Birria is a tasty dish originating in the Mexican state of Jalisco. It is a traditional aromatic and savory stew that has become popular around the world. This birria recipe makes stewed meat that has become loved as tacos de birria or quesabirria tacos (birria cheese tacos). If you are new to birria or just new to making this dish at home, I will guide you through making this delicious recipe.
Birria is generally made with goat meat, but it can also be made with lamb, beef (Birria de Res), or chicken.
It is a great make-ahead meal for the following reasons:
- Flavors Develop Over Time. The slow-cooked meat and broth absorb the spices, chiles, and seasonings after sitting for a day or two. It is a meal that tastes better the next day
- Easy to Store and Reheat. Store the shredded meat and consomé separately in airtight containers to maintain their texture and flavor. Reheating is as simple as simmering the consomé and warming the beef. Birria can easily be frozen for future use.
- Versatile for Multiple Dishes. Birria is versatile; it can be used to make tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas, nachos, and burritos, or it can even be served traditionally as a stew.
- Crowd-Pleasing and Scalable. Making birria in a large batch is simple and ideal for feeding a crowd or prepping meals for busy weeks. It’s perfect for parties and potlucks.
- Holds Up Well. Birria meat stays tender, and the consomé retains its flavor when reheated. Birria only gets better the next day.
Birria is a perfect meal in my family since my husband’s favorite meals are Mexican, and I love all braised meals. Prep them earlier, and after a long day of working in the garden or with livestock, it is a wonderful meal that is ready to eat. I braise beef birria in the oven, but it can also easily be cooked in a slow cooker or instant pot.
Cuts of meat to use to make birria beef:
- Chuck Roast is a well-marbled, tough cut that becomes flavorful and tender when slow-cooked.
- Brisket is another cut with a fat layer, making moist meat great for shredding.
- Short Ribs are high in fat and collagen, perfect for slow cooking.
- Beef Shank with its bone marrow, adds a deep, rich flavor.
- Oxtail adds richness to the broth due to the bone and connective tissue.
- Beef Neck is uncommon top find unless you raise cattle. It’s good to add along with other cuts and produces flavorful, tender meat.
While chuck roast or brisket are very common cuts, the best-tasting birria combines a couple of different cuts. Look for beef with a lot of marbling, including bone-in cuts that add gelatin for richness. If using a lean cut, combine it with a fattier cut to balance the flavor. If you do not like a very fatty broth, skim excess fat from the chilled consomé.
Beef Birria Recipe
Ingredients you will need
- Beef – Chuck roast is a good cut to use. Alone or along with brisket, short ribs, beef shank, oxtail, and beef neck. A combination of cuts makes the best-tasting birria.
- Chiles – Use dried Mexican chiles. Ancho chiles and guajillo chiles are used, and if you like birria spicy, add some arbol chiles.
- Water – Water is used to soak the dried chiles.
- Broth – Beef stock or vegetable broth, along with the blended chile mixture, is what the beef slow cooks in.
- Tomato – Use a large whole or canned tomato as part of the chile mixture.
- Onion – Use a yellow or white onion for this dish for cooking and for the garnish
- Spices – Ground cumin, ground cinnamon or a stick, ground ginger, ground clove, salt, and black pepper are the combination of spices that flavor birria.
- Herbs – The herbs used for this recipe are Mexican oregano and bay leaves. Italian oregano will work as a substitute if you cannot find Mexican oregano.
- Garlic – Garlic provides a savory, earthy flavor that enhances the dish’s overall taste. It complements the spices, chiles, and herbs.
- Oil – Vegetable or light olive oil is used to saute the beef.
- Vinegar – Apple cider vinegar adds a tangy flavor.
For garnish and to enjoy along with birria:
- Tortillas – Corn tortillas are traditionally used to dip into the consomé and when making tacos.
- Lime – A squeeze of lime to brighten the flavors. Serve lime wedges with the birria stew and tacos.
- Cilantro – Cilantro is the perfect garnish on all Mexican food, but if you don’t like it – leave it out.
- Onion -Use fresh chopped onion, white or yellow
- Cheese – If making quesabirria tacos, you will also need cheese. Use Oaxaca cheese, Monterey Jack, or mozzarella.
Instructions to make birria
Prepare the Chiles, Onion and Garlic
Start by removing the stems and seeds from the dried chiles. Quarter the onion and peel the garlic cloves. Add a little oil over the onions and garlic.
Place the chiles, onion, and garlic on a baking sheet in the oven on the middle rack on broil.
After a minute, flip the chiles and roast for another minute or two. Be careful not to burn them, which can make the chiles bitter.
Once the chiles are toasted, remove them from the oven and let the onion and garlic continue to roast for a few more minutes.
Place the chiles in a pot of hot water and soak them in hot water for 15 minutes to soften. Reserve 1 cup of the soaking liquid.
Blend the Sauce
Drain the softened chiles and place them in a blender. Add the diced tomatoes, roasted garlic, onion, oregano, cumin, cinnamon (if using ground cinnamon), ginger, cloves, apple cider vinegar, and 1 cup of the reserved chile-soaking liquid. beef broth.
Blend with a high-speed blender until you achieve a smooth, thick paste.
Preheat the Oven
As you get ready to brown the beef chunks, preheat the oven to 325° F.
Brown the Meat
Cut the beef into large chunks. Season your meat chunks generously with salt and pepper, and then brown them in a large Dutch oven.
Once all the meat has been browned, deglaze the pot with the beef stock.
Slow-Cook the Birria
Add the blended chile sauce, bay leaves, and cinnamon stick (if you did not use ground cinnamon) to the pot with the browned beef.
Bring to a gentle boil, cover, and then transfer the Dutch oven into the oven. Cook for 3-4 hours.
