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Birria Queso Tacos

Birria is a traditional Mexican stew, typically made with goat or beef, marinated in a rich blend of spices and slow-cooked until tender. When paired with gooey melted cheese and served in a crispy tortilla, it transforms into birria queso tacos.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 12 people
Course: dinner
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Birria beef:
  • 3-4 lbs beef chuck roast or short ribs- you can also use lamb meat
  • 2 dried pasilla peppers (seeded)
  • 2 dried ancho peppers (seeded)
  • 1 dried chili de Arbol (seeded)
  • 6 cloves garlic cloves
  • 1 white onion, roughly chopped
  • 4 Roma tomatoes, quartered
  • 1 tbl apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp dried Mexican oregano
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 4 cups beef broth
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tsp whole peppercorns
  • 3  bay leaves
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 springs of fresh thyme
For the Tacos:
  • small corn tortillas
  • shredded Chihuahua cheese (Mexican cheese)
  • in a small bowl, combine chopped cilantro and one diced onion
  •  lime wedges for garnish

Equipment

  • 3-4 lbs

Method
 

Prepare the Birria Meat
  1. Sear the meat: Cut the beef into large chunks, then season it with salt and pepper to taste. Place a large pot over medium-high heat, add oil until it covers the bottom, then sear the meat on all sides until golden brown. Remove the meat to a separate bowl.
  2. Make the sauce: To the same large pot that you cooked the meat in, add roughly chopped onions and saute until the bottom of the pan begins to deglaze. Toss in whole garlic cloves, chopped Roma tomatoes, tomato paste, cumin, oregano, chili powder, vinegar, and dried peppers (remove the seeds). Let everything saute together for 5 minutes. Then add 1 1/2 cups of water and simmer for another 10 minutes. This will help the peppers rehydrate, and all the flavors come together. Let it cool off a bit, add everything into a blender, and blend until smooth. Put the sauce through a strainer (you can add water if it’s too thick) and put it back into the same pot you cooked the sauce in.
  3. Cook the birria: Add the meat to the large pot with the sauce and cover with beef stock. Toss in the thyme, cinnamon stick (remove the cinnamon stick after 30 minutes of cooking), bay leaf, and whole peppercorns. Salt to taste. Simmer on low heat for 3-4 hours (or 8 hours in a slow cooker) until the meat is fall-apart tender. Remove the meat and shred it with forks. Keep the meat in any big container, then pour a few cups of the sauce over it to keep it moist. Reserve the consomé (cooking liquid). You will use it as a dipping sauce for the queso birria!
Assemble the Tacos
  1. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Lightly grease it with oil.
  2. Dip a tortilla into the reserved consomé to coat it, then place it on the skillet.
  3. Add a handful of shredded cheese, about a tablespoon of fresh onion with cilantro, and a generous portion of shredded beef on one side of the tortilla. Fold it over to form a taco.
  4. Cook until the tortilla is crispy and the cheese is melted, flipping once for even cooking.
  5. Arrange the tacos on a plate and serve with a small bowl of consomé for dipping. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro, diced onions, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

Notes

To seed a pepper:
Cut the pepper in half lengthwise, and scrape the seeds with a knife or a spoon. This will prevent the peppers from being too spicy.