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These birria tacos are crispy, cheesy, and incredibly flavorful! Made from corn tortillas dipped in the top layer of fat of a pot of birria, stuffed with tender shredded birria and cheese, and then fried to crispy perfection. This popular dish takes tacos to another level.
Birria tacos are some of the best Mexican tacos you can make! They rank right up there with carnitas, al pastor, chicken tinga, and carne asada, and have become incredibly popular in the last couple of years thanks to TikTok and social media.
I’ve made this recipe dozens of times, and it’s one of my family’s favorites!
What Are Birria Tacos?
Birria tacos (sometimes called quesabirria) are a Mexican dish made from corn tortillas that are soaked in the rich, red fat layer that sits on top of simmered birria, which gives the tacos their distinct red color. The tortillas are then lightly fried in a skillet and filled with succulent birria and lots of cheese to make the best tacos ever!
They’re served with a side of the flavorful birria broth (consomé) for dipping and plenty of diced white onion, fresh cilantro, and lime wedges.
All of the birria’s flavors and juices are in every inch of this taco, and it makes every bite so delicious.
Birria Taco Ingredients
- Dried chiles: You need guajillo chiles, ancho chiles, and arbol chiles. You can find them in the international foods aisle of your local grocery store or at all Hispanic grocery stores. If you can’t find them in your area, buying them online is always a great option. If you’ve never worked with dried chiles before, I’ve got your back. Step by step instructions are in the recipe card below. You can also read this detailed birria post for more.
- Spices and bay leaves: I used a combination of garlic, cumin, ground clove, Mexican oregano, Mexican cinnamon stick (also called Ceylon cinnamon), black peppercorns, and 3 bay leaves. If you don’t have Mexican oregano, you can use regular oregano. If you can’t find Mexican cinnamon sticks (they’re the brittle kind that you can easily break in half), you can use 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon.
- Meat: I used a beef chuck roast to make my birria. It’s got a great fat-to-meat ratio and creates the perfect layer of fat needed to fry the tortillas to make birria tacos. Birria is traditionally made with goat or lamb meat, but that’s not readily available where I live, so I opted for beef. Other options also include short ribs, beef shanks, and oxtail for added flavor.
- Corn tortillas: Corn tortillas that you can get just about at any grocery store are perfect! Of course, you can always make your own homemade corn tortillas if you’re feeling fancy.
- Shredded cheese: Traditional Mexican melting cheeses like Oaxacan (quesillo), Chihuahua, and Asadero are the best options, but you could also use Monterey Jack or Mozzarella if you can’t find those near you.
- Cilantro, diced white onions, and lime wedges: Must-have toppings that pair perfectly with the rich and fatty birria!
How to Make Birria Tacos
Make the birria. Season and sear the meat on both sides. Then soak the chiles, blend them until smooth, and strain the sauce into a pot with the seared meat. Bring everything to a boil, then turn the heat to low, cover, and cook for 3-3 ½ hours until the meat is fall-apart tender. Take the meat out and shred it with two forks.
Step by step instructions on how to make the birria meat from scratch are in the recipe card below. If you’d like to see more detailed step-by-step photos on how to make the birria and the sauce, take a look at my birria post.
Dip both sides of a corn tortilla in the layer of fat that sits on top of the pot of birria. Try to only dip into this top layer and not further down into the red broth or consomé.
I find that if you let the birria settle for 10 minutes or so, the layer of fat will rise to the top, making it easier to make birria tacos.
Fry the tortilla in a large skillet over medium-high heat. It should begin bubbling immediately. Top half of the tortilla with a generous amount of shredded cheese and shredded birria meat.
Fold the other half of the tortilla over to create a taco, and cook for 1 minute on each side until the cheese has fully melted and the tortillas have crisped up.
Stuff your tacos with diced white onion, and cilantro, and serve on a plate with lime wedges and the consomé as a dipping sauce!
Can I Make Birria in the Instant Pot or Slow Cooker?