After a couple of hours, check the liquid level and add water as needed.
Alternatively, you can use a slow cooker set to low for 6-8 hours or an instant pot according to manufacturer instructions.
Shred the Meat
Once the meat is tender and falling off the bone, remove it from the pot. Shred it using two forks, discarding any bones.
Skim any excess fat from the broth and return the shredded meat to the pot. Save the fat for dipping the tortillas when making tacos.
Prepare the Consomé
Taste the broth and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.
How to Serve Birria
To Make Birria Tacos:
- Dip corn tortillas into the rich skimmed fat and broth and fry them on a hot griddle.
- Fill the tortillas with cheese and shredded beef and top with diced onion, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.
- Fold the tacos and fry until crispy, then serve with a small bowl of consomé as a dipping sauce.
To Serve Birria Stew:
- Serve birria in bowls with plenty of consomé.
- On top of the stew, add fresh cilantro, onion, and a squeeze of lime. Add a side of warm corn or flour tortillas for dipping.
Birria is not difficult to make, but the cooking time can be long. Tasting the tender meat and savory sauce is worth every minute. Whether making it for a special occasion or creating comfort food that will make a few different meals, you will understand why this dish has become so popular worldwide.
More recipes you might enjoy
- Homemade Enchilada Sauce Recipe
- Easy Mexican Coleslaw
- Salsa Verde Recipe – Fresh and Easy
- Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix – Better than Store Packages
This one lives in my Comfort Food collection — a whole shelf of meals like it, if you want more.
Birria Recipe – Mexican Slow Braised Stew and Tacos
Ingredients
- 4 Pounds Chuck Roast See notes for beef cuts
- 2 Tablespoons Oil
- 2 Cups Water To soak dried chiles
- 4 Dried Ancho Chiles
- 4 Dried Guajillo Chiles
- 1-4 Dried Arbol Chiles Optional-Depends on how much spice you enjoy
- 1 Large Onion – quartered
- 2 – 4 Cloves Garlic
- 1 Cup Reserved chile soaking liquid
- 1 Large Tomato – chopped Substitute with 1/2 cup canned diced tomato
- 2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
- 2 Teaspoons Ground Cumin
- 2 Teaspoons Mexican Oregano
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
- 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cloves
- 3 Bay leaves
- 1 Cinnamon Stick – 4" long
- 3 Cups Beef Broth
- Salt and Pepper
Garnish and Taco Ingredients
- Corn Torililias
- 1 Cup White Onion – chopped
- 1 Bunch Cilantro – chopped
- 2 Limes – sliced in wedges
- 2 – 3 Cups Oaxaca Cheese grated Substitute with Monterey Jack or Mozzarella
Instructions
Birria
- Start by removing the stems and seeds from the dried chiles. Quarter the onion and peel the garlic cloves. Add a little oil over the onions and garlic. Place the chiles, onion, and garlic on a baking sheet in the oven on the middle rack on broil. After a minute, flip the chiles and roast for another minute or two. Be careful not to burn them, which can make the chiles bitter. Once the chiles are toasted, remove them from the oven and let the onion and garlic continue to roast for a few more minutes. Place the chiles in a pot of hot water and soak them in hot water for 15 minutes to soften. Reserve 1 cup of the soaking liquid.
- Drain the softened chiles and place them in a blender. Add the diced tomatoes, roasted garlic, onion, oregano, cumin, cinnamon (if using ground cinnamon), ginger, cloves, apple cider vinegar, and 1 cup of the reserved chile-soaking liquid. beef broth. Blend with a high-speed blender until you achieve a smooth, thick paste.
- As you get ready to brown the beef chunks, preheat the oven to 325° F.
- Cut the beef into large chunks. Season your meat chunks generously with salt and pepper, and then brown them in a large Dutch oven. Once all the meat has been browned, deglaze the pot with the beef stock.
- Add the blended chile sauce, bay leaves, and cinnamon stick (if you did not use ground cinnamon) to the pot with the browned beef. Bring to a gentle boil, cover, and then transfer the Dutch oven into the oven. Cook for 3-4 hours. After a couple of hours, check the liquid level and add water as needed. Alternatively, you can use a slow cooker set to low for 6-8 hours or an instant pot according to manufacturer instructions.
- Once the meat is tender and falling off the bone, remove it from the pot. Shred it using two forks, discarding any bones. Skim any excess fat from the broth and return the shredded meat to the pot. Save the fat for dipping the tortillas when making tacos.
- Prepare the ConsoméTaste the broth and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.
To Serve Birria Stew
- Serve birria in bowls with plenty of consomé.On top of the stew, add fresh cilantro, onion, and a squeeze of lime. Add a side of warm corn or flour tortillas for dipping.
To Make Birria Tacos
- Dip corn tortillas into the rich skimmed fat and broth and fry them on a hot griddle.
- Fill the tortillas with cheese and shredded beef and top with diced onion, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.
- Fold the tacos and fry until crispy, then serve with a small bowl of consomé as a dipping sauce.
Notes
Cuts of meat to use to make birria beef:
- Chuck Roast is a well-marbled, tough cut that becomes flavorful and tender when slow-cooked.
- Brisket is another cut with a fat layer, making moist meat great for shredding.
- Short Ribs are high in fat and collagen, perfect for slow cooking.
- Beef Shank with its bone marrow, adds a deep, rich flavor.
- Oxtail adds richness to the broth due to the bone and connective tissue.
- Beef Neck is uncommon to find unless you raise cattle. It is good to add along with other cuts and produces flavorful, tender meat.
Pin and Save for Later!
Hi, I’m Yvonne — the voice behind Our Country Life. I share from-scratch recipes, garden know-how, and simple living inspiration rooted in real farmhouse life. Thanks for being here ❤️
Leave a Reply