Birria Tacos – Mexican Braised Beef Tacos with Consommé

Ingredients:

Preparation mode:

👉 Birria is a rich, spicy stew from the Mexican state of Jalisco, traditionally made with goat and now often with beef. The meat is slowly braised in a sauce of dried chiles and spices until it falls apart. For birria tacos (or quesabirria with cheese), tortillas are dipped in the red fat from the top of the stew, filled with meat and cheese and fried until crispy – then dunked into a cup of the hot broth, called consommé.

It takes time, but most of it is hands-off simmering, and one pot feeds a crowd.

How to Make Birria Tacos

1. Toast and soak the chiles. Toast the dried chiles in a dry pan for 20–30 seconds per side. Cover with hot water and soak for 15 minutes.
2. Make the sauce. Blend the drained chiles with the halved onion, garlic, tomatoes, cumin, oregano, vinegar and 250 ml of the stock until very smooth.
3. Brown the beef. Season the beef with salt. Brown it in batches in a large heavy pot with a little oil.
4. Braise. Pour the sauce over the beef (strain it for a silkier consommé), add the remaining stock, cinnamon, cloves and bay leaves. Cover and simmer on low heat for 2½–3 hours, until the beef is very tender.
5. Shred. Lift out the meat and shred it with two forks. Skim the red fat from the top of the broth into a bowl. Taste the broth (consommé) for salt.
6. Fry the tacos. Dip a tortilla in the red fat, place it in a hot pan, top with cheese and meat, fold and fry for 2–3 minutes per side, until crispy.
7. Serve. Serve hot with a cup of consommé topped with chopped onion and cilantro, and lime wedges for squeezing.

Tips for the Best Birria

• Mix the cuts. Chuck plus short ribs or oxtail gives the richest broth.
• Don’t burn the chiles. Burnt chiles make the sauce bitter – a few seconds is enough.
• Make it a day ahead. The flavour gets deeper overnight, and the fat is easy to lift off once cold.
• Pressure cooker: cook for 50–60 minutes on high pressure instead of 3 hours.

Birria FAQ

What is birria consommé?
The spicy broth left after braising the meat. It is served on the side for dipping the tacos.

What meat is traditional for birria?
In Jalisco it is traditionally made with goat; beef birria is popular in Tijuana and around the world.

Are birria tacos spicy?
Guajillo and ancho chiles are mild and smoky. The heat comes from chile de árbol, which you can skip.

👉 More Mexican recipes: Chilaquiles rojos, Mexican rice and drowned beef sandwich. Read about street foods around the world.

Footnotes:

Storage: keep the meat and consommé separately in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze for 3 months.

Goat or lamb version: use the same sauce and braise for 3 hours.