over an open flame (or under a broiler) until blackened all over. Leave them to cool until manageable, then peel their skins.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the onion, carrot, garlic, and chilies from the saucepan (the spices are fine to leave behind). Transfer them to a blender or food processor along with the tomatoes.

If needed, add a few tablespoons of broth from the pan for a smooth consistency. If it doesn’t blend completely smooth, you can sieve the mixture after blending it.

Pour this sauce back into the saucepan with the meat and stir. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally. The meat is ready when it’s tender and easy to shred.

When ready, remove the meat from the pan, shred it with two forks, and remove any fatty bits from them.

After dealing with the meat, use a spoon to skim the fat from the top of the birria broth. Save it in a wide bowl (large enough to dip the tortillas into). Finally, sieve the broth to remove the spices/bay leaves, etc.

Alternatively, you could dip the tortillas directly into the top layer of fat in the pot.

How to Make Birria Tacos

First, finely chop the onion and the cilantro, and grate the cheese. Also, preheat a large skillet over medium heat.

Then, working one at a time, dip a corn tortilla into the reserved fat from the meat. Fry it gently on both sides for about 20 seconds.

To assemble the birria queso tacos, place some cheese, beef, onion, and cilantro into each tortilla. Fold it in two and then press it with a spatula to fry on both sides until crisp and golden. Repeat this with the remaining tortillas.

If you have a very large skillet or a griddle, you should be able to cook the quesabirria 2-3 at a time.

Once ready, serve the quesa birria tacos with lime wedges and small bowls of the tomatoey birria sauce. Enjoy!

If you need to keep batches of the tacos warm before serving, spread them on a baking tray. Keep them in the oven at 250ºF/120ºC until serving.

How to Eat Birria Tacos

There are several ways to serve the various elements we’ve made in this post:

• Serve it as a Mexican beef stew (Birria de Res) alongside tortillas or bread (skim the fat from the top first).

When enjoying it as a stew, you can leave the veggies in or remove them. I do, however, recommend adding some onion, cilantro, and a lime wedge for garnish!

• Make quesabirria recipe with the meat and enjoy with a consommé of the broth.
• Make birraquiles (a type of birria nachos) made by layering tortilla chips with the birria, cheese, and consommé.
• Make birria tostadas using the same cooking method (dipped in the red grease and fried, then topped with the birria beef, cheese, onion, and cilantro).
• Turn it into birria ramen by adding extra broth and noodles.
• Swap out the tortilla for bread and make a delicious birria grilled cheese.
• Make birria burrito bowls.
• Add beef birria and cheese to top baked potatoes and sweet potatoes.
• Use leftover birria meat and sauce to make a birria pizza with melty cheese.

If you’re enjoying them as birria tacos, you could make them into a complete meal. Just add Mexican rice, Mexican corn on the cob, or a Mexican/Tex-Mex side salad (like this cowboy caviar).

How to Store Birria

Allow the beef birria to cool and store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. As a bonus, the fat will solidify on top when chilled, so it’s easy to scoop away.

I recommend eating assembled quesabirria immediately, though, for the best texture.

How to Reheat Birria Tacos

You can reheat the shredded beef birria in the broth either in a skillet/saucepan over medium heat. Or reheat in the oven in a pan covered with foil (10-15 minutes at 350ºF/175ºC).

Can You Freeze Birria Meat?

Absolutely. I recommend freezing the meat in the sauce and freezing it for up to 3 months. Allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating it.

FAQs

More Mexican-Inspired Recipes

• Fire-Roasted Salsa
• Mango Avocado Salsa
• Mangonada Recipe (Chamoyada)
• How to Make Chamoy
• Tepache De Piña
• Agua de Horchata
• Easy Shredded Chicken Tacos Recipe

If you try this birria de rez and birria taco recipe (quesabirria), I’d love to hear your thoughts/questions below. Also, I’d appreciate a recipe card rating below, and feel free to tag me in your recipe recreations on Instagram @Alphafoodie!