Birria Queso Tacos
Birria Queso tacos blew up on the internet in 2021 and for good reason, they’re delicious! Birria is slow cooked beef in a roasted chili sauce. To make the tacos, you dip corn tortillas into the jeux leftover from the meat then fry them and fill them with the beef and Oaxaca cheese. The flavor of these tacos is off the charts but they can be overwhelming to make. My goal is to show you an authentic but simpler version of this recipe that you can make in your slow cooker!
What is Birria?
So as I mentioned before, birria is slow cooked meat, usually goat or beef. It’s actually pretty easy to make. It just takes time and that time shouldn’t be skimped. You could use a pressure cooker or instant pot to speed up the process but the flavors just won’t be as vibrant and the meat won’t be as tender . It needs that slow soak in the sauce to really meld with all the ingredients.
The meat in these tacos is the Birria part of this recipe, it’s a traditional Mexican dish from the state of Jalisco. The Spanish term “birria” is used to describe immaterial things without value or quality. I’m not sure how it came to also be a term for slow cooked meat. It is a traditional ancestral stew and cooked at a low heat. Not to be confused with barbacoa, which is cooked underground, birria is slow-stewed in a pot and it is commonly accompanied with handmade corn tortillas.
In recent years, the popular adaptation of birria has been quesabirria, a style of taco composed of a beef birria served with melted cheese in a taco that has been stained red by the birria marinade. While not a traditional Mexican dish, quesabirria, also known as red tacos, has gained huge popularity through social media. I too became obsessed with birria queso tacos and all the other variants and really wanted to try my hand at my own version of this recipe.
Birria Queso Tacos Ingredients:
So Many Chilies!
So if you’ve glanced at the ingredient list you might have noticed the plentiful variety of dried chilies. Even though it seems excessive, all of these chilies add a different level of flavor to the Birria. For instance the arbol chilies add a wonderful heat and the ancho and mulato chilies add a deep bitter richness. It might be hard to find all these chilies in your regular local grocery store, but if you are lucky enough to have a Mexican market or grocery store, they will definitely have everything you need. Also you can easily order these online.
Luckily they are very inexpensive and can be used in a huge variety of other recipes like enchiladas, and ranchero sauce.
Tips and Tricks:
- This recipe makes a large amount of the Birria. You can easily use this meat in other dishes like quesadillas, burritos and my personal favorite gorditas.
- When tackling a large recipe like this, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Try breaking it down and taking it in parts, luckily I’ve already done most of the work in the way the recipe is structured.
- So in the recipe I suggest using Oaxaca cheese and for good reason. Oaxaca cheese is usually available at your local grocery store and it’s an amazing authentic cheese from Mexico that has Aztec origins. When melted it’s gooey and perfectly stringy.
- This recipe goes great with:
Birria Queso Tacos Step by Step:
Chilies:
Remove the seeds and stems from all of the dried chilies. Place the chilies in a dry skillet on medium high heat. Toast the chilies for about one minute. Do NOT burn the chilies. They will become bitter. Once you can smell their fragrance they’re ready.
Boil 2 cups of water. Place the dried chilies in a heat safe bowl. Pour the hot stock over the chilies, cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Allow them to soak and soften for 30 minutes. Pour the softened chilies and water into a blender and blend until smooth.
Meat:
Cut the chuck roast into large chunks. Season the chuck roast pieces and beef shanks with the salt. Heat the oil in a skillet and sear the meat on all sides until browned. You may have to do this in batches to get even browning.. Spray a slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Add the meat to the slow cooker.
Sauce:
Add the finely diced onion and 3 garlic cloves (minced) into the same skillet. Sauté for 1-2 mins then add two cups of the beef stock to the pan and scrape the bottom. Remove and reserve for the consommé.
Add the chipotle peppers, diced tomatoes, 3 of the garlic cloves, 2 bay leaves, peppercorns, Mexican oregano, cumin, coriander, allspice, cinnamon stick, ginger, and vinegar into the blender.
