Beef Birria Tacos
Beef Birria Tacos are made with fall-apart tender chuck roast simmered for hours in a rich, chile-spiked consommé, then folded into crispy, cheese-stuffed tortillas and served with the broth for dipping. It's a slow-cooked, deeply flavorful dish that's every bit worth the wait.
Equipment
- dutch oven
- blender
Ingredients
Beef Birria
- 4 lbs Chuck roast
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 4-5 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 cups crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 cups water
- 2 dried Hatch chiles, seeds and stems removed
- 1 chipotle in adobo
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- a few whole cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4-5 bay leaves
Tacos
- tortillas
- shredded cheese
- limes
- fresh cilantro
- chopped onions
Instructions
Beef Birria
- Cut chuck roast into large pieces. Season with salt and pepper.
- Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat with olive oil. Add the pieces of Chuck roast, careful not to crowd. Brown all sides. You may need to work in batches. Remove from the pot.
- Add the garlic, onion, and tomato paste. Cook for several minutes, allowing the tomato paste to deepen in color.
- Add the remaining ingredients, including the browned chuck. Make sure to add any drippings that have accumulated on the plate.
- Cover and allow to simmer for 1 hour.
- Remove the softened chiles, the onions, and some of the broth and add to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and silky. Pour back into the pot.
- Allow to simmer for 3 more hours or until the beef is fall apart tender.
- Shred the meat and add back to the sauce.
Tacos
- To build your Beef Birria Tacos heat a large skillet over medium heat.
- Dip a tortilla into the sauce. Add shredded cheese to half of the tortilla along with some of the shredded beef.
- Fold the tortilla over and brown both sides.
- To serve, top with chopped onions, cilantro, and serve with wedges of lime and cups of the reserved consommé for dipping. Enjoy!
Notes
- Let the meat simmer low and slow. Resist the urge to crank up the heat to speed things along. A gentle simmer over the full 3 hours is what breaks down the connective tissue and gives you that fall-apart texture. If it isn't fall-apart tender after 3 hours, give it another 30 minutes.
- Leftover consommé and shredded beef freeze well for up to 3 months.
- For an extra-crisp taco, use a little extra oil or butter in the skillet while browning.
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