Yes. To make it in the Instant Pot, pressure cook the birria on high for 60 minutes. To make in the slow cooker, slow cook on low for 7-8 hours.
Storing and Reheating
Birria can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
I recommend making the tacos right before serving so the tortillas stay crispy.
More Mexican Recipes
- Chicken Enchiladas
- Mexican Rice
- Chile Relleno
- Mole Sauce (Mole Poblano)
- Tamales
Birria Tacos
Ingredients
For the birria
- 4 to 5 pounds chuck roast, cut into large 4-inch chunks
- ½ tablespoon kosher salt
- ½ tablespoon black pepper
- 1 ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 12 guajillo chiles, rinsed, stemmed, and seeded (about 2.5 oz)
- 5 ancho chiles, rinsed, stemmed, and seeded (about 2 oz)
- 5 árbol chiles, rinsed and stemmed (about 0.1 oz)
- 2 large Roma tomatoes
- ½ medium yellow onion
- 1 Mexican cinnamon stick*
- 3 bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- water, as needed
- 2 cups beef broth
- ¼ cup distilled white vinegar
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano*
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
For the tacos
- Corn tortillas (homemade or store-bought)
- 2 cups shredded cheese* (see Notes for best options)
- ½ white onion, diced
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Generously season the meat with salt and pepper on all sides, and heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Working in 2 batches, add the meat and sear on all sides until browned. Remove the pot from the heat, add the seared meat back into the pot, and set aside.
- While the meat is searing, add the guajillo chiles, ancho chiles, arbol chiles, tomatoes, onion, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, and peppercorns to a medium pot. Cover completely with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the softened chiles and all the other ingredients to a large blender.
- Add 1 cup of the chile-soaked cooking water, the beef broth, white vinegar, garlic, cumin, oregano, and cloves. Blend on high for a few minutes until completely smooth. (You may have to do this in 2 batches if your blender isn’t big enough.)
- Strain the blended sauce through a fine mesh strainer into the pot with the seared meat. Discard any solids left behind.
- Stir the meat and chile sauce together to combine and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 3 to 3 ½ hours until the meat is fall-apart tender.
- Transfer the meat to a large bowl and shred it with 2 forks.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly dip both sides of a corn tortilla in the layer of fat that sits at the top of the red chile birria broth (consomé), then place it in the hot skillet to begin frying. Top half of the tortilla with a generous amount of shredded cheese and shredded beef birria meat. Fold the other half of the tortilla over to create a taco, and cook for 1 minute on each side until the cheese has fully melted and the taco becomes crispy and browned. Repeat to make more tacos.
- Pour some of the birria consomé into a small ramekin or bowl. Stuff each taco with fresh cilantro and white onion and serve on a plate with lime wedges and the consomé as a dipping sauce.
Video
Notes
- For best results, make your own corn tortillas at home, they’re only 3 ingredients!
- Shredded cheese: Traditional Mexican melting cheeses like Oaxacan (quesillo), Chihuahua, and Asadero are the best options, but you could also use Monterey Jack or Mozzarella if you can’t find those near you.
- Mexican cinnamon: This cinnamon is also known as Ceylon cinnamon. It’s brittle, can be easily broken into small pieces, and is blended into the sauce. It’s readily available in most Hispanic grocery stores. If you can’t find it near you, I recommend using a regular cinnamon stick and removing it before blending or using 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon.
- Mexican oregano: If you don’t have Mexican oregano, you can use regular oregano instead.
- To make this in the Instant Pot: Use the ‘Saute’ function to sear the meat, then add in the blended chile sauce. Close the lid and pressure cook on high for 60 minutes using the manual setting. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes before manually releasing any remaining pressure.
- To make birria in the slow cooker: Brown and sear the meat in a pot or skillet. Add the seared meat and blended chile sauce to the slow cooker, cover, and cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 5 hours.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
love this recipe! my family wanted them again as soon as we finished the leftovers.
Absolutely delicious! I made this today and my husband and stepson have officially gone into food comas, I’m not far behind.