Blend until well combined and smooth. Pour in the remainder of the beef stock if it fits, pulse until smooth. Pour the mixture into the slow cooker, then add the rest of the beef stock, onion and garlic from the pan.
Stir thoroughly. Cover with the lid and cook on high for 4 hours, low for 6, or until the beef is fork tender. Remove the meat and shred it. Discard the bones. Ladle out 2 cups of the sauce (consommé) to dip the tortillas in. Strain it into a bowl.
Birria QuesoTacos:
Dip the tortillas into the consommé. Fry in a hot skillet for about 20 seconds.
Add the meat, cheese, and toppings of your choice. I like to add cilantro and onion. Fold the tortilla over and continue heating until the cheese is melted and the tortilla is at its desired crispness.
Serve the tortillas with a side of the consommé. I like to add more cilantro and onion to the sauce. Dip and enjoy!
Birria Queso Tacos
Equipment
- Slow Cooker You can make this in the oven as well. Covered in a large pan @ 220 for 4 hours.
- Cast Iron Pan Optional but it does work great for getting a good sear on the tacos.
Ingredients
Meat:
- 4 pounds chuck roast, cut into large chunks
- 3 pounds beef shanks
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Chilies:
- 5 New Mexico Chilies
- 5 Ancho Chilies
- 4 Guajillo Chilies
- 3 Chile de Arbol
- 2 Mulato Chilies
- 2 cups water
Sauce:
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 yellow onion, finely diced
- 4 cups beef stock
- 14.5 ounces petite diced tomatoes
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted*
- 4 whole cloves
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 1/2 inch cinammon stick
- 1 inch ginger
- 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
Tacos:
- corn tortillas
- Queso Fresco or Oaxaca Cheese, shredded
- cilantro and chopped onion, for garnish
- limes
Instructions
Chilies:
- Remove the seeds and stems from all of the dried chilies. Place the chilies in a dry skillet on medium high heat. Toast the chilies for about one minute. Do NOT burn the chilies. They will become bitter. Once you can smell their fragrance they’re ready.
- Boil 2 cups of water. Place the dried chilies in a heat safe bowl. Pour the hot water over the chilies, cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Allow them to soak and soften for 30 minutes. Pour the softened chilies and water into a blender and blend until smooth.
Meat:
- Season the chuck roast pieces and beef shanks with the salt. Heat the oil in a skillet and sear the meat on all sides until browned. You may have to do this in batches to get even browning. Spray a slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Add the meat to the slow cooker.
Sauce:
- Add the finely diced onion and 3 garlic cloves (minced) into the same skillet. Sauté for 1-2 mins then add two cups of the beef stock to the pan and scrape the bottom. Remove and reserve.
- Add the chipotle peppers, diced tomatoes, 3 of the garlic cloves, 2 bay leaves, peppercorns, Mexican oregano, cumin, coriander, allspice, cinnamon stick, ginger, and vinegar into the blender.
- Blend until well combined and smooth. Pour in the remainder of the beef stock if it fits, pulse until smooth. Pour the mixture into the slow cooker, then add the rest of the beef stock, onion and garlic from the pan.
- Stir thoroughly. Cover with the lid and cook on high for 4 hours, low for 6 hours, or until the beef is fork tender.
- Remove the meat and shred it. Discard the bones. Ladle out 2 cups of the sauce (consommé) to dip the tortillas in. Strain it into a bowl.
Tacos:
- Dip the tortillas into the consommé. Fry in a hot skillet for about 20 seconds.
- Add the meat, cheese, and toppings of your choice. I like to do cilantro and onion. Fold the tortilla over and continue heating until the cheese is melted and the tortilla is at its desired crispness.
- Serve the tortillas with a side of the consommé. I like to add more cilantro and onion to the sauce. Dip and enjoy!